Global Naija Info

Yaya Toure Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has pleaded guilty to drink-driving, but says he had not “intentionally consumed alcohol”. The Ivory Coast player, 33, told a court he thought he was drinking diet cola from a jug at a party, without realising it had brandy in it. Toure did not challenge the charge as he was “above the permitted limit”. Advertisement He was fined £54,000 – a means-tested fine – and banned from driving for 18 months by Barkingside magistrates. “It is well known that I am a Muslim and do not drink, said Toure. “I have always refused alcohol.” Toure was driving in Dagenham in east London at the time of the offence last month. Barkingside Magistrates Court said Toure had an alcohol reading of 75 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath – more than twice England’s legal limit of 35 micrograms. He pleaded guilty to the charge on Monday, but did not say in his Facebook statement how the alcohol got into his system. In his statement Toure added: “Drin

R-L: Representative of Lagos State Governor & Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule; Executive Secretary /CEO, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun and Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello during the 10th Security Town Hall meeting with the Governor at the Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said the State Government would continue to take the front seat in ensuring that security agencies in the State, especially the Police are well equipped to continue to safeguard the lives and property of Lagosians. The governor, who spoke at the 10th Town Hall Meeting on Security held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), said though security is an expensive business, his administration would continue to make the necessary sacrifice that would ensure that residents, visitors

L-R: Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Prince Anofiu Elegushi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sewedo Whenu and the Managing Director, LAGBUS Asset Management, Idowu Oguntona at the briefing on Friday. The Lagos State Government has notified motorists that access from the service lane into the Ikorodu Road at the Ojota Loop inward Ikorodu has been closed, while access from the highway into the service lane is equally closed. A statement issued by Biola Fagunwa, Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Transportation said the initiative had become necessary in view of the need to carefully manage traffic along the axis and maximize the gains of various traffic management strategies adopted. “All those intending to link the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway are to take their journey through the service lane to link up at the Loop. There are exits into the service lane just after the Ojota Garage and after the pedestrian bridges along the Ikorodu bound traffic. “While t

Orji Uzor Kalu The trial of former Governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, his former aide, Udeh Udeogu and his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, over an alleged N3.2 billion fraud, before a Federal High Court, Lagos suffered a setback following the late arrival of the prosecuting counsel. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last month re-arraigned Kalu, his former commissioner, Udeh Udeogu, and his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, on an amended 34-count charge, before the court. They all pleaded not guilty. At the resumed hearing today, lawyers to Kalu and his former aide and Company, Mr. Awa Kalu and Solomon Akumah, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), told the court of their readiness to go on with the trial but expressed dismay at the absence of the EFCC Lawyer, Mr. Adeniyi Adebisi, who they said failed to inform either the court or the defence of his absence. They contended that since the institution of the case about nine years ago, their clients have been

Adewale Segun Adewale, factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Lagos State chapter, has said alleged presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, is responsible for the factionalisation of the opposition party. Adewale, also called ‘Areoland,’ in a statement, advised Atiku to “publicly declare for the PDP and join hands with other leaders in rebuilding the party, rather than seeking nomination from the outside”. He also dismissed the claims by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP faction that the rival PDP national chairman, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, is an agent of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). “Those peddling the claims are the ones working for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 presidential ambition. It is a cheap blackmail aimed at frustrating Sheriff’s efforts at rebuilding the party. It’s their smokescreen to divert attention while covertly negotiating an alternative platform if their plan fails, which certainly will”, said Adewale. F

L-R: Assistant Director, Training Depth, Lagos State Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mrs. Bibilomo Olushekun; Managing Director/CEO, Vitech Trainers Limited, Mr. Olalekan Okediji and Director, Human Resources, Vitech Trainers, Mrs. Titilope Akomolafe, during the opening a 3-day specialized training programme for Lagos State public servants. The Lagos State Government on Tuesday flagged-off the training of 200 of its workers on risk management in order to enhance efficiency and productivity in the public service. Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke, who flagged off the three days training at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Ikeja, in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said the objective of the specialized training was to leverage on a deep understanding that public service delivery was more than just about the ‘bottom line.’ Oke said the training, which is on “Mastering Risk Assessment and Optimal Risk Management based on

