Global Naija Info

Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode Kazeem Ugbodaga The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has sent a formal request to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, asking for the redeployment of some police officers attached to the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences Unit. The request came in the wake of last Friday’s raids in different parts of Lagos by officers of the taskforce, leading to a rough treatment and arrests of innocent citizens. PM News investigation revealed that the taskforce operatives raided some parts of the metropolis and arrested several married women, brought them to the taskforce office and detained them illegally. On the following day, when their husbands came for them, they were made to pay N10,000 for each of those arrested. Power people among them took to the social media to lick the information and contacted the governor about the matter, an act that made him unhappy. In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Comm...

Illustration: workers protest Workers of Irepodun and Oke-Ero Local Government Areas of Kwara on Tuesday protested over unpaid seven months arrears of salaries. The protesters in Irepodun Council commenced at the Council Secretariat in Omu-Aran at about 9:30 a.m. with the workers carrying placards of different inscriptions and chanting solidarity songs. The protest was organised by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in the respective councils to demand the immediate payment of their outstanding salary arrears. Some of the inscriptions on the placard reads are: “We are dying of hunger”, “We demand immediate payment of our seven months salary arrears”, “Salary delay is Salary denied”, among others. Some officers of Omu-Aran Police Division, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and the Directorate of the Security Service were seen maintaining law and order. The NULGE chapter of the councils was said to have received the backing of the state headquarters in...

National Youth Service Corp members during a parade The Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Ekpo Abasi-Otu V, has assured National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Cross River of adequate security during and after their service year. Abasi-Otu gave the assurance on Tuesday in Calabar when the State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Ifeoma Anidobi, paid him a courtesy visit in his palace. The Obong, represented by Etubom Bassey Okor, Chairman, Etubom’s Traditional Rulers Council, said he had instructed traditional rulers in the state to make safety of corps members their priority. According to him, the NYSC scheme represents unity and integration, hence the need to provide adequate security for the corps members. “The NYSC scheme brings youths from different parts of the country together. NYSC has contributed greatly to the unity of the country. “Traditional rulers in the state have taken it upon themselves by enlightening their subjects to safeguard corps members in all the noo...

Barely six days to the Ed-El-Kabir celebrations, patronage of rams remained low in Sokoto metropolis in spite of the slight reduction in prices compared to same period of 2015. The ram sellers were not recording the expected sales due to few customers. NAN reports that the livestock markets in Sokoto metropolis and its environs were, however, bubbling with activities. Prospective buyers were going in and coming out of the ram markets, only to make enquiries about prices. A further check revealed that the prices were lower than what they were last year. A small-sized ram is being sold between N25,000 and N27,000, against N30,000 and N35,000 in 2015. In the same vein, a medium-sized ram goes for about N40,000, whereas, it sold at N45,000 in 2015. At Kara market, prices of rams varied, depending on sizes and the buyers’ negotiation capabilities. A medium-sized ram is being sold between N40,000 and N50,000 in Dange Shuni Local Government Area of Sokoto. A ram dealer, Malam Musa A...

Young Hong Kong activists China has warned that anyone advocating for Hong Kong’s independence could be punished, state media say. The stern message came after young pro-democracy activists won seats on Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo). The Chinese government underlined its “resolute opposition” to any independence activities on the council or outside it. Many in Hong Kong are increasingly concerned about Beijing’s interventions in its politics. Thirty pro-democracy candidates were elected to the 70-seat LegCo on Sunday, up from 27 previously, meaning they retain the ability to veto major constitutional changes. At least six young candidates who support self-determination for Hong Kong won seats. They include Nathan Law, a 23-year-old who played a prominent role in 2014’s “Umbrella Protests” and co-founded the Demosisto Party with well-known activist Joshua Wong. Several candidates were banned from running in the elections for failing to prove they no longer backed Hong...

