Global Naija Info

Rio Olympic Paralympic Games Games: Team Nigeria departs Rio Several hundred Nigerians on Sunday turned out at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja to welcome the first batch of victorious 2016 Paralympics athletes from Rio in Brazil. The Team Nigeria to the Paralympics Games which ended on Sunday won 12 medals in Rio. Receiving the athletes, the acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youths and Sports, Luka Jonathan, congratulated the athletes for making the country proud. Jonathan, who is the Director of Youths in the ministry, said the athletes have put the country on top of other African countries on the medals table. “Today is a wonderful day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in it. “We are celebrating you now because you have done this country proud. “History was made with your victorious outing to Rio. “We appreciate your individual and collective efforts which have placed Nigeria on a very prominent position on the medals table. “I am happy th

Godwin Obaseki, APC governorship candidate for Edo State The Monarch of Eyaen, Osazuwa Iduriase, has predicted victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr Godwin Obaseki in the Sept. 28 governorship election in Edo. The monarch made the prediction when Obaseki and his campaign team, led by the Director of Campaign, Mr Osarodion Ogie, paid a visit to the palace to seek for his blessings. Iduriase, who dismissed the rumour being peddled around that he (the monarch) had chased away Obaseki from his palace during an earlier campaign tour of the area, appealed that electioneering campaign should be based on issues and not falsehood. He said that he was not even in the country when Obaseki earlier visited the area. He also condemned the use of social media to spread falsehood, especially as it concerns the Edo governorship poll. He added that “we have a problem with social media because so many lies are being peddled there. I got a call that I chased awa

Inter Milan celebrate one of their goals Inter Milan came from behind to beat Juventus in an exciting derby d’Italia. Stephan Lichtsteiner gave the visitors the lead after the break when he tapped home a low cross from Alex Sandro. However, Mauro Icardi equalised for the hosts just two minutes later with a header from a corner. Substitute Ivan Perisic headed Inter in front after fine work from Icardi, and Juve – with Gonzalo Higuain on from the bench – could not find an equaliser, despite Ever Banega’s late red card. The result was only Juve’s second Serie A defeat since they lost 1-0 to Sassuolo on 28 October, 2015. The loss means the champions slip to second, behind Napoli, while Inter move up to sixth. Inter buy De Boer time Frank de Boer only replaced Roberto Mancini in the summer but there were rumours that defeat on Sunday could have seen the Dutchman removed from his position as Inter boss. The Nerazzurri were embarrassed 2-0 at home by Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Europa

Nigerian pilgrims at Jeddah airport: return journey to Nigeria begins The first batch of 424 pilgrims from the Federal Capital Territory contingent to the 2016 Hajj in Saudi Arabia have returned to Abuja The pilgrims, comprising 201 male and 222 female, were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello on Sunday. Bello, represented by the Acting Secretary of Transportation Secretariat, Alhaji Abdul-Hamid Suleiman, urged the pilgrims to continue to imbibe the good virtues practiced during the Hajj exercise. He enjoined them to continue to pray for the nation and its leadership because the country needs such prayers. The minister commended the pilgrims for being good ambassadors of the Federal Capital Territory and by extension the country at large while at the Holy Land. No fewer than 2,975 Muslims from FCT participated in the 2016 Hajj. Some of the pilgrims thanked Allah for giving them the opportunity to perform this ye

James scoring Madrid’s first goal Real Madrid beat Espanyol for a record-equalling 16th consecutive win in Spain’s top division and moved three points clear at the top of La Liga. Goals from James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema gave them the win that matches the run of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side in the 2010-11 season. Real, without Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo for the trip to the Cornella-El Prat stadium, made it four wins from four this season. Wales forward Bale picked up a hip problem in the 2-1 Champions League win at Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, while Portuguese star Ronaldo was ruled out with flu. Colombia forward Rodriguez, who was linked with a move away from the Bernabeu in the summer, scored Real’s opener just before the break. Receiving the ball from Toni Kroos 30 yards from goal, Rodriguez rode two challenges before unleashing a low shot past Diego Lopez into the bottom corner. Benzema doubled the lead on 70 minutes, meeting Lucas Vazquez’s low cross for a si

