Crime Facts

COVID-19:Over 8000 Nigerians ‘ve so far received AstraZeneca vaccines – NPHCDA

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency,NPHCDA,has disclosed that over 8000 persons have received the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccines so far. This was as the agency said it has not received any official report of serious adverse effects from any of those who have been vaccinated. Executive Director of NPHCDA,Dr Faisal Shuaib, speaking yesterday at the weekly media briefing of COVID-19 Presidential Task Force, however,said “mild side effects such as pain and swelling at the site of the vaccination, are expected.” Noting that:”All state governors apart from Kogi have launched the vaccination programme”,he said “these launches also involved public vaccination of the governor and strategic leaders, again to underscore the confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.” “As part of the vaccine launch in the states that occurred last week, over 8,000 Nigerians have been administered the vaccine. ” We have not received any official report of serious adverse effects from any of those who have been vaccinated. Of course, mild side effects such as pain and swelling at the site of the vaccination, are expected. This is normal with any vaccination, and we are working closely with NAFDAC to monitor any unusual adverse reactions,”he said. He assured “Nigerians that the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF) is firmly committed to safe and successful COVID-19 vaccination program in the country.” ” No safety and efficacy standards has been compromised in the decision of the government to introduce the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine,”he said, adding:”The vaccine was approved for emergency use listing by the WHO and was tested and certified as safe and effective for use in Nigeria by NAFDAC.” ” Our cold chain stores are very efficient and powered to ensure that the optimal temperature is maintained in the distribution of this vaccine to the states and LGAs throughout the country,”Dr Faisal said. He spoke further:”It is important to note that none of the approved brands of COVID-19 vaccine is inferior. Understandably that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine costs relatively less than the other available brands of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is because AstraZeneca which partnered with Oxford to produce the vaccine decided and announced that they will not make profit during the pandemic, as such, they sell the COVID-19 vaccine at cost price. “As you very well know, the AstraZeneca vaccine is being used in many parts of the world. Even after the roll-out suspension by some European countries over certain concerns raised, the World Health Organization and Its Vaccines Advisory Committee has advised that there is no reason to stop using Oxford/Astrazeneca and the UK’s regulator has also determined that evidence does not suggest that the vaccine causes blood clots. “Governments that paused its distribution due to concerns arising from the ABV5300 batch have stated that they are taking precautionary measures. We continue to monitor this and remain in close contact with our counterparts at the WHO. The health and safety of Nigerians is our priority. So, in essence, if the brand is not safe and efficacious enough in protecting people against COVID-19, it would not have been endorsed by WHO and no country, including Nigeria, would have introduced it to its citizens. “Let me again use this medium to affirm to all Nigerians that the safety of vaccines delivered to the country is paramount to the PTF. This has enhanced multi-sectoral collaboration among stakeholders and technical entities, to ensure that the highest global standards are met for vaccines delivered and administered to Nigerians. Clear, rigorous protocols are continually being followed to safeguard the health of our population. “His Excellency, the President and the Vice were vaccinated with AstraZeneca vaccine. Many other leaders across the country – Governors, Traditional Leaders, Heads of MDAs, including myself have received the first dose of the vaccine, and I am glad to inform you that we are all doing fine. “All the identified priority groups are being vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine and the second dose will be in 12 weeks (i.e. 3months or 90days). The reason for this interval is because the evidence shows that the longer the time interval between the first and second doses, the higher the immune response. “While we encourage the online registration, we are not unaware of the challenges some people are experiencing, especially issues related to vaccination venues and dates. Many of these challenges are either due to network issues or because individuals are not among those being prioritized in the current phase. People should note that the current vaccination phase is for health workers and other frontline workers. Others would be scheduled according to when they are eligible. We therefore urge everyone to be patient for their turn to get vaccinated. “In every step of our planning and decisions on COVID-19 vaccination, the government has remained cautious of ensuring that Nigerians are protected, and that the country recovers from this pandemic and returns fully to normal activities. May I therefore crave your indulgence to continue to support the government in conveying truthful, factual and objective messages to Nigerians in order to dispel misguided rumours around COVID-19 vaccines and the on-going efforts to protect citizens against the disease.”