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is the leader of IPOB The Federal High Court on Tuesday in Abuja approved Federal Government’s request to protect the identities of prosecution witnesses in the trial of detained Pro-Biafran leader, Nnamdi Kanu The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is being tried along Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi. Giving ruling in the motion filed by Mr Mohammed Labaran, counsel to government, Justice Binta Nyako held that the application was meritorious. She said the prayer to shield the names and addresses of the prosecution witnesses who were largely security operatives was not a bad idea, adding that the law supported it. “It is therefore the court’s order that the names and addresses of the prosecution witnesses shall only remain with the court. “The prosecution witnesses who should appear in combination of alphabets will be given screens, which will be provided by the court. “The defendants and their counsel will however be a

Bill Cosby Bill Cosby returns to a Pennsylvania courtroom on Tuesday, where his lawyers are expected to renew their battle with prosecutors over whether more than a dozen female accusers can testify at his criminal sexual trial in 2017. The outcome of the argument was crucial for Cosby, 79. If prosecutors were successful, the entertainer would face a parade of witnesses portraying him as a serial predator, rather than a single woman testifying about a decade-old encounter fuelled by drugs and alcohol. Cosby’s reputation as a family-friendly comedian has been shredded by sexual assault accusations from around 50 women going back decades. Thus far, the Pennsylvania case is the only criminal prosecution he faces, though he is fighting multiple civil lawsuits. Judge Steven O’Neill of the Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has scheduled two full days to hear arguments on various pretrial matters. Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at Cosby’s alma mate

NDLEA operatives The Jigawa Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says it arrested 25 suspects and recovered 27.207 kilogrammes of assorted narcotics in November. The NDLEA State Commander, Mr Abdullahi Abdul, disclosed this on Tuesday in Dutse. “The Jigawa command of the NDLEA was able to seize 27.207 kg of various illicit drugs in the month of November 2016. “The major seizure was in the area of cannabis sativa which weighted 13.861 kg. “The seizures were made at different locations in the state. “Equally, 25 suspects were also arrested during the said period,” Abdul said. He listed the drugs seized to include tramadol, rohypnol, cough syrups, among others. According to him, the command also secured 10 convictions at the Federal High Court, Dutse. The NDLEA boss reiterated the resolve of the agency to make the state drug abuse-free.

Justice Ademola and his wife in the court An Abuja High Court on Tuesday granted bail to justice Adeniyi Ademola and wife, Olabowale, in the sum of N50 million each and adjourned trial into their matter until Jan. 18. The two were arraigned by Federal Government on 11-count of criminal conspiracy to receive gratification in various ways, contrary to Section 8(1)(a) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Act 2000. Justice Ademola was among the seven justices investigated after the sting operations carried out on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9 by the Department of State Services (DSS). Mrs Ademola is currently the Head of Service in Lagos State. The Abuja High Court Judge, Justice Jude Okeke, granted them bail after hearing the application of motion on notice from their counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and Chief Roberts Clarke (SAN) respectively. Okeke admitted them to bail in the sum of N50 million each on self recognition and ordered that they deposit their interna

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President Bai Koroma in Gambia President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday arrived in Banjul, Gambia, to meet with President Yahya Jammeh, who lost the presidential election penultimate week. The information is in a statement in Abuja by Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president. Adesina stated that the Nigerian leader, who arrived the Gambia with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, the current Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, were received at the airport by Gambia’s Vice-President, Isatou Njie-Saidy. President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra-Leone was also on the visit. Adesina said the out-going President of Ghana, John Mahama, who had earlier arrived Banjul, would also join the West African leaders to meet President Jammeh at the CoCo Ocean Resort and Spa, Banjul. President Buhari and the ECOWAS leaders would discuss the ensuing imp