Total Nigeria drilling for oil offshore Nigeria Cash strapped Nigeria’s Federal Government is demanding $635 million from two multinational oil companies, Agip and Total for undeclared crude oil shipped out of the country between 2011 and 2014. Two cases have been filed at the Federal High court in Lagos by senior lawyer and Senior advocate of Nigeria, Professor Fabian Ajogwu, who had handled several cases for the Federal Government on aviation, defence, energy, and financial services. Hearing will begin next week before Justice Olatoregun Isola. And there are indications that Ajogwu will also be filing claims against other multinationals, such as Chevron and Exxon-Mobil The Nigerian Government in the two cases is claiming $490,517,280 from TOTAL E&P NIGERIA LIMITED and $145,848,102 from NIGERIA AGIP OIL COMPANY LIMITED. The statements of claim filed before the court are accompanied by the sworn affidavits of three US based professionals. The Nigerian Government contends th

The suspect Kazeem Ugbodaga A 28-year old suspect who was arrested by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) for pick-pocketing proved his mettle by stealing N1,200 again inside the Police’s office during an interrogation. The suspect, Deji Ayoola, was hitherto, nabbed by the patrol team of the squad at Ojodu Berger at the weekend for pick-pocketing a commuter trying to board a commercial vehicle to the Redemption Camp. He had successfully perpetrated the crime before the RRS operatives who sighted him when he was removing the wallet pursued and arrested him. Speaking with the victim over the incident, Ayodele Akerele said, “I collected a sum of N14,500 from Automated Teller Machine (ATM) from a bank at Berger on my way to the Redemption Camp. However, I had no inkling that my money had been removed. It was about the time to pay fare that I discovered my wallet had disappeared”. “In fact, I had even forgotten about the money until the following day, when an operative f

Rangers football club players Rangers International FC of Enugu on Sunday defeated Sunshine Stars FC of Akure by 2 – 0 in the ongoing 2015/2016 Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) played at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu. More than 20,000 football fans who watched the match on a free-ticket courtesy of Governor Ifeanyi Uguwanyi of Enugu State defied a downpour to watch the match. In the match, Rangers’ strike, Bobby Clement, scored the brace of the match through a cross from his team mates at the 36th minute, while Clement’s second goal came at the 49th minute through a shot. The visiting team, however, missed the opportunity to equalise at the first half of the match by losing a penalty kick at the 40th minute. ‎Rangers’ Coach, Amapakabo Imama, said that he was happy for the clean win and optimal performance of the players. He said “notwithstanding the discouraging weather, our players displayed a winning mentality and character. “They played to the game-plan of the

Kennedy Boboye of Abia Warriors FC Abia Warriors FC on Sunday defeated visiting Nasarawa United FC at the Umuahia Township Stadium to escape relegation from the premier league. The Umuahia-based club, which defeated the visitors by 2-1, played behind closed-doors. The League Management Company (LMC) penalised the club with two home matches to be played behind closed-doors after the “unruly conduct” by fans during it’s -1-1 draw with FC Ifeanyi Ubah last Sunday in Umuahia. With the victory against Nasarawa United, Abia Warriors now have 41 points, with two outstanding matches. Coach Biffo Abdullahi expressed happiness with the outcome of the match, saying that “with this result, we are out of the relegation zone. “We are so happy and elated to get the three points,” Abdullahi said, adding that they would not relent but would strive to do better in their remaining matches. He said that the team missed their fans but were spurred to come out victorious because they were conscious

Watford score one of their goals Manchester United suffered their third defeat in a week as late goals from Juan Zuniga and Troy Deeney gave Watford a deserved Premier League win. The hosts led when Etienne Capoue converted Daryl Janmaat’s cut-back, only for Marcus Rashford to level from close range. Zuniga powered in with seven minutes to go, 53 seconds after coming on. And Deeney then scored a penalty in injury time after Marouane Fellaini fouled Zuniga in the box. Following a derby defeat by Manchester City last weekend and the midweek Europa League loss to Feyenoord, Mourinho and United have had a rough eight days. It is the first time Mourinho has lost three consecutive games in a season since February 2002, when he was Porto boss. But the self-proclaimed “Special One”, who has won eight league titles across Europe and the Champions League twice, has now lost 11 of his past 21 Premier League games in charge of Chelsea and Manchester United. Mourinho made five changes to h

