Global Naija Info

Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, acting Inspector General of Police The police in Benue State have confirmed that a lecturer at Mkar University, Gboko was killed by unidentified gunmen at his residence in Gboko. ASP Moses Yanmu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) revealed on Thursday in Makurdi that the lecturer was shot on the chest by gunmen on Tuesday. He said that the late university don died at Benue State Teaching Hospital Makurdi where he was rushed to, adding that the police had commenced investigations to arrest the gunmen. Yanmu appealed to people with useful information that would lead to the arrest of the culprits to volunteer it to security agencies. The deceased lecturer was a chairmanship aspirant in the state.

Dr Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health The Nigerian government has reported two cases of polio, the country’s first in two years. It said two children had been paralysed by the disease in the north-eastern Borno state, a part of Nigeria where Boko Haram militants are active. The development is seen as a major setback for Nigeria, which was on track to be declared polio free in 2017. Polio is an infectious viral disease that usually affects children. It can only be prevented through immunisation. The disease is spread by poor sanitation and contaminated water. Advertisement A UN immunisation programme in Nigeria has had to contend with rumours that the vaccine was a plot to sterilise Muslims. Polio vaccination centres in the country have also been attacked by Boko Haram Islamist militants. Source: BBC News

Yakubu Dogara National Assembly members cannot be investigated or charged to court for performing their constitutional responsibility of lawmaking, including budget, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has declared. Dogara stated this at the Civil Society Dialogue Session on One Year of the Legislative Agenda organised by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) in Abuja on Thursday. The speaker said the 2016 budget had been controversial from the beginning and that it took dialogue, compromise and consensus to produce a workable document. He said that by virtue of provisions of the Legislative Houses Powers and Privileges Act, no member of parliament could be charged to court or investigated for exercising their powers of lawmaking. On the powers of the National Assembly over budget, Dogara maintained that the Appropriation Bill was just like any other bill which must be subjected to normal legislative processes and scrutiny. “The constitution talks about the

Syrian residents using mask as a result of the attack The UN is investigating evidence of a toxic gas attack on a rebel-held area of the Syrian city of Aleppo. Rebels said the attack, which reportedly left four people dead and many injured – was carried out by government forces using chlorine gas. The UN special envoy for Syria said a chlorine attack, if confirmed, would amount to a “war crime”. Footage obtained by the BBC shows people with breathing difficulties receiving treatment at a hospital. Men, women and children are shown being fitted with oxygen masks by medical staff. The gas is thought to have been chlorine dropped in a barrel bomb, said the Syrian Civil Defence – volunteer emergency response workers who operate in opposition-held areas. UN special envoy, Staffan de Mistura confirmed the global body’s experts were investigating reports of a gas, believed to be chlorine, being dropped on Aleppo. “There is a lot of evidence that it actually did take place,” he told r

Vice President, Prof. Osibanjo Kazeem Ugbodaga The Federal Government says it has saved N1.4 trillion which could have been paid as subsidy to oil marketers since the deregulation of downstream petroleum sector. Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo disclosed this on Thursday at the Presidential Policy Dialogue, organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. He said the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector had equally had significant increase in the availability of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS throughout the country as this had been achieved at a price of N145 per litre as against over N200 per litre being paid in most parts of the country prior to the deregulation. “This action has led to reduced daily demand for PMS for which the daily demand has reduced from 1,600 trucks per day to 850 trucks per day. This has resulted in the savings of N1.4 trillion on subsidy payments, ther

Godwin Obaseki, APC governorship candidate for Edo State The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it had cleared Osagie Ize-Iyamu of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 18 others as candidates in the Sept. 10 governorship election in Edo. Also cleared, according to the commission, are Mr Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Amos Areloegbe, Labour Party and Oronsaye Richard, Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP). This is contained in the list of political parties and their candidates for the election, published by the commission in a document obtained in Abuja on Thursday. The document signed by the commission’s Secretary, Mrs Augusta Ogakwu, explained that the clearance of Obaseki as PDP’s candidate was based on a court order. Other candidates on the list are Mr Ishaka Ofemile, Action Alliance; Mr Andrew Igewmoh, Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD); Mr Cosmos Irabor, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) and Onaiwu Osaro, All Progressives Gran