shop in Asaba market A sprawling building harbouring foodstuff shops within Cable Point Quarters, popularly called “Cable Point Market” in Asaba, Delta State, was yesterday razed by fire outbreak suspected to be due to electrical fault. Eyewitness, Iyabo Mushin, said the fire which gutted the entrance to the building, started around 2am, and it was neighbouring house owners who alerted the authorities to it. It was gathered that three persons who attempted to put out the fire sustained various degrees of injuries, as the fire was beyond what they could tackle. Residents said they have been taken to a private hospital where they are currently receiving treatment. An elderly man who witnessed the fire, Mr. Ogbueshi Joseph Nwandu, blamed the fire on poor electrical connection, adding the victims were lucky to have escaped death. Investigation revealed that in the past few weeks, residents of Cable Point Quarters have been apprehensive, following the continuous sparks of cables on

Yahya Jammeh, Gambia’s ex president President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday arrived in Banjul, Gambia, to meet with President Yahya Jammeh, who lost the presidential election penultimate week. The information is in a statement in Abuja by Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president. Adesina stated that the Nigerian leader, who arrived the Gambia with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, the current Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, were received at the airport by Gambia’s Vice-President, Isatou Njie-Saidy. President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra-Leone was also on the visit. Adesina said the out-going President of Ghana, John Mahama, who had earlier arrived Banjul, would also join the West African leaders to meet President Jammeh at the CoCo Ocean Resort and Spa, Banjul. President Buhari and the ECOWAS leaders would discuss the ensuing impasse in The Gambia with President Jammeh, and insist on the sanctit

Unilorin The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has been elected into the 22-member Administrative Board of the International Association of Universities (IAU). (IAU) is UNESCO-based worldwide alliance of higher education institutions. Ambali’s election is contained in the university’s bulletin published on Tuesday. According to the bulletin, the election came one month after Ambali became the Chairman of the Association of West African Universities (AWAU). The publication stated that the election took place at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. It said that the election was one of the high points of the 15th General Conference of the Association held from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16. It added that Prof. Pam Fredman, the Rector of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, was elected IAU President, noting that Fredman would be the first woman to lead the organisation. According to the bulletin, Ambali is one of the three vice chancellors from Africa e

court-of-law An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday ordered that a 16-year-old secondary school student be remanded in a Lagos remand home for allegedly defiling his neighbour’s minor. The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. B. O Osunsanmi, ordered the accused to be remanded in Boys Correctional Centre, Idi-Araba, Lagos until his bail condition was perfected. Osunsanmi granted the accused N300,000 bail with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to Feb. 22 for trial. (NAN) The accused (name withheld), who resides with his parents at Ajegunle area of Ikorodu, is facing a one-count charge of defilement. Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Simeon Inuoha told the court that the accused on Nov. 21 at his residence, invited the six-year-old daughter of his neighbour’s into the bathroom and defiled her. “It was the cry of the victim that alerted people nearby and the accused was apprehended,” he said. The offence contravenes Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The acc

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Tuesday called on the Presidency to investigate reported electoral violence and punish perpetrators to protect the country’s democracy. Dickson made the call in a congratulatory message to his Rivers colleague, Gov. Nyesom Wike. The governor also congratulated winners of the just concluded state and National Assembly re-run elections in Rivers. According to him, the resilience and bravery of Wike, the Chiefs and people of Rivers is a manifestation of the people’s resolve and conviction in the nation’s democracy. Dickson congratulated the government and people of Rivers as well as the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its supporters across the state for the victories recorded during the elections. He applauded them for resisting attempts by the opposition party and its collaborators to subvert the collective will of the people as was evidenced in the polls. The governor, however, co

