Global Naija Info

The murdered Bakare (Middle) The Zonal Head of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Apapa, Bakare was on Thursday beaten to death by suspected okada riders and touts in Apapa area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. PM News gathered that Bakare was killed at Point Road, Apapa while enforcing the road traffic law which banned okada riders from plying 475 major roads in Lagos. Bakare was said to have been attacked and was brutally murdered by the irate okada riders. LASTMA General Manager, Bashir Braimah confirmed the incident, saying that he was trying to control and regulate traffic in Apapa when he was killed. He did not give further details. Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos confirmed the incident, saying that it was a mob action and that the LASTMA officer was killed in the process. She said the police had begun intensive investigation and manhunt to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to book. -Kazeem Ugbodaga

The late Ademola Aderintola killed by the ex-Pen cinema DPO The Court of Appeal in Lagos on Thursday affirmed the judgment of a Lagos High Court in Igbosere sentencing a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) attached to Pen Cinema Police Station in Agege, Segun Fabunmi to 10 years imprisonment for the killing of one Ademola Aderintola Daramola during the January 9, 2012 protest against fuel subsidy removal in Lagos. Justice Olabisi Akinlade of Lagos High Court had, on December 14, 2015, convicted and sentenced Fabunmi to 10 years jail term for manslaughter following the death of Ademola during the fuel subsidy protest in Lagos. Justice Akinlade also found Fabunmi, a dismissed Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), guilty of shooting three other persons – Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh, during the protest, thereby causing them grievous bodily harm. Fabunmi, of No. 12 Oyewole Street, Ogudu, Lagos, who joined the police in 1984, was arraigned on May 5, 2013 by the L

Babachir David Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria The call by the Senate for Babachir Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), to resign and face prosecution for alleged fraud following his indictment by the Senate ad-hoc committee on mounting humanitarian crisis in the Northeast is generating a lot of reactions in the social media. Many commentators are wondering why President Muhammadu Buhari who prides himself as an anti-graft crusader, is not doing anything about some of his aides accused of corruption. According to the ad-hoc committee, chaired by Senator Shehu Sani, most of the contracts awarded by Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) have no direct impact on the lives of the displaced persons who are still languishing in a squalid condition, hunger, disease and other deplorable conditions in all IDPs camps. The committee pointed out that such contract includes PINE contribution to two conferences on rebuilding the

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State The Court of Appeal Abuja has reserved judgment on a suit challenging the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Enugu State governorship primary that produced Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as candidate. Sen. Anyogu Eze, an aspirant in that contest, had filed the appeal at the appellate court. Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson, who led the 3-man panel on Thursday, reserved the judgment after counsel to the parties had adopted their written addresses. Akomolafe-Wilson said parties would be duly informed when the judgment was ready. Eze had prayed the court to remove the governor, adding that he (Ugwuanyi) was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the April 11, 2015, governorship election. According to him, the governor emerged from an invalid primary election conducted on Dec. 8, 2015, by strange people who had claimed to be leaders of the party. Mr. Adebayo Adelodun (SAN), counsel to Eze, said Ugwuanyi was merely picked by some persons at the Na

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, Commissioner for Special Duties & Inter-Governmental Realtions, Mr. Oluseye Oladejo and Commanding Officer, 435 Base Srvice Group, NAF Ikeja, Air Commodore Paul Masiyer during the President’s Arrival at the Presidential Wing of the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday. Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday commissioned ships locally made by the Navy at the Naval Dockyard, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, Commissioner for Special Duties & Inter-Governmental Realtions, Mr. Oluseye Oladejo during the President’s Arrival at the Presidential Wing of the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi A

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State The Court of Appeal Abuja has reserved judgment on a suit challenging the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Enugu State governorship primary that produced Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as candidate. Sen. Anyogu Eze, an aspirant in that contest, had filed the appeal at the appellate court. Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson, who led the 3-man panel on Thursday, reserved the judgment after counsel to the parties had adopted their written addresses. Akomolafe-Wilson said parties would be duly informed when the judgment was ready. Eze had prayed the court to remove the governor, adding that he (Ugwuanyi) was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the April 11, 2015, governorship election. According to him, the governor emerged from an invalid primary election conducted on Dec. 8, 2015, by strange people who had claimed to be leaders of the party. Mr. Adebayo Adelodun (SAN), counsel to Eze, said Ugwuanyi was merely picked by some persons at the Na