NCC Logo The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has advised Nigerians dissatisfied with services rendered to them by GSM service providers to promptly lodge their complaints with the commission. Mr Joseph Atoyebi, the Deputy Director, Consumers Affairs Bureau, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos, Plateau, that the commission’s main concern was customers’ satisfaction. Atoyebi was speaking on the sideline at a town hall meeting attended by both customers and GSM service providers on Tuesday. “It is the duty of the NCC to regulate the activities of the GSM service providers and we are always there to do that; no one should suffer in silence. “We want Nigerians to be well served; we want everyone to get full value for his hard-earned money,” he said. Atoyebi advised subscribers to always insist on their rights from the services providers. He said that subscribers should not regard the services rendered to them by the service providers as favours, but services commen...

The gavel of justice A 36-year-old petrol station attendant, Ekenedilichukwu Enedo, was on Tuesday docked at an Apapa Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly obtaining N135,000 from a client under false pretences. Enedo, whose residential address in Ajegunle area of the state was not disclosed in court, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretences before Senior Magistrate T. Abolarinwa. The accused was alleged to have obtained the sum from one Mr Egbochite Olise for the purchase of automated gasoline oil (AGO) but failed to deliver. The prosecutor, Insp. Tony Elibeh, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime in July at Kirikiri Road, Apapa. Elibeh said that the accused and another person still at large fraudulently obtained N135, 000 from Egbochite on the pretext they would help him purchase gasoline. “The complainant said that he approached the accused to assist him buy some litres of AGO for his company. “The ac...

President Francois Hollande of France French President, Francois Hollande has announced a multi-billion dollar aviation deal and pledged support for right of passage in the South China Sea during a state visit to Vietnam on Tuesday. The aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which is partly based in Toulouse, will sell 40 commercial planes to Vietnam worth 6.5 billion dollars under a deal announced by Hollande at a press conference. Hollande also reaffirmed French support for maintaining freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, in line with international conventions, despite China laying claim to most of the area. The two sides agreed to strengthen defence cooperation and have French ships visit Vietnamese ports. France also pledged to support Vietnam’s growing involvement in international peacekeeping. Hollande is the first French president to visit Vietnam in 12 years. While the trip’s schedule is mostly routine, the trip comes at a time of increased tension over the South China...

A trader, Yusuf Yinusa, who allegedly obtained N117,000 from two women on the pretext of supplying them some food items, on Tuesday appeared before an Apapa Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. Yinusa, 34, a resident of Olodi-Apapa, is facing a two-count charge of obtaining money under false pretences and stealing. The prosecutor, Insp. Tony Elibeh, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime in June on Salubi Street Olodi-Apapa. “The accused fraudulently obtained N117,000 from Aminatu Imrariam and Rafiatu Salisu on the pretext of supplying them food items for their shops. “The complainants said that they were in the market to buy food items for their shops when they met the accused in his shop as well. “Salisu said that they showed him a list of items they were yet to purchase and the accused told them not to worry that he would supply them. “After bargaining, they gave the accused the agreed amount, hoping to get the food supplies in a week, but all to no avail. “...

Typhoon Weather authorities said on Tuesday that Typhoon Malou was approaching Islands in Japan’s South and that it had already brought strong winds and heavy downpours to parts of the region. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of high waves and flooding as the season’s 13th typhoon moved toward Okinawa and Amami Oshima Islands. The typhoon was expected to produce waves of up to six metres around the region. “Rainfall of 48.5 millimetres per hour was recorded on Miyako Island on Tuesday morning, while up to 200 millimetres was predicted for the Okinawa and Amami region by Wednesday noon. “As of today, the typhoon was 210km west of Naha, travelling North-east at 15 km per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 64.8 km per hour and gusts of 90 km per hour. “Meanwhile, a low-pressure system dumped heavy rain on the Northern Island of Hokkaido and North-Eastern Japan where a powerful typhoon triggered mudslides and flooding last week, leaving 18 dead and nine missing. “Rishiri ...