Mr Fatai Owoseni, Lagos State Commissioner of Police. Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni on Tuesday revealed that 246 people were murdered, 542 vehicles stolen and 486 armed robbers arrested in Lagos in the last one year. He said the period of the statistics spanned between December 2015 and November 2016. Owoseni spoke at the 10th Town Hall Meeting on Security with the Governor, held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Tuesday. The commissioner disclosed that 246 cases of murder were recorded in Lagos in the last one year, saying that death occasioned by cultism, gangsterism, youth restiveness and street fights ranked highest. “The menace is most prevalent in areas within Ijede, Morogbo and Surulere Police Area Commands respectively. This cut across the three senatorial districts of the state. Clashes are mainly for supremacy as well as claim to territories for the purpose of collecting illegal levies for business owners and motorists

Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) will cut electricity supply to Port Harcourt for seven hours daily between Dec. 13 and 15 for repairs and upgrade of facilities. Mr. John Onyi, the company Spokesman, announced this on Tuesday in Port Harcourt in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). According to him, the power outage will start from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily during the three-day period. “PHED wishes to notify her customers that Port Harcourt metropolis will witness power outage starting from today, Dec. 13 to Dec. 15, 2016. “The outage will start between 10.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m on each day and thereafter electricity supply would be restored to the city. “The planned outage is to allow the technical crews from Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to carry out routine maintenance of Afam Power Station,” the spokesman said. Onyi said the repair work when completed, would enable the c

max-air The Management of Max Air says arrangement has been concluded to resume its schedule flights operation from Kano to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 30. The Public Relations Officer of the Airline, Alhaji Ibrahim Dahiru, said in a statement in Kano on Tuesday that all necessary arrangements for the smooth take-off had been completed. “The Airline would operate two scheduled flights on Monday and Thursday every week from Kano to Jeddah with effect from Friday, Dec. 30,’’ Dahiru said. He said that the airline would deploy 737-800 aircraft for the two schedule flights. “The aircraft will return to Kano Tuesday and Friday respectively with returning passengers. “The airline is using new equipment and excellent professionals to meet up the need and expectations of the passengers,’’ he said. He, however, assured that the airline had professional who were capable of handling the operations successfully. “Apart from providing the best services, the airline will continue to main

The gavel of justice A 40-year-old man, Ikechukwu Muojekwu, was on Tuesday sentenced to 13 months imprisonment in Ilesa prison by an Osogbo Chief Magistrate’s’ Court for burglary. The Magistrate, Mr Olusola Aluko, ordered that Muojekwu be kept behind bars due to the magnitude of the offence committed or pay an option of N20,000 fine. The State Counsel, Mrs Olubukola Akintayo, told the court that the convict committed the offence on Dec. 18, 2009 at about 6.30p.m. at No. 17 Aiyetoro area, Osogbo. She said that the convict conspired with others at large, broke into the shop of one Mrs Fasilat Suraju and carted away some valuable items. She listed the items stolen from the shop to include children wears, women shoes, trousers and shirts worth about N4 million and N500, 000 cash. She said that Mojuekwu conducted himself in a manner which led to the breach of public peace at the point of his arrest by the Police. Akintayo said the the offence contravened sections 86 (1), 516, 390(9

Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa State A Presidential delegation led by the Special Adviser on Policy Development and Strategy, Alhaji Ibrahim Bapetel, visits Michika, Adamawa to console with government and victims of Madagali twin bomb blast. Presenting drugs, consumables and money to the victims at Michika General Hospital on Tuesday, Bapetel said President Muhammadu Buhari was concern with their plight. According to Bapetel, the president wants to assure you that his administration is committed to containing the insurgency. “Mr president has received with deep shock, the news of the unfortunate incident and immediately directed me to come and commiserate with you, identify with your plight and assess your health condition.” Receiving the items, the Principal Medical Officer of Michika General Hospital, Dr Tanko Bethuel, thanked the delegation and promised to utilise the drugs and other items donated judiciously. Also briefing the delegation, Regimental Medical Officer of