Dr Samuel Ortom, Benue State Governor A Local Government retiree in Benue, Mr. Agada Ocheme, on Sunday, slumped after a fruitless search for money to purchase drugs to treat his ailment. The aged Ocheme, who could not secure money to purchase his regular hypertension drugs, slumped at his Makurdi residence and had to be rushed to a hospital. Speaking on the incident, one of his children who preferred anonymity, said his father had been hypertensive since leaving service in 2014, and had been on drugs for effective management of the ailment. He said that his father served 35 years in the services of the local government system before retirement in August 2014. The son regretted that since retirement “no kobo has been paid to my father, either as pension or gratuity.” He attributed the slumping of his father to “fatigue arising from long hours of trekking to solicit for financial assistance to procure the drugs.” “My father had just returned from his outing when the unfortunate e

Mr Francis Odesanya, Rivers State Commissioner of Police The remaining seven Nestoil workers who were abducted by hoodlums on Friday September 2 have been rescued by the Tactical Units of the Rivers State Police Command in the early hours of Sunday after one and half hours of gun duel with the hoodlums. Seven had earlier escaped from the kidnappers on their own. The victims had spent 16 days in the kidnappers den. According to Omoni Nnamdi, the spokesman for the Rivers Command, “The oil workers were rescued unhurt due largely to the efforts of the Command’s Tactical Units, who, at the early hours of today, Sunday September 18, engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun battle which lasted for one and half hours. The victims were rescued while the hoodlums took to flight abandoning their hostages. Efforts are on to arrest and bring them to justice”. The Command revealed further that “the last of the hostages, seven in number were rescued unhurt. No ransom was paid. They have been debrie

Lagos motor park Some intending passengers on the Oshodi-Ijora route on Sunday lamented the hardship they had to go through as a result of high fares by commercial motorists. The passengers who spoke in Lagos said they were made to part with N200 whereas, coming from Ijora to Oshodi attracted N150. Mr Kazeem Babalola, a passenger going to Ijora from Oshodi, said that six months ago, the cost per passenger was N100 which was later increased to N120. Babalola said that when the country was faced with the scarcity of petrol, the price was again increased to N150 and now N200. “Amid all fare increases, passengers are compelled to pay the cost because there is no other route to Ijora from Oshodi that will cost less than N200. “We expected that the authorities in the motor park will reduce the cost after stability is restored in the pump price of petrol but nothing has been done. “It is sad because all the way from Sango-Ota in Ogun State, I paid N150 to get to Oshodi, now I am payin

Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, Enugu State Police Commissioner, The Police Command in Enugu State has commenced investigations into the alleged death of a welder in Emene, near Enugu. The artisan identified as Ndubuisi allegedly fell off a tank under construction and later died. The command’s spokesman, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, disclosed in Enugu on Sunday that the deceased died while being rushed to a nearby hospital. Amaraizu said the deceased was contracted by his co-welder, Okolo Chijioke, to join in the construction of a tank at a workshop along Enugu-Abakiliki Expressway by PRODA junction, Emene, Enugu on Sept 17. He that in the course of the construction, the deceased allegedly fell and hit his head on another tank at the workshop and that left him unconscious. He said that the corpse of the deceased had been deposited in a mortuary pending investigation and possible autopsy to clear controversies surround the death.

FirstNation Airways says it will resume operations on Sunday evening, one month after it suspended flights to enable the aircraft fleet undergo engine maintenance. The airline made the announcement through its Twitter account which stated that it would resume flights by 4 p.m. on Sunday. The airline announced the suspension of its flights on August 17, a development some people said created panic in the aviation sector. However, Captain Chimara Imediegwu, the airline’s Director of Flight Operations, on Sept. 6, told newsmen that a team of engineers were coming to Nigeria to service the planes. Imediegwu had debunked the claim that the airline was on the verge of folding up, stressing that it voluntarily grounded the aircraft to await the arrival of the manufacturer’s team. He said “the FirstNation management planned well ahead and kept the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) informed of the progress of the maintenance of its aircraft. “The airline planned this maintenance ac

FILE PHOTO: Nigerian oil workers Three of the 14 oil workers kidnapped along Omoku/ Elele road on September 2, have recently escaped from their abductors. Four of the victims had initially escaped, leaving the number of those still in captivity, at seven. Speaking to Channels Television in Port Harcourt, two of the escaped victims said the constant movement of the kidnappers gave them the opportunity to escape. Citizens are therefore advised to remain highly security conscious, as it is believed that the last few months of the year, usually prove to be more dangerous with an increase in criminal activities.