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State The Sokoto State Government has spent about N627 million on constructing International Islamic Conference Centre and various Jumma’at mosques across the state. The state Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Alhaji Mani Maishiko, made this known at a ministerial briefing in Sokoto on Tuesday. He said that the government embarked on the projects because of their importance to the development of Islamic religion in the state. According to the commissioner, the government committed about N428 million to the construction of International Islamic Conference Centre in the state metropolis. He said that the government spent about N42 million on reconstructing and renovating the Sheik Musa Lukuwa Jumma’at Mosque. The official added that about N66 million was spent on constructing Islamiya schools at Farfaru, Runji Sambo, House of Assembly Quarters and Lambar Shanu in the metropolis. The commissioner also said that the government spent about N55 mi...

Comptroller Umar Dahiru The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of 186.9 million between July and August 2016. The Controller of the unit, Comptroller Umar Dahiru, said this on Tuesday in Lagos. Dahiru said that the unit through its interventions recovered N63.5 million from vehicles and other goods, due to underpayment, undervaluation and false declarations. He said that these cumulatively translated to N250.4 million in the two months under consideration. “Within July and August 2016, about 225 different seizures were recorded, comprising foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, fairly used vehicles popularly known as `Tokunbo’, and various general merchandise,” Dahiru said. He said that 23 suspects had been apprehended in connection with the seizures. The controller commended the relentless efforts of Officers and Men of the unit, adding that “even though the nation is experienc...

The suspect Yusuf Muhammed A 46-year old Pastor, Archie Good Morrow has been sent to Kirikiri Prison in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria for allegedly duping 499 women of the sum of N3.59 million. The suspect was alleged to have told the woman to pay N70, 000 each into his account and that thereafter he would give them a loan of N150, 000. After receiving the sum of N3, 592, 800, he bolted with the money and relocated to another location. All efforts by the women to get their money proved abortive as he no longer picked their calls. Luck, however, ran out on him when some of the women got a tip off that he was hiding somewhere around Oke Aro, a suburb of Ogun State. The women traced him to the area where he was eventually arrested by detectives from the Pen Cinema Police Station in Agege, Lagos. The suspect was arraigned at Court 9, Ogba, under section 312 of the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties wit...

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. In a bid to entrench the values of accountability, integrity and inculcate positive attitudinal change in Nigerians, the Federal Government is set to launch the “Change Begins With Me” campaign. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Garba Abari, made this known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. They said that the campaign was aimed at educating and enlightening Nigerians to appreciate these values which, they noted, are critical to achieving comprehensive national development. According to them, the campaign is expected to trigger positive change that will boost Nigeria’s image, enable the country gain acceptability and command respect in the comity of nations. The minister said that President Muhammadu Buhari would launch the programme on Thursday in Abuja. “About three to five years back now, the...

File Photo: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he addresses Overseas Filipino Workers who were repatriated back to the country at the Ninoy… Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret Tuesday over his “son of a bitch” remark while referring to President Barack Obama, in a rare display of contrition by a politician whose wide arc of profanities has unabashedly targeted world figures including the pope and the U.N. chief. In a statement read out by his spokesman, Duterte said that while his “strong comments” in response to questions by a reporter “elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the U.S. president.” Duterte had made the intemperate remarks Monday before flying to Laos, where he is attending a regional summit. He had been scheduled to meet Obama separately in Laos, but Obama indicated he had second thoughts, and the White House announced that the meeting had been canceled. The Philippines did not comment pu...

Bishop and Rev. (Mrs) Ighile Bishop Charles Ighile, the General Superintendent of The Holy Spirit Mission Church (The Happy Family Chapel) and his wife, Rev. Caro Ighile, in a recent interview spoke extensively on why many men sleep with their maids, why many marriages are daily crashing among other problems in relationships. Speaking during the interview, they said, “Men sleep with their house helps when the couple are not on their guards. We are talking about God-fearing men here, who would not ordinarily sleep with their house helps, but somehow find themselves doing it. “There is always a division of labour in the home. As the Bible puts it, the man is the head of the home and the woman is the helper. She is the keeper at home. Therefore, according to the Bible, everything about the domestic affairs is for the woman. “From what God Himself told Haggai in the Bible when her house help ran away, God asked her, “why are you running away from your mistress. Go and submit yourself...