Kanam Local Government of Plateau has sunk 37 boreholes in 20 communities within the locality in the last one year. The Management Committee Chairman of the Council, Mr Isa Hashidu, disclosed this on Tuesday when the State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs visited the council. The House had on Dec. 2 directed the committee to visit and ascertain the levels of development at the 17 local government areas of the state. The chairman said that the council spent N27 million to execute the project to completion. “When we came on board, we saw the need to provide the citizens the means of getting portable water because our people at the very rural communities don’t have access to it. “This informed our decision to construct 37 hand-pump boreholes in 20 communities within the local government. “We spent N27 million on the project, and I am happy to inform you that our people now have access to portable drinking water,” he said. Similarly,

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State The Delta State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), on Monday staged a peaceful protest in Asaba, requesting the state government to pay N8.1 billion owed its members. The State Chairman, Ogbuefi Robert Chukwunyem, told newsmen that the protest preceded the 2016 Pensioners Day. He explained that the N8.1 billion was the pension arrears resulting from the 33 per cent pension increase approved by the Federal Government since 2010. Chukwunyem also said that the state government has not paid pensioners in the state for three months by the end of December. The union, therefore, urged the state government to consider their plight and utilise the money released to it by the Federal Government to settle the pension areas and pending salaries of workers. He said that pensioners in the state were dying and pleaded with the state governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa to pay the state monthly pension even from his security vote. “The state owes u

tomato and pepper Ahead of Christmas celebration, prices of tomatoes and pepper have reduced by 55 per cent in most Lagos markets. At Mile 12 and Iddo markets, a basket of tomatoes which previously cost N9,000 now sells for N5,000, while tatashe and chilli pepper cost N4,500 and N4,000 respectively, as against N8,000 in November. A jute bag of Onions sells for N17, 000 as against N28, 000, while a paint measurement of garri costs N650. Mr Femi Odusanya, Spokesperson, Mile 12 Traders Association, said the prices dropped due to massive harvest of the items for the Yuletide season. “Most farmers are harvesting their produce now leading to surplus and drop in prices of the items in the market. “Our appeal to government is to mop up the excesses through preservation because prices will further drop until April when the produce will not be in season. “We do not want a repeat of previous experience that we had much food waste due to our inability to preserve the excesses,” he said.

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on Tuesday said that most Nigerian exporters were fully ready to export to the United States through the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA). Mr. Babatunde Faleke, Lagos Zonal Coordinator, NEPC, made this known while speaking at the Pre-Exhibition Selection Exercise for Non-Oil Exporters, organized by the council in Lagos. He said that the exercise was aimed at re-screening exporters of exportable items under the AGOA programme, for the upcoming trade shows in the US. “The truth is, most of our exporters are ready for exports under the AGOA programme, with all that we have and the market is there waiting for us. “Most of them have been involved in exporting, but some areas like documentation need to be better settled. “Here, we have exporters of food items, commodities, finished and unfinished industrial materials like raffia, charcoal whose products are compliant with all the requirements to export to the US. “The US market is very

Nigeria Immigration Service Operatives A total of 21 officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Bayelsa Command, have been promoted to their next rank following the release of results of a recent promotion examination by the service. Addressing the newly-promoted officers on Tuesday in Bayelsa, Mr. William Oche, the Comptroller of the Command, urged them to be more dedicated to their duties and brace up for more responsibilities. Oche said that the exercise was a motivation and call to greater commitment to duty. He said that the service expected more dedication from the officers who were decorated with their new ranks. He also said that the exercise was continuous and was aimed at rewarding dedicated service to the country. The comptroller, therefore, advised officers who did not pass the last examination to put the past behind them and study hard in preparation for the next one. According to him, promotion in the service is based on merit to deserving personnel. He

Yahya Jammeh, Gambia’s ex president An African Union (AU) delegation was on its way to Gambia Tuesday, to persuade outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to accept his loss in the country’s December 1 election. The AU “strongly rejects any attempt to circumvent or reverse the outcome of the presidential election held in the Gambia, a clear expression of the popular will and choice of the Gambian people,’’ the organisation said in a statement. The visit comes several days after Jammeh announced his intention to challenge the election results, which declared opponent Adama Barrow the winner. According to Amie Bojang, the spokeswoman of Gambia’s opposition coalition the delegation includes: Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who also chairs the Economic Commission of West African State (ECOWAS). Others are; the Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma, President Alpha Conde of Guinea and the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari. The delegation is also expected to conduct talks