The Lagos headquarters of U.S. oil major, ExxonMobil, has been shut, following a standoff with blue-collar oil unions over the sacking of 150 ExxonMobil workers. Members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) besieged the office of the oil giant, protesting the sacking of Nigerian workers. The standoff is coming on the heels of a similar development on Wednesday in Upkenekang Community in Akwa Ibom, where angry youths disrupting the operations of the company over the sacking of contract workers from the area. The protesters, numbering over 1,000, barricaded entry points to the company with boats, coffins, leaves and placards, having different inscriptions. The Chairman of the ExxonMobil Branch of PENGASAN, Mr Paul Eboigbe, confirmed the closure of the company’s Lagos office. He disclosed that the management of the company went ahead to issue sack letters to workers, while negotiations were still going on. He said the union had to resist t

Nigeria-police The Katsina Commissioner of Police, Mr. Usman Abdullahi, on Thursday, warned police officers and men in the state to shun corrupt practices or face the consequences. Abdullahi gave the warning during the inauguration of the “Change Begins with Me’’ campaign in the state. He also flagged off the distribution of rebranded Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU) flyers in different languages. “Any policeman caught indulging in misconduct or corrupt practices will be severely dealt with. “The members of the public are free to lodge their complaints with the PCRRU as they have been saddled with the responsibility of responding to complaints. “The present Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has produced flyers in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin English. “This is to ensure that the public is educated to lodge their complaints against any police misconduct or corrupt practices,’’ he said. The commissioner stressed that the Inspector-General had pr

The Lagos headquarters of U.S. oil major, ExxonMobil has been shut, following a standoff with blue-collar oil unions over the sacking of 150 ExxonMobil workers. Members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) besieged the office of the oil giant, protesting the sacking of Nigerian workers. The standoff is coming on the heels of a similar development on Wednesday in Upkenekang Community in Akwa Ibom, where angry youths disrupting the operations of the company over the sacking of contract workers from the area. The protesters, numbering over 1,000, barricaded entry points to the company with boats, coffins, leaves and placards, having different inscriptions. The Chairman of the ExxonMobil Branch of PENGASAN, Mr. Paul Eboigbe, confirmed the closure of the company’s Lagos office. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the management of the company went ahead to issue sack letters to workers, while negotiations were still going on. He sa

Nigerian-army The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, says Nigerian troops have penetrated deep into the Sambisa forest and are already doing well in their operations in the forest. Buratai made the disclosure on Thursday in Abuja in a remark after he decorated some of the newly-promoted senior officers with their new ranks. He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the elevation of the senior officers and for the support he had been giving to the Army. Buratai described the president’s support as “invaluable” and largely responsible for the successes being recorded by troops in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East and other operations. “We have resolved to maintain the pressure from all fronts, both in the North-East and southern part of the country, on any form of insurgency and militancy to ensure that our country is safe,” he said. Buratai noted that there had been “drastic changes’’ in operations and in areas of training, welfare

Nollywood’s historical drama movie ‘76’ has emerged top nominee for the 2017 edition of the prestigious Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs). According to the list of nominees announced by the organizers M-NET on Wednesday night in Lagos, ‘76’ got record-breaking of 14 nominations. The nominations it earned include: Best Art Director for Pat Nebo, Best Actress for Rita Dominic and Best Actor for Ramsey Nouah. Others are Best Movie (West Africa), Best Make-Up Artist, and Best Cinematography, among others. It also got a nomination for the coveted’ “Best Overall Movie” award. Movie ‘76’is produced by Izu Ojukwu and Adonaijah Owiriwa and directed by Izu Ojukwu. It stars veteran Nollywood actors Ramsey Nouah, Chidi Mokeme, Rita Dominic and Ibinabo Fibereisima. ‘76’ is a fictional movie which takes a retrospective look into the first six post-civil war years in Nigeria. Set six years after the civil war, a young officer from the middle belt gets entangled in a romantic relat