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade on Monday said that the state government is to float an airline, to be called “Cally Air,” a plan which is said to be part of its tourism investment drive. Ayade made this known in Calabar yesterday while playing host to a consortium of Indian investors. According to him, the airline will be managed by Dana Group under a Public Private Partnership arrangement. According to the governor, the airline is expected to debut in November and would fly Calabar, Obudu, Lagos and Abuja routes. Ayade said, “We have our own state’s aircraft currently in Aero Contractors’ fleet in Lagos. “The management of Dana Airline has agreed to do a detailed technical study of the aircraft before it commences commercial flight operations.” He also said that the state was in a haste to get the airline started while Dana Airline would serve as its technical partner. Mr Jackies Hartmani, the Managing Director of Dana Group, applaud...

Mr. Leye Oyebade, Abia State Commissioner of Police The Abia State Police Command on Monday said it had arrested 16 suspected kidnappers and some suspected armed robbers alleged to have been terrorising residents of the state. Mr Leye Oyebade, the state Commissioner of Police made this known at a news briefing at the command’s headquarters in Umuahia. Oyebade vowed that the command would deal decisively with criminal acts in the state and warned criminals to engage in legitimate business or leave the state. The commissioner alleged that the suspected kidnappers abducted two relatives on Friday in Aba, while the victims were returning from a pharmaceutical shop. According to the police boss, the suspects took the victims to their hideout in Uratta, from where they demanded N2 million as ransom. He said that the police immediately trailed the suspects to their hideout where they rescued the victims and arrested two of the suspects while others escaped. Narrating their experience...

Niger Delta militants Militants belonging to a group known as the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) on Monday, warned those around major oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta region to vacate their residence because it intends to blow up these facilities soon. The group said all marked facilities in the region have been rigged with explosives at strategic points, waiting to be detonated. In a statement by its spokesman, Aldo Agbalaja, the group said the detonation was being delayed because of those residing within the environment of the marked facilities hence the reason they should evacuate with immediate effect in order not to end up as casualties of militancy. The statement reads in part, “One more time, we are warning and at the same time appealing to residents around major oil and gas facilities across our region to please evacuate immediately. “This warning has become necessary because of the fact that we do not wish any of our people, for whom we have t...

Anneli Marie R, the murdered German teen. Two men convicted of kidnapping and murdering a teenager in Saxony last year were on Monday, sentenced by a court in the city of Dresden. Markus B., 40, was handed a life jail term for committing the murder while his accomplice Norbert K., 62, was given eight and a half years for failing to prevent the girl’s death. Anneli-Marie R., the 17-year-old daughter of a successful German businessman, went missing one evening while walking her dog. Police discovered that she had been ambushed by the two kidnappers, who pulled her into their car and sped away. They then used the girl’s phone to call her parents and demanded a ransom of 1.2 million euros ($1.32 million). Her parents reacted almost immediately, releasing a letter through the police that read: “The kidnappers should know that we will fulfil the stipulated demands in order to be able to have our child back in our arms soon.” Despite their promise to pay the ransom, the authorities fo...

ahmad Salkida Security operatives believed to be members of the Department of State Services (DSS), on Monday, arrested Ahmed Salkida, the Nigerian journalist believed to have links with Boko Haram at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The Nigerian journalist, Ahmed Salkida, was declared wanted along with two others, Ahmed Bolori and Aisha Wakil, by the Nigerian Army after the group released a video on August 14 showing the abducted Chibok girls. Salkida who arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport aboard Emirates flight EK 785 was arrested in Abuja from the door of the aircraft. Salkida however, said following a conversation between him and a passenger onboard the flight, that he knew he would be arrested because he had been declared wanted by the State Security Service (SSS). “I recognized the journalist from photos posted on the Internet and engaged him in conversation throughout the seven-hour flight”, said the passenger who sat next to him during the j...