Gunmen The gunmen who kidnapped four residents of Isheri area of Lagos State, are asking the families to pay N300m each, before they can be released. The abductors, who established contact with the families earlier on Sunday, said the captives would be released once the monies were deposited at a designated point. Meanwhile the police have assured that they are on a massive manhunt for the kidnappers. The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Iliasu told Channels Television that a combined team of 30 policemen have been deployed to the area in search of the kidnapped residents. The four victims were said to have been kidnapped during an aerobic session in the early hours of Saturday. An eyewitness said the three kidnappers who were all armed and masked, came in from the water side. Kidnappers seem to have gone on the rampage as several cases have been reported recently in states across Nigeria.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fire front The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Samsung Electronics West Africa Ltd. to provide full status of its compliance with the global directive of Samsung. A statement by the Head of Public Relations, CPC, Mr Abiodun Obimuyiwa, on Sunday in Abuja, said the ultimatum was in respect of the recall of the company’s Samsung Galaxy Note 7. It stated that the CPC had received dozens of complaints of explosion of the said Samsung Galaxy Note 7 while charging. ”The ultimatum came on the heels of recent global recall of the product following its defective battery. ”CPC, however, demanded that Samsung Electronics West Africa Ltd. furnished it with other measures the company may have taken to safeguard the safety and interest of Nigerian consumers,” the statement said. It stated that CPC, in a letter by its Director-General, Mrs Dupe Atoki, on Sept. 14 to the company, said reports showed that the said phone’s batteries were

Governor Tanko-Al-Makura of Nasarawa State The Federal University, Lafia, has terminated the appointment of 35 of its non-teaching staff over the inability of the institution to pay their salaries. Professor Mohammed Sanusi-Liman, Vice Chancellor of the university, told newsmen on Sunday in Lafia that the council took the decision due to paucity of funds. Sanusi-Liman explained that the affected staff, who were employed by the institution earlier in the year, comprised 11 corps members who were retained after their service year and 24 others. Sanusi-Liman said that the council had directed the management to source for funds and pay off the affected staff since they had worked for over five months without being paid. “It would be inhuman to keep the staff working when we cannot pay them giving our poor budget and that is why the council decided that we should pay them off,’’ he said. According to him, the university has consistently encountered a shortfall of over N38 million in

A Nigerian ATM The Nigerian Army on Sunday called on commercial banks to deploy Automated Teller Machines (ATM) to the military barracks in Maiduguri for the use of front line soldiers involved in the ongoing counter-insurgency operation in Borno. Brig. Gen. Victor Ezugwu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, made the call while speaking at a Civil-Military Forum organised by the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri. Ezugwu was reacting to criticisms by residents that soldiers often refused to join queues at the ATM points in the town. He said that the army had written several letters to the banks for the deployment of ATM machines to the barracks without much success. “We have been battling with the issue of lack of ATM in the barracks for the use of soldiers in the front line zone. “I wrote letters to the banks over seven months ago for them to deploy the ATM at the Maimalari Cantonment for soldiers use, but there is no response yet,” he said. Ezugwu said that the military

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State said he abandoned the use of bullet proof cars as an act of sympathy with the suffering masses who had no means of self protection from terrorists. Shettima stated this on Sunday in an interview in Maiduguri. He said that the action was also aimed at showing that the terrorists had no super natural powers. “We have to dare the terrorists; I have bullet proof cars, but I do not use them; I want to be exposed to the elements as the ordinary people do,” Shettima said. He said the bullet proof cars were only kept for the use of visitors who might be afraid to use ordinary cars. “We have so many bullet proof cars but we only use them for our guests. “Sometime I drive myself round the town to see things for myself,” Shettima said. The governor also attributed his numerous achievements in office to dedication and hard work. “There is no magic in our achievements, except that where there is will, there is

Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah The FCT Police Command said it had arrested a suspect, Jehu Kwasu, 25, for allegedly impersonating the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, His Lordship Matthew Kukah, to defraud members of the public. Presenting the accused to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammad Mustafa, said the suspect was arrested on Aug. 15 in Kaduna by personnel of the command. He said that Kukah had complained to the command on the activities of the suspect. “We received a complaint from Kukah through our unit that is investigating the matter which arrested the suspect,” he said. He said that the Bishop had been informed of the arrest of the suspect who was a habitual criminal, adding that he was currently on remand. The commissioner said that the command would continue with the investigation diligently to ensure the prosecution of the suspect. He advised members of the public to be alert and to report any criminal activities to the security op

Yakubu Dogara As the National Assembly resumes on Tuesday, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja for an order to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to “investigate and prosecute allegations of budget padding and abuse of office leveled against the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara as well as the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun; the Minority Leader, Leo Ogor; and the Chief Whip, Hassan Ado Doguwa.” The suit with number FHC/ABJ/CS/733/16 dated 15th September 2016 was filed on behalf of SERAP by its Solicitor Femi Falana, SAN. The mandamus suit reads in part: “This suit was borne out of the fact that it is the statutory responsibility of the EFCC to investigate and prosecute financial crimes in Nigeria. Unless the reliefs sought by SERAP are granted, the EFCC will not investigate the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara as well as the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun; t

A herdsman carrying gun The family of Evangelist Martins Oko- Oboh has called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies in the country to help to find the missing Evangelist, his wife and three children after attacks on Nandu and Kabamu Villages in Kaduna state by suspected herdsmen. John Oko-Oboh, the Evangelist’s younger brother made the call in an interview in Abuja on Sunday. He said that the family got missing after the herdsmen attacked Nandu and Kabamu villages in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State on June 24. He said that the Evangelist had lived in the village for so many years before the recent attack which claimed so many lives. Martins said that he had reported the matter at the police station in Kabamu village. “When every other persons were reporting at the police station, we equally went there to report the matter too,”he said. “We have tried to get across to my brother and his family all to no avail. “I am appealing to the members of the

President Muhammadu Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday morning arrived New York, United States of America, ahead of his participation at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Mr Femi Adesina, the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, confirmed this development in his twitter page on Sunday. President Buhari departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday for the New York trip, where he would attend the UN General Assembly, slated to commence on Monday. A statement earlier issued by Adesina in Abuja, said the president while in New York, would deliver Nigeria’s statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly, on the theme: “The Sustainable Development Goals: a Universal Push to Transform our World”. He said that President Buhari would also deliver a keynote address on “Taking Climate Action Towards Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin”. Adesina said the president would also attend

Fire rescue crews block the street near the scene of the explosion. An explosion rocked the bustling Chelsea district of Manhattan on Saturday night, injuring at least 29 people in what authorities described as a deliberate, criminal act, while saying investigators had turned up no evidence of a “terror connection.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials said investigators had ruled out a gas leak as the cause of the blast, but they stopped short of calling it a bombing and declined to specify precisely what they believed may have triggered the explosion. Neha Jain, 24, who lives in the neighborhood, said she was sitting at home watching a movie when she heard a huge boom and everything shook. “Pictures on my wall fell, the window curtain came flying as if there was a big gush of wind,” she told Reuters. “Then we could smell smoke. We went downstairs to see what happened, and firemen immediately told us to go back.” Police said a sweep of the neighborhood fol

Gilbert Chagoury Gilbert Chagoury, billionaire businessman and owner of Eko Hotels in Lagos Nigeria has filed a legal action against the US government and its agencies for Privacy Act Violations. The case filed on Friday is the first to be made under the Judicial Redress Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in February this year. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that Chagoury, who was born in Nigeria and has dual citizenship, was barred from entering the United States and his visa request denied based on alleged links with a terrorist group. Chagoury, who is also a big donor to the Clinton Foundation and has a home in Beverly Hills, California, was denied the visa on grounds that he gave financial support to a Lebanese politician, Michael Aoun. According to the report, Aoun’s party is in political coalition with Hezbollah, tagged a terrorist organisation by the US. Hezbollah terror tag stemmed from the double bombings in 1983, killing 63 at the U.S. em