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Showing posts from August 22, 2016

Govt moves to recover looted funds abroad

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, has said that the Federal Government is addressing the legal challenges which tied down looted funds in foreign countries. , Malami, also the Minister of Justice, said this at the ongoing annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Port Harcourt on Monday. He said in his paper, “The Role of Law in Advancing the Change Agenda”, that the current law in the country did not provide the procedure for the recovery of looted funds. “The executive has submitted a bill to the National Assembly on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. “The Federal Government is fighting corruption within the ambits of the law. The fight against corruption requires the support of all Nigerians. “The Judiciary must ensure transparent use of its powers in the adjudication of cases brought before it,” he said. Malami reiterated that President Muhammadu Buhari

Admission: JAMB urges universities to comply with criteria set by FEC

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede,, JAMB Registrar The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has urged Federal Government-owned universities to comply with the criteria stipulated by the Federal Executive Council(FEC) in the admission of students. The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, made the call at the First Technical Committee Meeting on the 2016 admissions to first choice institutions on Monday at Bayero University, Kano. He also called on the universities to focus on what was beneficial to the largest number of Nigerians. “For Federal universities, the criteria stipulated by Federal Executive council concerning merit, catchment and educationally less developed states should be complied with,” he said. Oloyede said that at the same time, the universities should not aggravate the burden of the masses yearning for higher education as a veritable means of active participation in public life. The registrar called for commitment, synergy and cooperation between the board and the

Lagos begins implementation of e-ticketing

Dr. Dayo Mobereola The Lagos State Government has justified the implementation of e-ticketing in the state as it is less susceptible to human frailties. A statement from the Ministry of Transportation and signed by Biola Fagunwa, Director, Public Affairs said it had come to the attention of the Ministry that a notice of intervention to enforce was currently circulating in the social media with the ministry being attributed to it. “For the avoidance of doubt and for clarification purposes, the Ministry has not issued any such statement of intention to enforce through Electronic Billing System. The system is not new or specific to the Ministry. It is the fines and fees segment of the central Billing System of the State Government that came into effect a few months earlier. The use of e – tickets is not just taking off. “As part of the Central Billing System adopted by the Lagos State Government to manage its revenue process, the fines imposed by agencies under the Ministry of Transp

Curfew in Zamfara as mob kills 8 over alleged blasphemy

No fewer than eight persons were killed on Monday in Talata-Mafara community in Zamfara following violence that erupted over alleged blasphemy by a student of Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata-Mafara. The state governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, joined hundreds of people to bury the deceased, who were said to have all been killed when an angry mob set fire on the house of a man who tried to rescue the student. The student was alleged to have made a blasphemous statement against Islam and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and was consequently attacked by a mob. The boy was said to have been beaten to pulp by the mob, and the man, whose name was simply given as Tajudeen, took him in his car and rush to a hospital. Enraged by the act of the man who rescued the student, an eye witnesses said that the mob moved to his (Tajudeen’s) house, set it on fire and killed eight persons. The governor, who called for an emergency Security Council meeting over the incident, expressed sadness and vowed that “no st

Troops kill 3 kidnappers, destroy camps in Bauchi State

Col-Sani-Kukasheka-Usman Troops of 33 Brigade, Nigerian Army, have killed 3 armed kidnappers and destroyed their camps in Bauchi State. This is contained in a statement issued by Col. Sani Usman, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations. “Troops of 33 Brigade, Nigerian Army, based on incessant reported cases of armed robberies and kidnappings in some parts of Bauchi State, have embarked on fighting patrols to clear the state of such criminal elements. “It is in this regards they carried out a fighting patrol on Sunday 21st Aug. 2016, at Dutsen Mairama and around Dogon Ruwa settlement within Lame/Burra forest of Toro and Ningi local government areas of Bauchi State. “During the encounter, 3 armed kidnappers were killed and their camps were destroyed. “The troops also recovered arms and ammunition including empty shells,’’ Usman said. He said the troops would continue to carry out such clearance operations in all known hideouts of kidnappers and armed bandits within Bauchi and

Disgraced U.S. swimmer Lochte loses sponsorship

Ryan Lochte, the disgraced American swimmer Swimwear manufacturer Speedo and fashion label Ralph Lauren on Monday said they were dropping their sponsorship of the disgraced U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. The companies made their announcements after Lochte lied about being robbed at gunpoint by a policeman after a night out during the Rio Olympics. “We cannot condone behaviour that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for,’’ Speedo said. Lochte and three team-mates had in fact damaged a petrol station’s toilet door after lying that they were robbed at gunpoint. They had been returning to the Olympic village after a night out in Rio when they tried, unsuccessfully, to use the locked toilet and urinated outside instead. Ralph Lauren, which has removed some of Lochte’s images from its website, said its sponsorship had been only for the Rio Olympics and would not be renewed. The value of Lochte’s Speedo sponsorship has not been disclosed however. The contract repor