Mr. Damian Chukwu, Borno Commissioner of Police The Borno Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Damian Chukwu, has threatened to dismiss any men of the command found guilty of misconduct. Chukwu, made this disclosure while inaugurating “Change Begins with Me” campaign in Maiduguri. “The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has said that the Nigeria Police Force, would be repositioned to be accountable, responsive and reliable in the discharge of its duty. “The need for effectiveness in the force is in line with the international best practices and also in tandem with the “Change Begins with Me” of President Muhammadu Buhari. “This is to emphasize that the police are your friends and they are accessible to the public. “The Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit was established and charged with the responsibility of receiving complaints from the public and to ensure that the police are accountable to the Nigerian people. “It also serves as a channel for redressing all grie

A ‘nomics’ has been added to the world of economic policies and Nigerians should appreciate its coming from their part of the planet, especially, at a time the world is grappling with the depravity of politics and the captivity of politicians. In a paper presented at a Colloquium to mark his six years in office as governor of the State of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola reiterated his administration’s commitment to laying a solid foundation for the state in every area such that tampering with its progress in the future would be difficult, if not impossible. While describing “rising expenditure, especially wage bill, within the contrast of falling revenue” as the biggest challenge facing his government, Aregbesola promised that his administration would do all within its powers to ensure that no one was left behind in the distribution of the dividends of democracy to the good people of Osun. “We are grappling with the challenge of finance and we are doing all within our power to complete all the

Prison inmates Osun Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Ojo, on Thursday, freed 16 inmates of both Ile-Ife Prisons and Ilesa Prisons awaiting trial. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three inmates regained freedom at the Ile-Ife Prisons while 13 inmates from the Ilesa Prisons on grounds of overstaying in prisons, ill health and minor offences. The released inmates from Ilesa Prisons were Monday Effiong, Tunde Olalekan, Adekunle Idowu, Abu Bello, Gbenga Aroko, Lateef Bamidele and Raphael Akinlabi. Others include an 80-year-old woman, Oyedeji Aisha, Ezekiel Igwe, Adebare Monsuratu, Aliu Ishaka and Samuel Olaoye. Those freed at the Ile-Ife Prisons are Popoola Aliu, Emmanuel Badmus and Dauda Olaiya. Ojo decried the manner at which cases of the freed inmates were handled and urged prison officials not to unjustly delay cases. She appealed to prison officials to always take inmates to court for their trials rather than keeping them behind bars for unjust reasons. Mr. Ajagun Ma

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (m ), Deputy Governor Ipalibo Harry Banigo (r) and Former Minister of Transport, Dr Abiye Sekibo with other Rivers people marching to the Rivers State Police Command to protest police brutality and killings in Port Harcourt on Thursday. Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Thursday took to the streets with thousands of Rivers people to protest mass killings by the Police and other security agencies during the December 10 rerun elections. The peaceful protest took off from Government House, Port Harcourt at 8 a.m., moved through Azikiwe Street and Bank Road before terminating at the Rivers State Police Command headquarters on Moscow Road. R-L: Deputy Governor Ipalibo Harry Banigo, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Speaker Dabo Adams and Former Minister of Transport, DrAbiye Sekibo with other Rivers people marching to the Rivers State Police Command to protest police brutality and killings in Port Harcourt on Thursday. Apart from Govern

Nollywood’s historical drama movie ‘76’ has emerged top nominee for the 2017 edition of the prestigious Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs). According to the list of nominees announced by the organizers M-NET on Wednesday night in Lagos, ‘76’ got record-breaking of 14 nominations. The nominations it earned include: Best Art Director for Pat Nebo, Best Actress for Rita Dominic and Best Actor for Ramsey Nouah. Others are Best Movie (West Africa), Best Make-Up Artist, and Best Cinematography, among others. It also got a nomination for the coveted’ “Best Overall Movie” award. Movie ‘76’is produced by Izu Ojukwu and Adonaijah Owiriwa and directed by Izu Ojukwu. It stars veteran Nollywood actors Ramsey Nouah, Chidi Mokeme, Rita Dominic and Ibinabo Fibereisima. ‘76’ is a fictional movie which takes a retrospective look into the first six post-civil war years in Nigeria. Set six years after the civil war, a young officer from the middle belt gets entangled in a romantic relat