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State Chukwuma Udenwa, 37-year-old bricklayer, has been arrested by the Delta Police Command for allegedly dumping the corpse of his father inside a septic tank at his residence in Okpanam community, near Asaba. Udenwa, who hailed from Uli community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra, is ‎married with three children. SP Celestina Kalu, the state Police Public Relations Officer, made the disclosure on Thursday in Asaba in an interview. He said that Udenwa was arrested after his landlord discovered a decomposing corpse in one of the septic tanks in the compound. “The man was arrested for dumping the corpse of his father in a septic tank in the compound he is living. “He said he has no money to take the corpse to the mortuary, ‘’Kalu said. It was gathered that Udenwa informed his neighbours that one of his sisters, who resides at Ibusa, recently brought his 83-year old sick father, Mr John Udenwa to Asaba for medical attention. Udenwa, who

R-L: Special Adviser, Housing, Mrs. Aramide Giwanson; Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita; Lagos State Head of Service, Mrs. Olabowale Ademola; Permanenet Secreatary, Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Yemi Adelakun; Head, Lagos Liasion Office, Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Ibironke Okikiolu and others during the Head of Service of the Federation working visit to the Lagos House, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday. The Lagos State Government and the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation on Thursday commenced talks on partnership for massive provision of affordable housing for Federal and State civil servants to address housing deficit especially for workers in the State. Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, who disclosed this while leading a technical delegation to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Lagos House in Ikeja, said the decision to go into partnership with the state government followed t

Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education Following the alleged refusal of the Federal Government to honour its agreement with it, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has stated that it will embark on a nationwide strike from August 22. ASUP President, Mr Usman Dutse, who disclosed this on Thursday at the end of the Zone A emergency meeting of the union in Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria, said the union will commence the industrial action, if the Federal Government fails to honour the agreement it reached with it in 2013. He said that since the suspension of the protracted strike in 2014, the government is yet to address some of the core issues that necessitated the strike. Dutse urged the government to as a matter of urgency, address these issues in order to avoid another nationwide industrial action. A communique read by the Zone A Coordinator of ASUP, Kabir Yunusa, noted that no significant progress has been made by government in resolving the issues. The statement highl

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo has dismissed the allegation that his administration’s failure to settle accumulated pension arrears will cripple the incoming administration in the state. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo had alleged that the outgoing Adams Oshiomhole-led administration had failed to pay pension arrears for years in the state, and hence might be creating problems for the incoming administration. Oshiomhole, who was fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, however, said that contrary to the allegation, his administration had paid nine years of pension arrears in the state. “From 1998 when the Army left, to 1999 and to the end of 2008 when I took over, that was a period of 13 years. “So, we found a pension bill of 13 years, arrears of gratuity and pension not paid by the PDP government including the 7,000 people they dismissed. “When I assumed duties at the end of 2008, I had two option

Newly commissioned Helipad at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, on Thursday. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday unveiled the first state-owned Helipad for medical emergencies in Nigeria at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. He said the upgrading of the 247-bed and five theatre suits for pregnant women, popularly called Ayinke House, would be ready for use by 2017. Ambode, who also inspected medical facilities at the LASUTH complex, said as part of efforts to transform the health sector in the State for optimal performance, the Bola Tinubu Health and Diagnostic Centre would soon become operational, while approval had been granted for the rehabilitation, upgrade and bulk purchase of medical equipment required in 20 secondary and 21 primary health facilities across the State. “This Helipad being commissioned today is a lifesaving asset and critical complem

Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova The National Open University of Nigeria(NOUN) is working toward producing its course materials as tablet computers rather than textbooks, its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, has said. Adamu disclosed this while receiving Ms Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, who paid him a courtesy call on Thursday in Abuja. According to him, the largest area of support that UNESCO gives to NOUN is the Open Education Resource (OER). “The OER is an online repository of a huge number of resources in education and the beauty of it is that they are free and anybody can access them. “When NOUN eventually matures to a package called iNOUN, we will produce our materials as tablets rather than as textbooks. “Virtually all the OERs will be downloaded on the ipad so that people will take them along wherever they are. “They do not need to have internet access in order to have access to OER; this is one area that UNESCO has been extremely dynamic and helpi

Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board on Thursday said that 16 female intending pilgrims, discovered to be pregnant, had been barred from performing 2016 Hajj. The Executive Secretary of the board, Malam Abba Yakubu, disclosed this in an interview in Kano. He said the affected pilgrims were detected during the medical and pregnancy test conducted by the committee set up to screen the pilgrims. “All the 16 female intending pilgrims will not be allowed to go to the Holy land in compliance with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) directive,’’ he said. Yakubu said the board had already replaced the affected pilgrims with the names of their relations as requested by them. He disclosed that the board had completed the necessary arrangements for the commencement of the transportation of its intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The executive secretary said the exercise, which was to commence on Aug. 11, had now been shifted to Aug. 12,

L-R: CEO, Human Capital Management & Solutions Limited, Tetsoma Onwuka; Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson; Director, Training in the ministry, Aruna Ayodeji and the Director, Public Affairs, Abisola Kasali during the training on Thursday. The Lagos State Government says it is planning to inject more fund for staff training and development by next year. Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson said this on Thursday at a Leadership and Change Management Workshop for Directors in the State Public Service held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, FESTAC, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. According to Benson, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode approved N1 billion for staff training this year, which he described as a landmark in the state. He said in 2015, the sum of N149 million was approved for training, but that the governor increased it to N1 billion this year, adding that by next year, the government was looking at the possibili

Governor Ibikunle Amosun The Ogun State Government said on Thursday that it would soon commence the demolition of illegal structures along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway to ease traffic congestion on the road. The state Commissioner for Forestry, Mr Kolawole Lawal, stated this at a forum organised to sensitise stakeholders in Abeokuta. Lawal said the exercise was part of efforts by the state to create a clean and attractive environment safe enough for road users. He said the structures to be demolished included shanties, petrol stations, firms and markets that had encroached on the mandatory 70 metres setback on the expressway. “The affected structures have been identified and we have written to the owners since April to correct the anomalies.” He said Gov. Ibikunle Amosun had already set up a committee for the project, to enable the government take ownership of the mandatory 70 metres setback on the highway. “The committee which I chair, is also expected to beautify the road thro

The gavel of justice A man and his wife were on Thursday arraigned in a Wuse Zone 6 Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for cheating. The defendants Glory Elisha, 36, and Yohanna Elisha, 45, of CBN Estate, Garki 2, Abuja, were arraigned for breach of trust and cheating. They pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Prosecuting counsel, Nnamani Emmanuel, told the court that Alomaja Olajide of Area 2, Garki, Abuja, reported the matter at the Garki Police Station on Aug. 4. He said that sometime in May 2014, the defendants conspired and approached him in his office under false pretext that they want to sell their house located at Garki, Abuja. “The couple told the complainant to bring N10, 800, 000 for the house which he paid as agreed. “After purchasing the house the couple pleaded with the complainant to allow them stay for one year to enable them get a new house before he can fully take possession of the house,” Emmanuel said. The prosecutor further said that unknown to Olajide, th

The gavel of justice An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court has remanded two men Sodiq Fatusi and Adewale Ogunsanya in a Lagos prison for allegedly pushing an octogenarian to his death. The accused, Fatusi, 27, and Ogunsanya, 19 are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder. The Magistrate, Mrs M.O. Olajuwon, had ordered the accused to be remanded at Ikoyi Prisons pending advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Earlier, the Prosecutor, Inspector Julius Babatope said the offences were committed on July 19 at about 7.30 p.m. at Iyana-Ipaja, a Lagos surburb. The accused were alleged to have pushed Jerome Akinsola, 70, unto an oncoming vehicle after trying to extort money from him. “The deceased, a truck driver, had stopped to check his deflated tyre and the accused seized the opportunity to demand an illegal sum from him. “The deceased refused to part with the amount, and this angered the accused, who angrily beat him up before pushing him unto an onc

Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Development The Federal Government said on Thursday that every state in the country is safe, contrary to a recent negative report by the U.S. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this in Abuja when he received in audience a delegation from the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN). Mohammed said that the advisory published by the U.S., which was awash in national dailies declaring 20 Nigerian states “unsafe and completely no go area’’, was not correct. The minister admonished the media to desist from propagating negative news about the country, stressing that it would discourage investors and be counter productive to tourism growth. “Recently, all the newspapers carried the negative story that 20 states in Nigeria are not safe, according to a U.S. report. “We are in Nigeria, how can we believe the claim that 20 states in Nigeria are not safe. “That is not correct. There i

Professor Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò Can somebody please remind me, again, why Nnamdi Kanu is still sitting in jail? Of course, I know the various charges that have been levelled against him. And I am not one to pooh-pooh the charges or suggest that they lack merit. But the larger and deeper issue from which arose the charges that he faces is the one that has prompted the reflections in this piece. Kanu’s ultimate crime is that he dared call for the secession of a part of the country that styles itself “Biafra” from the rest of Nigeria. What I propose to address here is the idea that it is a crime, per se, to call for the break-up of the entity called Nigeria. I plan to call into question this orientation. I am firmly of the opinion that, based on what we know right now, every day that Kanu spends in jail is an injustice. Let me be clear. I don’t know Kanu. From the profile of him that I have read, he does not strike me as a genuine freedom fighter and a lot of his responses to his current sit

The Lagos State Government says it will collaborate with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to disseminate prompt information to at least 65 percent residents on government programmes. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, made the declaration when he visited News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) office in Lagos. “So I congratulate NAN for having thoroughbred professional like Mr. Bayo Onanuga as the MD (Managing Director) in Abuja. “We think that our relationship with media can improve greatly. “There is nowhere better to start this sort of engagement that we thought is necessary than to come to the News Agency of Nigeria, which of course we believe is the number one in terms of spread and coverage and content generation in the country. “There are areas where we believe we need to work more together. “This is the digital age; we believe at any point in time about 65 per cent of people that any form of information or news we want to reach is through social medi

Nigeria Police emblem ‎ A 30-year-old driver, Muzammil Mohammed, on Thursday, appeared in a Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, for alleged mischief. Mohammed of Gaskiya Layout, Zaria, Kaduna State, was arraigned on a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and mischief. Prosecutor Urom Otu told the court that Aminu Majjdadi of Area 11, Efab Mall, Garki, Abuja, reported the matter at the Garki Police Station on Aug. 6. Otu said the complainant entrusted his truck to the defendant to remit N60,000 weekly which he defaulted. He said the defendant further damaged the vehicle and parked it at Okene Road, Kogi State. Otu said the cost of repairs of the damage was N90,000, adding that the offence contravened sections 312 and 327 of the Penal Code. The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him. The presiding officer, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N150, 000 with one surety in like sum. Kagarko said that the surety must reside with

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met the Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka at the State House, Abuja. Photos: Sunday Aghaeze (R-L) President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief of Staff, Malam Abba Kyari and Executive Director Tanus Books Ltd, Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi during a meeting at the State House in Abuja. President Muhammadu Buhari usher in Prof. Wole Soyinka to his seat during a meeting at the State House in Abuja. President Muhammadu Buhari in audience with Soyinka President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof Wole Soyinka during a meeting at the State House in Abuja. President Muhammadu Buhari escorting Prof. Wole Soyinka out after the meeting President Muhammadu Buhari leads Prof. Wole Soyinka out after the meeting President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Wole Soyinka after the meeting President Muhammadu Buhari bids Prof. Wole Soyinka farewell after the meeting Prof. Wole Soyinka speaking with State House correspondents after his meeting with Presiden