FILE PHOTO: Federal Road Safety Officers at an accident scene The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has confirmed the death of 13 persons in a ghastly motor accident on Malumfashi-Dabai road in Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State. Alhaji Abdu Bagadawa, the FRSC Sector Commander, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Katsina that the accident occurred at Unguwar-Iliya village at about 7 a.m on Tuesday. He explained that the accident involved a Volkswagen wagon, with registration number KAF 608 XA carrying 18 passengers and a trailer belonging to Dangote, registered TRN 130 XA, parked by the roadside. According to him, the Volkswagen had a tyre burst, which caused it to skid off the road and hit the parked trailer. He explained that 13 persons were killed instantly, while five others sustained various degree of injuries. Bagadawa revealed that the corpses and injured victims were conveyed to Malumfashi General Hospital. The sector commander urged motor

Magistrate-court Mr Saidu Umar, the National President, Magistrates Association of Nigeria, says the association is seeking for legislation to create separate salary structure for magistrates. Umar said on Tuesday in Dutse that the special salary structure would be called the Consolidated Magistrate’s Salary Structure (CONMGSS). According to him, the proposal will soon be submitted to both the national and state houses of assembly. He stressed the need to adequately remunerate magistrates in line with the duties they perform. The president appealed to the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, to assist in ensuring provision of conducive working environment for magistrates. Umar lamented a situation where magistrates live in rented houses, adding that they are expected to live in secluded areas with necessary conveniences. The president urged the CJN to review the 2014 Revised National Judicial Council Guideline and Procedural Rules for appointment of

Syrian war The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports on Tuesday said that about 600 civilians have been killed during the intensified violence in Aleppo during the past month. In the rebel-held eastern districts, 463 civilians, among them 62 children were killed as a result of intensive airstrikes and artillery shelling. In the government-run sector, some 130 civilians, including 40 children, were killed by rebel shelling which is a total of 593 civilians. At least 532 rebel fighters also died, while 256 soldiers and militia members fighting for the government also died in the conflict. More than 4,000 people were reported as injured.

The gavel of justice The Christian Governor of the Indonesian capital went on trial on Tuesday to face charges of blasphemy over remarks perceived as insulting to Muslims. The trial of the Governor, Basuki Purnama, followed a wave of protests by conservative Muslims demanding his prosecution. According to the indictment read out by prosecutors, Purnama is accused of “publicly expressing hostility to, abusing and disparaging’’ a religion, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Security was tight for the trial at the North Jakarta district court and hundreds of conservative Muslims dressed in white gathered outside to demand Purnama be jailed. Purnama said “I understand the charges but I don’t understand why I’m being accused of blasphemy,’’ after prosecutors read out the indictment. Purnama said as a Christian politician running for office in a Muslim-majority country, he had been unfairly attacked by political opponents because of his faith. Purnama said in tears “T

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe president Zimbabwe held its first ever public interviews for the vacant post of Chief Justice on Tuesday. The public interviews was to reflect President Robert Mugabe’s reduced authority under a constitution adopted three years ago in the southern African country. In the past, Mugabe had sole authority to appoint the head of the judiciary, but the 2013 charter required candidates to be interviewed by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), a panel of mostly senior judges and lawyers. Mugabe then chooses from three names submitted by the JSC. A University of Zimbabwe law student last week asked the High Court to stop the interviews, arguing that the process was not transparent since the candidates were colleagues of, and known to, the interviewing panel. The High Court on Sunday ruled in favour of the student, who also wanted Mugabe alone to appoint the Chief Justice. The government says it plans to change the constitution to give Mugabe that sole respon