Ronaldo’s goal took his tally to 500 in his professional club career Real Madrid extended their unbeaten run to 36 games by beating Club America 2-0 to reach the Fifa Club World Cup final against Kashima Antlers on Sunday. The European champions put out a strong side including Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. They took the lead against the Mexican side just before half-time when Karim Benzema latched on to a Toni Kroos pass and sent in a shot from 12 yards. Ronaldo scored in added time to secure Real’s victory.

Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, PDP Candidate at the recently concluded Edo governorship election. The Edo Election Petition Tribunal says it will not limit parties on the number of witnesses to call in the petition filed by the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led three-member tribunal, which made the submission in its pre-hearing report on Thursday, fixed Jan. 11 as commencement date for hearing the petition. The party and Ize-Iyamu, in their petition, are challenging the declaration by INEC of Mr Godwin Obaseki of APC as winner of the Sept. 28 governorship election in the state. The petitioners had named INEC, Obaseki and APC as first, second and third respondents respectively in the petition. INEC had declared Obaseki winner of the Edo governorship election after he polled 319,483 votes to defeat Ize-Iyamu, his closest rival, who scored 250,000 votes. The tribunal in its report held that it had distilled five issues for determination

INEC The North Central Zone of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday in Ilorin commenced the training of 200 staff members on the use of ICT in the conduct of elections. Prof. Anthonia Okoosi-Simbine, INEC’s National Commissioner for the North Central Zone, said the training was to ensure that the staff members were ICT compliant. The Commissioner, who was represented by the Acting Administrative Secretary, Dr Darga Abubakar, said the training would focus on the effective utilisation of ICT in the conduct of free and fair elections in the state. Abubakar said the commission itself has critical roles to perform in the continual enthronement of democracy by ensuring that the votes of the people counted. He said the commission seeks to continually train and refresh the knowledge of its staff on the use of technology. “Technology plays a key role in the world over, and the introduction of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and Smart Card readers in our elector

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose The act or an instance of making an unfavorable or severe judgment or comment of a leader or government is regarded as Political criticism. Therefore, if any comment is garnished with any form of favorability towards a leader, then such comment lacks even an iota of political criticism. Whether a critic should make his points secretive to the people and uncover it to the government of the day alone, as to reduce the influence of the aftermaths on the led is dependent on whether the government would work towards correcting the criticized policies or behavior to the betterment of the led. The malicious influence wielded by the government of the day in Nigeria has silenced totally, the criticizing prowess of the opposition party in the country. It is not hearsay to all that panic is now the order of the day in the lives of those who have the endowments of constructive criticisms. But would any government survive without criticisms? I don’t think so.

some improvised explosive devices The Adamawa Police Command, said on Thursday, that it would destroy Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which had been recovered from insurgents in the area over the years. A statement signed by SP Othman Abubakar, the command’s Public Relations Officer, said the IEDs would be destroyed on Saturday at the military shooting range at Mayo-Ine in Fufore Local Government Area. Abubakar urged the public not to panic during the exercise but to go about their normal businesses. “The Adamawa State Police Command informs the public that the Anti-Bomb Squad will carry out demolition exercise of some recovered IEDs at the military shooting range at Mayo-Ine,” he said. It will be recalled that on Feb. 25, there was an accidental blast at the Anti-Bomb Squad headquarters in Jimeta, Yola, where the IEDs were then kept, resulting in the loss of lives and property.