A Gudu Upper Area Court, FCT, on Thursday, sentenced a 26-year-old Wilfred Inacho to six strokes of the cane for fondling a lady’s buttocks. Inacho, a welder, pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of mischief. The judge, Mr Umar Kagarko passed the sentence with no option of fine. The convict, who showed remorse, said it was not intentional as he only wanted the lady to like him. Kagarko, while admonishing the convict to desist from indecency, asked him to find a decent approach towards women. “You don’t go about touching a woman’s buttock simply because you want her to like you. “Find a decent approach,” the judge said. The police prosecutor, Mr Augustine Urom, told the court that one Miss Alice Adejo reported the matter at Apo police station on Aug. 10. He said the convict had formed a habit of leaving his work to follow the complainant every time she passed by his workshop. Urom said the complainant had warned the convict many times but he kept on. “She even reported him to

Mr Sam Okaula, Anambra Commissioner of Police The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Mr Sam Okaula, has said that the man who died of generator fume with his alleged lover in Awka on Sunday was not a policeman. Okaula in Awka on Thursday said that the story was not true and that he made contact with the relatives of the man who confirmed that he was not a policeman. He said the man was a contractor who came to Awka to execute a building job for his brother. “The dead man hailed from Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state, and a contractor based in Ondo State. “He came to do a job for his brother in Awka; we want to say that the man who died is not a member of the force. “We have found out that he was not enlisted in the Police Force and had no relationship with police as a staff,” he said. Okaula, however, said his office was open to the media for clarification on issues. Residents of Ezinifite, Okpuno, Awka in Awka South Local Government Area of the stat

An Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ has ordered the remand of 42-year-old Josiah Johnson in prison custody for allegedly beating his wife to death. The prosecutor, Sgt. Oriyomi Akinwale told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 3 at Erio-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State. He said that the accused, on the said date, unlawfully caused the death of his wife, Mrs Julianah Johnson by beating her to death. According to him, the husband wanted sexual intercourse with his wife, now deceased, but she declined saying she did not want to get pregnant after having seven children. He told the court that the man, infuriated by his wife’s refusal, beat her to submission and forcefully had sexual intercourse with her, all of which led to her death. Oriyomi said the offence contravened Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap C 16, Laws of Ekiti State. 2012. The prosecutor, however, sought an adjournment of the matter as he still needed legal advice from the offi

A 39-year-old man, Ikechukwu Jerry, was on Thursday arraigned at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly beating his lover. The accused, a construction worker, residing at 3, Olufemi Ojo St., Olowora Ogba, a suburb of Lagos, is being tried for assault. According to the Prosecutor, Insp. Benedict Aigbokhan, the offence was committed on July 31 at the residence of the accused. Aigbokhan said that a fight ensued between the accused and his lover, a 32-year-old woman, over money, with the lady ending up sustaining a severe wound on her right eye. “The offence contravened Section 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,” he said. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty. The Magistrate, Mrs O. Olanipekun, granted the accused N50, 000 bail with one surety in like sum. She adjourned the case to Sept. 16 for mention.

Malian Soldiers A military source has confirmed that the five Malian soldiers who went missing after a terrorist attack in Mali’s central region of Mopti over the weekend were found dead in river Niger. The source said on Thursday in Bamako that four bodies were found on Tuesday evening while one other body was found on Wednesday morning. Tieman Coulibaly, Mali’s Defence Minister, said that the dead soldiers were in a supply convoy of the Malian army which came under a terrorist attack on Sunday between Tenenkou and Diafarabe region in Mopti. He said that one of the vehicles of the Malian forces was burnt while four others were taken away during the attack for which no group has claimed responsibility. It will be recalled that the Malian army lost 17 soldiers during a terrorist attack on July 19 at the Nampala barracks. After the attack, six Malian soldiers were reported missing. Ansar Dine terrorist group which claimed responsibility for the attack recently released a video o

Fatai Owoseni, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State No fewer than 39 suspected cultists belonging to the Eiye Confraternity have been arrested in Ogun and Lagos states metropolis. Their arrests was initiated by an intelligence report of their plot to wreak havoc across the states during their 8/8 (August 8) annual anniversary. Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun state experienced so much panic in last week as suspected cult members of the Eiye Confraternity planned to unleash mayhem during their anniversary. Some residents of Fakale, Igode and Emuren communities in Ogun State; Odo Kekere, Odo Nla and Itapara in Lagos State and some other communities sharing boundaries with Lagos state according to reports, fled their homes for fear of being lynched during the alleged cult anniversary. It can be recalled some cult members belonging to the Black Axe Confraternity while marking their 7/7 anniversary on July 7, 2016, put some communities in Ogun State under siege, during which some