Despite it’s dangerous effects, Nigeria govt says AstraZeneca vaccines are safe

As the controversy over the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine continued on Monday, the Nigerian government assured of its safety as the country distributes almost four million doses of the vaccine. At least three European countries – Germany, France and Italy – on Monday joined a few others who had suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that it had tested the vaccines and they were safe for use, echoing the view of the World Health Organisation and many other countries including the UK. A Nigerian official also said all Nigerian states but one had received doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines except. “The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been distributed to all states except Kogi state,” the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, said at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. Mr Shuaib said Kogi State was not supplied with its portion of the vaccines due to a lack of adequate storage facility. “Kogi State was not supplied with the vaccines because their cold store is still under repairs following vandalisation during the EndSARS protest,” he said. Nigeria took delivery of 3.94 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in early March and has since begun administration to prioritised groups. President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and members of the PTF received jabs of the vaccines publicly to drive vaccine acceptance. Mr Shuaib last Monday said the government has started distributing doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to various states across the country. He explained that the delivery of the vaccines to the states is predicated on satisfactorily meeting the conditions to keep them safe and potent. He, however, did not disclose the amount of COVID-19 vaccines each state received.

Sowore Plans To Destabilise Our Party – AAC Chairman

National Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC), Leornard Nzenwa, has said the party would resist any attempt by its former national chairman and 2019 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to destabilise the party. Sowore was expelled from the party in August 2019, over allegations of anti-party activities and insubordination. He was expelled alongside 28 others at the AAC’s national convention held in Owerri, the Imo State capital. But he stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s headquarters in Abuja last Saturday with a large crowd of supporters where he told newsmen that he would not allow INEC to “collude” with some chieftains of the party to stop him from being the party’s helmsman. Addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, Nzenwa said Sowore’s action was a threat to national security and an attempt to discredit the party and scuttle its chances of winning future elections. The party warned that Sowore, who is the leader of the #RevolutionNow# movement, should not use the party’s name to protest in whatever form, saying he had already been expelled. “The AAC restates clearly that the action of this ‘RevolutionNow’ kingpin amounts to a threat to national security, acts of criminal impersonation, disturbance of public peace, incitement of disturbances and furnishing of false information across the nation,” the party said.

EXTRA: Cultists to bag 21-year term in Lagos

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday, approved a 21-year jail term for convicted cultists in the state. Sanwo-Olu approved the jail term as he signed the bill for the Prohibition of Unlawful Societies and Cultism 2021 into Law at Lagos House, Ikeja. He also signed three other bills into law, which were the Lagos State Audit Service Commission (Amendment) Law of 2019, Lagos State Public Procurement Bill of 2021 and Coronavirus Pandemic Emergency Law of 2021. According to him, the state has suffered the negative effects of unlawful societies and cultism and the new law seeks to make parents more responsible. He said the new law sought to make parents show more interests in the upbringing of their children and wards to ensure they did not become a burden to society. The State House of Assembly, in February, passed the anti-cultism bill, which stipulated a 15-year jail term for anyone found guilty of abetting cultists and residents who willfully allowed their property to be used as meeting points by cultists. The anti-cultism law repealed the Cultism (Prohibition) Law of 2007 (now Cap. C18, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015) and provided for more stringent punitive measures. It also made its application all-encompassing and applicable to the general public, as against the restriction of the previous law to students of tertiary institutions. The bill to amend the State’s Audit Law of 2015 was initiated by the executive to address observed flaws hindering the successful implementation of the extant Audit Law, Cap. A13, Laws of Lagos State, 2015. With the amendments, the Central Internal Audit (CIA) which was a department in the Ministry of Finance would now be a department under the Audit Service Commission. This was to bring auditors under one body for effective administration and independence of internal auditors in line with best global practices. The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency Law originally enacted in 2011, formed the legal bedrock for the public procurement regime in the state. The Law was based on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) model which was a properly regulated procurement system standard on international best practices.