girl wearing short skirt Israel’s parliament speaker went on national radio on Thursday to try to quell anger over a ban on female staff wearing skirts deemed too short. The lawmaker, Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, noted that the move had caused a scandal in a legislature where informal dress had long been the fashion. The furore began about 10 days ago when Knesset security guards began turning away women they accused of being dressed immodestly, even though the rules do not specify a skirt length. On Wednesday, about 30 women protested at the Knesset’s security entrance, posing for news cameras wearing above-the-knee skirts or dresses in defiance of the ban. They were supported by a man wearing a skirt over his trousers and a member of parliament who stripped down to his undershirt. Trajtenberg complained that soon women would have to wear burkas. Parliamentary Speaker Yuli Edelstein said on national radio that the Knesset had not gone, in his words, Iran-Taliban. The issue has

The Senate on Thursday rejected the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The lawmakers refused to confirm President Muhammadu Buhari’s nomination of Magu based on security report available to them. The spokesperson for the upper legislative chamber, Aliyu Abdullahi, revealed this Thursday afternoon after the Senators emerged from a closed-door meeting where Mr. Magu’s confirmation was discussed. “The Senate wishes to inform the public that based on available security report, the Senate cannot proceed with the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. “The nomination of Ibrahim Magu is hereby rejected and has been returned to the President for further action,” Mr. Abdullahi said. The Senate had slated today, Thursday, to screen Mr. Magu, who has been acting as EFCC Chairman in the past one year. The Presidency had since July requested the Senate to confirm Mr. Magu. The r

Federal Road Safety Corps vehicles The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Thursday said the commission has embarked on a massive campaign to further reduce road accidents during the festive periods. Mr. Lanre Ogundele, FRSC Unit Commander, Agbado Unit, disclosed this during the Ember Months Public Enlightenment Rally at Ijaiye Motor Park, Ojokoro, Lagos. Ogundele noted that the rally’s theme: “Crash the Crash: Speed kills” was carefully chosen to alert motorists of the commission’s zero tolerance to reckless driving on the nation`s highways. The unit commander stated that FRSC officials would be on patrols during the festive period in order to ensure reduction of accidents on the roads. “We are determined to ensure accidents-free Christmas and New Year because our target is zero tolerance to road traffic crash,“ he said. Ogundele said that the role of public enlightenment rally could not be overemphasized because it had drastically reduced motor accidents in the country.

prison Osun Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Ojo, on Thursday freed 16 inmates of both Ile-Ife Prisons and Ilesa Prisons awaiting trial. Three inmates regained freedom at the Ile-Ife Prisons while 13 inmates from the Ilesa Prisons on grounds of overstaying in prisons, ill health and minor offences. The released inmates from Ilesa Prisons were Monday Effiong, Tunde Olalekan, Adekunle Idowu, Abu Bello, Gbenga Aroko, Lateef Bamidele and Raphael Akinlabi. Others include an 80-year-old woman, Oyedeji Aisha, Ezekiel Igwe, Adebare Monsuratu, Aliu Ishaka and Samuel Olaoye. Those freed at the Ile-Ife Prisons are Popoola Aliu, Emmanuel Badmus and Dauda Olaiya. Ojo decried the manner at which cases of the freed inmates were handled and urged prison officials not to unjustly delay cases. She appealed to prison officials to always take inmates to court for their trials rather than keeping them behind bars for unjust reasons. Mr Ajagun Matthew, the Officer-in-Charge of Ile-Ife Prisons, lauded

court A 55-year-old trader, Mrs Saidat Abu, on Thursday, told an Igando Customary Court in Lagos that her husband was a flirt who impregnated her junior sister on two occasions. She said this while responding to a suit filed by her husband, Momodu, alleging threat to his life by his wife. Saidat, who alleged that her husband did not only commit adultery but incest, said: “My husband was having an affair with my sister, he impregnated her and aborted the pregnancy on two occasions. “I decided not to fight him in order to save my marriage.” The mother of two also described her husband as a wicked and callous man. “My husband took me to the hospital and connived with the doctor to remove my womb so that I will not be pregnant again. “After destroying my womb, he is now telling me that he wants to marry another woman so that he can have a son that will inherit his property. “He also told me he wants to sell our house so that he can settle our daughters and rent an apartment for