Hillary Clinton, US Democratic presidential nominee Newly released emails from Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state have exposed the connection between the US Democratic presidential nominee and Nigerian-Lebanese Gilbert Chagoury whose family has billions of naira investment in Nigeria. They also raise questions about the nature of Chagoury’s relationship with the Clinton Foundation. Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, released 296 pages of emails from the Democratic presidential nominee, including 44 that Judicial Watch says were not previously handed over to the State Department by Clinton. The emails, many of which are heavily redacted, raise questions about the Clinton Foundation’s influence on the State Department and its relations during her tenure. In one instance, top Clinton Foundation official Doug Band lobbied Clinton aides for a job for someone else in the State Department. In the email, Band tells Hillary Clinton’s former aides at the department —

A 29-year-old man, Tijani Ibrahim, on Thursday, appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly raping his sister-in-law. Ibrahim, who resides at No 5, Yekini St., Off Oniwaya Road, Agege, a Lagos suburb, is facing a two-count charge of rape and assault. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Rafael Donny told the court that the offences were committed on July 13 and July 22, respectively at the accused residence. Donny alleged that the accused raped his 17- year-old sister-in-law who lived in his house. “The accused raped the victim on two occasions. One of the days he raped the girl was when his wife put to bed. “After raping the girl, he threatened to deal with her if she told anyone. “The accused also beat the girl when she attempted to run away from the house as a result of the sexual assault,’’ he said. The prosecutor said that offences contravened Sections 168 and 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty. The Chief Ma

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel The government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering a series of new security measures that include making it easier to detain and deport terrorist suspects, the country’s top security official said Thursday. The plan is intended to boost staffing and equipment for security forces and improve the policing and prosecution of terrorist suspects by the end of Merkel’s third term in late 2017, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. “Nobody can guarantee absolute security, but we need to do everything within our power,” de Maiziere told a news conference on Thursday. The measures include stripping dual nationals who join extremist groups in Iraq and Syria of their German citizenship, introducing “threat to public safety” as new grounds for detention and making it easier to detain criminals and those deemed to be dangerous. Germany has been on high alert since four violent attacks in the space of one week last month – three of them comm

A 31- year-old man, Damilare Balogun, was on Thursday arraigned in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly raping ‘a church sister’ (names withheld). The accused, a website designer, who lives at Plot 426, Damilola Folashade Street., Omole Phase 1, Ojodu, a Lagos suburb, is being tried for sexual assault. The prosecutor, Insp. Benedict Aigbokhan told the court that the offence was committed on July 24 at the accused residence. Aigbokhan said that the accused invited the victim, a 25-year-old lady to his house. “The accused and the victim are church members, and also belong to the same service unit in the church. “When the victim got to his house, he shut the door at her and forcefully made love to her,” he said. The offence contravened Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty. The Magistrate, Mrs. O. Olanipekun granted the defendant bail in the sum of N100,000 with one surety in like sum. She adjourned the case till Sept.

FADAMA’s irrigation project The World Bank has pledged to support Nigeria’s agricultural sector with 50 million dollars towards the restoration of agricultural livelihood of Fadama beneficiaries in the North East. Dr Adetunji Oredipe, Task Team Leader of the Fadama III project, disclosed on Thursday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the programme would last up until December 2019. He said the programme had begun in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, Gombe and Yobe states. Oredipe disclosed that Borno, Yobe and Taraba had released their N20 million counterpart fund, while the three other states had given approval for payment. He said that the bank had launched a special programme of Fadama for the North East towards actualising the programme. Oredipe said that actualising the programme had become imperative because the bank was determined to help to restore livelihood in the region. “We want to reach out to 24,000 households and we have the package for them as