Benue legislators refund car loans to EFCC

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said that 22 state legislators have started refunding car loans they collected for personal vehicles to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Ortom, who said this when he received youths of Turan in Kwande Local Government, said they were expected to refund N317 million to the anti-graft agency in Abuja. He said the refund was necessitated by the shoddy manner in which the loans were disbursed to the lawmakers. The governor said that the process fell short of best practices required in such financial transactions. Ortom explained that out of the number, 12 legislators were from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) while 10 were from the All Progressives Congress (APC). He expressed regrets that due process was jettisoned, which led to the lodgments of cash into the accounts of the legislators for the purchase of the cars. “After the Executive Council approved the contract for the procurement of Prado J

DSS smashes kidnap rings in Benue, Cross River, Lagos

Major General Babagana Monguno (retd) National Security Adviser The Department of State Services (DSS) has smashed a kidnapping syndicate responsible for gruesome killings and kidnappings in Benue State. In a statement on Monday, the DSS said it arrested one Terfa Jirgba and two of his accomplices, Terzungee Kwaghaondo and Mathias Aende, at Badagry Street off Esther Aka road in Makurdi, Benue State. ”Jirgba is an active ally and gang member of Terwase Agwaza, aka Ghana, a notorious kidnapper who runs a kidnapping and criminal network in Benue State. In a follow-up operation, one Terungwa Abur was trailed to Port-Harcourt City in Rivers State and arrested on 16 August,” DSS stated. The service described Abur as the second in command to Agwaza and a key member of the kidnapping gang of Terwase Agwaza, aka Ghana which operates from Benue State. He acts as a courier for the underworld gang and was the negotiator of the N4,000,000 ransom paid to the gang for the release of two Indian

Court orders police to disclose information to MRA

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Police and Inspector General of Police to disclose to Media Rights Agenda (MRA) information relating to practices and procedures for the classification of records and documents held by the Police. Justice Nnamdi Dimgba made the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by MRA against the Police over its refusal to provide MRA with the information requested by the non-governmental organization on February 23, 2016, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. In the request for information, MRA asked, among other things, for details of internal policies, practice directives, and standing orders, regardless of what they are called, that guide the classification and declassification of information in the custody of the police as well as what the levels of classification are and who has the authority to classify information. However, the Police failed to provide the requested information. In the suit filed on behalf of MR

Mayowa Ahmed dies in South African hospital

Mayowa, before and now The Ovarian cancer patient, Ahmed Mayowa, who spent many years at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for treatment has died in a South African hospital where she was taken to. One of her relations Asiwaju Foye broke the news on Sunday on his twitter handle@Asiwaju_Foye where he wrote: “By Allah, in who’s hands our lives is, Mayowa Ahmed has left us in this world. We pray that Jannat becomes her home #RipMayowa. “She tried, we tried but God’s will prevailed #RipMayowa.” The ovarian cancer patient came to the limelight when it was alleged that the campaign to seek funds for her treatment was a scam. This forced the Lagos State Police Command to wade in and an embargo was place on the N35m donated for her treatment. The story of Mayowa and her plea for help on the social media raised controversies as there was an allegation that her family used her bad state of health to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians. Police investigation later revealed that the

Suicide bomber on bike kills 3 in Cameroon market

Cameroon soldiers stand guard at a lookout post near the village of Fotokol as they take part in operations against the Islamic extremists group Boko Haram A suicide bomber on a motorbike killed three people and wounded 24 at a market in north Cameroon, where armed group Boko Haram has been waging an armed rebellion since 2009, authorities said. A senior military official told Reuters news agency that the bomber was also killed in the attack in Mora, in Cameroon’s Far North province. He said that it was possible one of the three victims was also on the motorbike. Another security source said authorities were convinced that the attack was the work of Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and wants to create an Islamic state in a region spanning four countries. A regional offensive against Boko Haram led by Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger – the four countries most affected by the armed group – has chased fighters out of towns i

Police hold aptitude test for applicants August 22

Mike Okiro, Chairman, Police Service Commission Police Service Commission ( PSC) says it will conduct aptitude test for shortlisted applicants for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force on Aug. 22 across the country. This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations, of the commission on Sunday in Abuja. Ani said that Coordinators for the exercise were already in their states of deployment to ensure the success of the process. He said that the Chairman of the Commission, Mr Mike Okiro, had advised successful applicants who had yet to receive invitation via e-mail should check their names at the state Police Command headquarters in their respective states. He said that the list containing the names of the invited applicants had been pasted in all the state Command Headquarters. The spokesman said the Commission would ensure that nobody who was successful and qualified for this level of the exercise was left out. The commission short