FRSC -checking-vehicles Mr Friday Ekhator, the State Coordinator, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Special Marshal unit in Edo, says 900 personnel will be deployed to identified black spots in Benin metropolis during the Christmas period. Ekhator made this known in Benin on Thursday. “We are saddened by the preventable road crashes recorded in the state in recent time,’’ he said. He added that special marshals in the state had met and resolved to come up with plans to mitigate road crashes during the festive period. “The state is working out a good number of plans to ensure that we have safe motoring during the yuletide. “The commission has its goal of ensuring that the roads are free for everybody to use, most especially this period when people are always in a hurry. “The Special Marshal unit has been able to put in place a mechanism that will help reduce traffic congestion and minimize carnage on our roads. “We are deploying 900 of our personnel to the roads from betwe

housing Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of the Civil Service (HOS) of the Federation, said a total of 5,635 civil servants would benefit from the first phase of the Federal Government Housing Scheme. Mr Mohammed Manga, Assistant Director, Media Relations in the Office of the HOS in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said the HOS made this known when she led federal permanent secretaries to the housing fare holding in her office. Manga said the scheme was to address the housing challenges in the country. The statement said Oyo-Ita urged civil servants to take advantage of the N13 billion Federal Civil Servants Mortgage Loan Refinancing Scheme recently launched by the Federal Government. She said the housing scheme was one of the initiatives of President Muhammadu Buhari to put smiles in the faces of Federal Civil Servants to enhance efficient service delivery. Oyo-Ita said the scheme was being executed in collaboration with the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, the Fed

Aisha Buhari, wife of Nigeria’s president President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Hajiya Aisha, on Thursday, donated some bags of rice and cartons of liquid milk to the Christian community in Abuja for Christmas. In her address on the occasion, she said that the donation was to support the Christian families of the First Baptist Church in FCT, Abuja. Buhari, who was represented by Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, the wife of the Vice-President, said the kind gesture was done out of passion and love. “I know there are men of God and people of God here and I see a lot of Christian mothers, the youth and children too, it is lovely to be here” “The Bible says how good and pleasant it is when God makes us enjoy together in unity. “I am not here in my own capacity; I am here representing the wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “Everyone knows that she has a large heart and she has sent a lot of items to the Christian community, I am here to watch the handing over of the items

Magistrate-court An Ikeja Magistrate’s’ Court on Thursday granted N50,000 bail to a 24-year-old man, Mohammed Ahmed, who allegedly stole a Smartphone worth N60,000 in a hotel room. The accused, who resides in Agege, Lagos, is facing a count charge. The prosecutor, Insp. Victor Eruada, told the court that the accused stole Techno Boom J8’ from a room in the City Hotel on Ipaja Road, Agege, on Nov. 26. The prosecutor said that Ahmed stole the phone belonging to Miss Blessing Oyewale. “Ahmed and Oyewale were lodged in the same hotel but in different rooms; when the complainant woke up from sleep, she discovered that her phone was missing,’’ the prosecutor said. He said that Oyewale later found out that the phone’s charger was with the accused, who was later arrested. According to him, the offence contravenes Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Magistrate, Mrs G.O. Anifowoshe, granted him bail in the s

court An Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Thursday dissolved the two-year-old marriage between Andrew Epu and his wife, Tina, over wife’s constant checking of husband’s phone. Delivering judgment, the President of the court, Mr. Adegboyega Omilola, said that the petitioner was adamant despite mediation from the court and family intervention. Omilola said, “since the petitioner insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court has no choice than to dissolve the union in spite of the fact that the wife still claims she loves her husband.” He then pronounced the marriage dissolved, saying they have ceased to be husband and wife “and both are free to go your separate ways without any hindrances and molestation.” Epu, 35, engineer, had approached the court to dissolve his two years marriage over wife’s constant checking of his phone. He said “my wife is always checking my phone to know who I called or who called me. “If the person happened to be a woman, she will be accu