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) chairman Azam Saigol. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) chairman Azam Saigol, has resigned in the wake of a crash last week that killed all 48 people on board, officials said onTuesday. Saigol resigned late Monday, PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani said. “The PIA chairman resigned due to personal reasons,” Gilani said. The chairman had worked on a pro bono basis, without salary or perks, since his appointment in May, he added. On December 7, a PIA flight to Islamabad from the tourist resort of Chitral crashed, killing everyone on board the small ATR-42 plane. Three foreign nationals, two from Austria and one from China, were among the dead. PIA faced tough questions about adopting international safety standards and procedures after the crash, which came after financial losses and accusations of mismanagement, according to media reports. Earlier this year, the Pakistani government tried to sell 25 percent of PIA’s shares to offset financial l

Alleged corrupt judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola and his wife, Olubowale, were on Tuesday arraigned before the Federal High Court Abuja for corruption by the Federal Government. They were accused of collecting huge sums of money as gratification to impede the cause of justice by the Department of State Service (DSS). They are facing a 15-count charge of alleged fraud and abuse of office. The duo were scheduled to be arraigned on 5 December but it was rescheduled by the office of the Attorney General because the judge was yet to be served with the originating summons for his trial. The case is ongoing.

MMM Popular money-doubling scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM), has placed one month ban on all withdrawals starting from Dec. 13. A letter displayed on the page of participants of the scheme cited “heavy workload on system” as reason for the ban. This means that members of the ponzi scheme who are due to withdraw both their capital and 30 per cent return on investment will no longer be able to do so until sometime in January 2017. According to the letter, the ban on withdrawals is partly due to negative reports by the media on the scheme. The letter reads in part; “one-month freezing of confirmed Mavros. “Dear members, as usual in the New Year season, the system is experiencing heavy workload. Moreover, it has to deal with the constant frenzy provoked by authorities in the mass media. “The things are still going well; the participants feel calm; everyone gets paid – as you can see, there haven’t been any payment delays or other problems yet but it is better to avoid takin

Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar The Emir of Hadejia in Jigawa, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, has called on farmers and herdsmen to co-exist peacefully in order to promote peace and unity in the society. Abubakar made the call in a message to mark the Eid-el-Maulud celebration on Tuesday in Hadejia. He said the call was imperative to control incessant farmers and herdsmen clashes as well as encourage sustainable socio-economic development. Abubakar stressed the need for the farmers and herdsmen to shun acts capable of disrupting peace and admonished his subjects to be law abiding. The emir also commended the government and security agencies for their effort to maintain law and order as well as enhance security in the state. The emir hoisted a symbolic durbar to mark the event. The occasion was attended by Gov. Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa, former military governor of the defunct Kano State, Air Marshal (RTD), Hamza Abdullahi and members of the national and state assemblies. Schoo

Bergar market Traders in Lagos have been lamenting over the drastic low patronage of items and products at their stores even as Christmas is less than two weeks away. Some traders who spoke to PMNews on Monday revealed that there has been a sharp decline in trading activities in Berger market and other areas known for high trading in this season of celebration. In separate interviews, Mr Basil Onwudiwe a shoe seller said ”business was not really booming as it was supposed to be since exchange rate has skyrocketed. He lamented that a pair of shoe which sold for N3,000 the previous year remains at the same price and that the extra profit he would have added ontop of his selling price, had been used to settle custom officials. Onwudiwe also said sometimes he even reduces his selling price so as to avoid him not selling at all since customers are not willing to buy expensive items, attributing the low patronage to economic recession. Also, Mrs Iyabo Ajayi, who sells hair products at