Venus during the match Venus during the match Home hopes of an all-Williams US Open semi-final clash were dashed as Czech Karolina Pliskova knocked out Venus in a thrilling Labor Day fourth-round match in New York. Williams had a match point to become the oldest US Open quarter-finalist in the Open Era but the 36-year-old could not get across the finish line as Pliskova triumphed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in two hours and 25 minutes. Pliskova, the No 10 seed, said: ‘I was prepared that I was going to play Venus and that it was going to be tough because all the people were cheering for her.” Williams went into the match as the favourite but she was beaten in three sets on Monday Caroline during the match ‘It was a great atmosphere. It was my first time here on Arthur Ashe [Stadium]. I really enjoyed the match.’ It was Pliskova whom Williams had beaten last November in Zhuhai to secure a return to the top-10 of the world rankings after four and a half years. Sixth seed Williams made...

A TV station based outside Ethiopia broadcast footage of the fire at the prison At least 23 inmates have died after a fire at an Ethiopian prison where anti-government protesters are reportedly being held, the government has said. A government statement says 21 died of suffocation after a stampede while two others were killed as they tried to escape. Some local media have disputed the account, citing unnamed witnesses who say prisoners were shot by the wardens. There has been an unprecedented wave of protests in Ethiopia in recent months. The identity of the prisoners has not been made public. Sustained gunfire could be heard coming from Qilinto prison, on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, after the fire broke out on Saturday, local media reported. TV footage and photos posted on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from the prison compound. Reports that the fire was started deliberately as part of an attempted jailbreak have not been independently verified. The...

President Barack Obama of United States President Barack Obama canceled what would have been his first meeting with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, after Duterte described Obama in vulgar terms, a White House spokesman said on Tuesday. Duterte, a plain-spoken populist known for his colorful remarks and his campaign against illegal drugs in which thousands of people have died, described Obama as a “son of a bitch” to reporters on Monday, a day ahead of the planned meeting in Laos, where South Asian leaders are meeting for annual summits. Obama learned about the insult as he emerged from the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China. At a news conference, he said he had told his aides to speak with Philippine officials “to find out is this, in fact, a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations,” leaving little doubt that the meeting would proceed as planned. “I always want to make sure that if I’m having a meeting, that it’s actually productive and we’re gett...

Serena Williams celebrates after defeating Yaroslava Shvedova in the US Open Last 16 Serena Williams made light work of her last 16 clash with Yaroslava Shvedova – taking just 68 minutes to ease into the quarter-finals at the US Open in New York. The world No 1 defeated the Russian-born Kazakhstani 6-2, 6-3 to see her surpass Roger Federer’s tally of 307 singles wins on tour. The American legend will face Simona Halep in the quarter-finals after her earlier 6-2, 7-5 victory over Carla Suarez. Serena Williams in action Daily Mail

Obasanjo with Rita Dominic Former Nigeria’s President, Olusegun Obasanjo certainly looks kinky in this picture he took with ace Nollywood Actress, Rita Dominic posted on Instagram. Dominic and Obasanjo were captured in the picture posing for a selfie in a screening for the movie ’76. The picture was taking from the http://ift.tt/1KTPun8 Instagram page. The former president looks relief and was full of smiles with his cheek marched with the hair of sexy Dominic who was all smiles as she ‘stoops’ to conquer the ex-general.

Professor Isidore Okpewho Prof. Isidore Okpewho, award-winning novelist and one of Nigeria’s foremost literary icons, is dead. Okpehwo died on Sunday Sept. 4 at a hospital in Binghamton, New York, in the United States. Okpehwo, author of the popular novel, “The Victims”, had been in the United States since 1991, where he taught at the State University of New York. The Delta State born scholar won the 1976 African Arts Prize for Literature and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book in Africa in 1993. He was also honoured with the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) in Humanities in the year 2010. Okpewho’s novels include, ‘The Last Duty’, ‘Tides’, and ‘Call me by my Rightful Name’, which are widely studied in Africa as well as in other parts of the world.