Mavrodi Mondial Movement (MMM) The Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, popular Ponzi scheme known as MMM, payment suspension for one month was top on Google search this week, an official said on Thursday. Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone West Africa, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos. He said that the search was as from Dec. 7 to 14. According to him, it is described as a period of shocking realities and rumours, as some of the stories that trended this week include the popular Ponzi scheme MMM, the collapse of a church in Uyo. He said that the rumour of an air crash and the election of a new president in Ghana, among several others, also got people’s attention online. “An air of panic started on the Internet, following the news that popular Ponzi known as MMM is suspending further payment to its existing members for one month. “The anxiety which has followed the decision has been met with varied reflections by people, who

FILE PHOTO: A suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle outside a tea stand near the police academy [Farah Abdi Wasameh/AP] No fewer than five people died and six injured on Thursday when a suicide car bomber detonated his explosive in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, police and witnesses said. The bomber was reportedly chasing a convoy carrying two police officers but missed the target. A civilian vehicle was caught in the explosion instead. The dead included three members of the security forces, who were patrolling the area located near the presidential palace, and the bomber. Six people were reported to have been injured. Witness Abdisalan Garad said some of them were inside a nearby restaurant hit by the blast, while parts of the building collapsed.

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria Nigeria and Algeria have expressed commitment to strengthening cooperation in order to ensure the defeat of terrorism on the continent. Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, gave this indication in a statement in Algiers after holding talks with the Algerian President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, at his official residence on Tuesday. “Mr President has expressed a very strong support for the fight against Boko Haram and, we intend to cooperate in the months and years ahead to ensure that we are able to defeat terrorism in Africa,” Osinbajo said. The vice president acknowledged that the talks covered a very wide variety of issues. “I have just finished meeting with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika few moments ago, and we discussed a very wide variety of issues. “As you know, Nigeria and Algeria have had very strong relations over the years and we are also partners in the Bi-National Commission which was established in 2002. “We are

FILE PHOTO: Commuters at Jibowu Bus-Stop, Lagos waiting to board buses to their destinations. PHOTO: OLATUNJI OBASA Mr Jibril Yemi, Secretary, Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has warned travellers against boarding vehicles from illegal motor parks during the yuletide. Yemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that the measure would protect passengers against criminals. He said the union had evolved measures to check overloading and speeding by their members as well as its Road Accident Insurance Scheme (RAIS) in case of accidents. According to him, the union has also put strategies in place to ensure a hitch-free movement of travellers, including enlightenment and training on safety. “Our appeal to passengers is to board vehicles from NURTW designated motor parks because we have measures in place to check overloading, overspeeding and the insurance we are talking about. “This RAIS is in consultatio

court Four men, who allegedly performed an abortion of five months pregnancy on a teenager, were on Thursday brought before an Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court. They are Gboyega Amuwayo, 22, James Amuwayo, 18, Gbenga Babatunde, 20 and Egbeyelo Abilogun, 19. The accused of no fixed addresses and occupations are standing trial on a four-count charge of conspiracy, felony, unlawful abortion and impersonation. The prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi, told the court that one of the accused, Amuwayo, impregnated the teenager, but later lured her to abort the pregnancy. Orogbemi said that the accused with his accomplice, who impersonated to be medical doctors, administered abortion drugs on their victim. He said that the unlawful abortion caused the victim to bleed profusely, and prompted her parents to rush her to the hospital. The prosecutor said that the accused committed the offences on Oct. 23 at Ipare-Oke Community near Okitipupa. The offences contravened Sections 230, 516, 328 an

Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) has condemned the needless violence and killings that trailed the State and National Assembly re-run elections which held in Rivers on Dec. 10. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the BMSG Co-ordinator, Malam Muhammad Labbo, and Secretary, Mr Cassidy Madueke, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. They described as “despicable, the desperate approach adopted by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to win the elections by all means. “While in every contest winners and losers are bound to emerge, it beats any reasonable imagination that the state governor will constitute himself into an obstacle for the successful, smooth and peaceful conduct of the re-run elections.” The group says it takes exception to the confrontational attitude of Wike towards the Federal Government, especially in times of elections. Wike’s support for v