Mavrodi Mondial Movement (MMM) Participants of the famous Ponzi scheme in Nigeria, Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM) have been thrown into panic and confusion following the one-month freezing notice made by the scheme on the accounts of Nigerians. This development has brought about so much shock as the hopes of Nigerians on having good Yuletide celebrations by cashing out their funds, have been frustrated by the Ponzi scheme. This was made known through a circular sent out to all users yesterday. The circular which stated that ‘Confirmed Mavros’ would be frozen for a month urged all participants to be calm, saying it was to help prevent any problems during the New Year season. It reads: “Dear members! As usual, in the New Year season the System is experiencing heavy workload. Moreover, it has to deal with the constant frenzy provoked by the authorities in the mass media. The things are still going well; the participants feel calm; everyone gets paid – as you can see, there haven’t

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence have received more congratulatory wishes from world leaders, Trump’s Transition Team has said. The Transition Team, in a statement issued on Monday in New York, said no fewer than 12 additional world leaders spoke with the president-elect to offer their congratulatory wishes. The list included President of Chile, Michelle Jeria, that of Costa Rica, Luis Rivera, and the President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman. The others were President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, President Juan Alvarado of Honduras and President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. The King of Jordan, Abdullah Il bin Al Hussein, Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat and President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. The statement also said President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Brey, also spoke with Trump to offer congratulatory wishes. According to the state

Donald Trump, US president elect U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday evening that he would formally announce his nominee for Secretary of State on Tuesday. The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York reports that Trump made the announcement on his Twitter handle on Monday night. “I will be making my announcement on the next Secretary of State tomorrow morning,” Trump said on Twitter. However, CBS News said sources confirmed that the president-elect would name Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. The president-elect reportedly praised Tillerson on Sunday, but some Republicans have expressed doubts due to the Russian connections. It recalled Trump’s recently pointing to Tillerson’s deep relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a selling point. As ExxonMobil’s head, Tillerson maintained close ties with Russia and was awarded by Putin with the Order of Friendship in 2013, an honour for a foreign citizen. Trump’s search for se

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon The UN General Assembly on Monday paid a glowing tribute to outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his service to humanity over the past decade. The tribute followed the adoption of a resolution by which the 193-member body acknowledged Ban’s contributions to the work of the UN and noteworthy achievements. The Assembly, by acclamation, adopted a resolution “placing on special record his many bold initiatives politically, diplomatically and organizational. The resolution also placed on record, “his exceptional contribution to the work of the organization, and his noteworthy achievements in improving people’s lives and protecting our planet for future generations”. “Over the last 10 years, Secretary-General Ban has led the United Nations with unwavering principles for the good, with dedicated professionalism, and with never-tiring service to humanity. “Whether it was shifting international dynamics, a rebalancing of economic influe

Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be in Algeria, the North African country, on a two-day official visit from Tuesday Dec. 13. The visit is on the invitation of the Algerian government, a statement issued by the Vice Presidential Spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, said on Monday, During the visit, Osinbajo, who would be received by the Algerian Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, is to hold talks with the Algerian President Abdellaziz Bouteflika. He would also interact with members of the Upper and Lower chambers of the Algerian legislature. The visit would explore the deepening of diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and Algeria while also reviewing specific areas of security cooperation. Both countries would also use the opportunity to harmonize their positions on multilateral issues of common interest and share ideas on how to address some international challenges especially those confronting Africa. It would be recalled

Joshua-Klitschko Anthony Joshua’s Wembley showdown with Wladimir Klitschko could be worth a staggering £42million. Englishman Joshua will bank at least £10m and the clash for the IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight titles is set to break all UK records as the richest fight in British boxing history. Promoter Eddie Hearn hopes the fight on April 29 could generate a record 1.5million pay-per-view buys on Sky Sports Box Office and be watched by a post-war record 90,000 crowd. TV income alone is expected to worth well over £30m and it is set to dwarf Britain’s previous richest-fight, Froch-Groves II, also at Wembley in May 2014, which made £22m. “Capacity-wise, this will be bigger than the Froch-Groves rematch,” said Hearn. This is a unique fight — two Olympic champions, two guys at different stages of their careers. “I think we’ve got the hottest prospect in world boxing against a legend in the heavyweight division. “We’re looking to go to 90,000. I think we have permission for about 80