Police Launches Manhunt For Man ‘Masturbating’ In Public Buses in Lagos

The Lagos State Government has launched a manhunt for a yet-to-be-identified man who was allegedly caught masturbating in a public bus and assaulted a lady. The State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) has asked members of the public to supply information that could lead to the arrest of the man. This followed the video posted by a lady showing the man masturbating in a bus from Mowe to Maryland. The lady identified as “Olajumoke the wig maker” on her Twitter handle @MsJhummie had narrated how the man masturbated and assaulted her when she raised an eyebrow. She said, “I noticed his elbow was resting on my body, which made me uncomfortable because the back seat wasn’t so crowded for 3 people for his body to be touching mine. “Then I noticed his Bag & his other hand movement & started recording in case he tried to deny.” Olajumoke said: “After calling him out! He stopped. And I Ignored him for the rest of the trip till he started looking into my phone while I was texting, which made me really uncomfortable! “Then I told him he shouldn’t look at me or my phone and that was where the problem started. According to her, the man made an attempt to beat her after his hand touched her body. After the post went viral, many people started commenting and revealed their experiences with the same man suspected to be a sexual predator. A lady, identified as, omogesisi @AnuoluwapoSisi, said: “This same man did this to me too on my way to the island. “Then I called him out then he started shouting at me, passengers were supporting him. “I started crying because I was helpless but I refused to continue the journey. “I told the driver he must come down!!! This man is evil! Thank God the driver answered me because I was really crying like.” But the DSVRT has responded to the outcry on its Twitter handle, saying. “The attention of the team has been drawn to videos of a man with an unknown identity circulating on the internet indecently exposing his male member and publicly performing sexual acts on himself. “Recently, he has been noticed around Mowe to Maryland axes. “We seek information from the general public surrounding the identity of the perpetrator to apprehend him.”

Int’l flights: FG announces dates for Kano, Enugu, Port Harcourt airports reopening

The Federal Government has fixed dates for the reopening of Kano, Port Harcourt , and Enugu airports for international flights . Minister of Aviation , Hadi Sirika, announced the dates during the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Monday . He said Enugu airport is planned to be reopened on May 3, 2012; Kano , April 5, 2021; and Port Harcourt will be reopened on April 15, 2021 for international flights . He said , “ There have been agitations for us to open Port Harcourt , Enugu and Kano and of course, it takes a tremendous amount of work , appropriation in the management of this virus to be able to open ore departure up other areas of entry. “ We will do only at a time what will be good for the management of this virus , it is very painful especially for us in civil aviation to have our airports closed and our direct source of income affected as we are finding it extremely difficult to pay salaries. “ So , we shut down the airport with great care and when we shut down the airports, we had to keep them running otherwise the facilities in there will get dilapidated for lack of usage . So , it is in our interest to keep them open but unfortunately, we couldn’ t because of our collective health and goods of the country and those that do business with Nigeria . “ Now that we have most of the things in place due to the work by the PTF, we will be opening Enugu airport on the 3rd of May 2012. We will be opening Kano on the 5th of April , 2021 and Port Harcourt on the 15th of April , 2021 for international flights. ”

BREAKING: Bandits kill 17 hunters, kidnap 25 in Katsina

At least 17 hunters have been killed while 25 others have been abducted by bandits operating at Tsayau Forest in Jibia Local Government Area of ​​Katsina State, Daily Trust is reporting. One of the hunters, who pleaded for anonymity, disclosed the incident to newsmen on Monday. “We confirmed that 17 have been killed… some of the people who went there to look for their relatives told to us that they have seen 17 corpses,” he said. Daily Trust gathered that the hunters had mistakenly entered the hideouts of the gunmen while hunting. The bandits had chased them, killing 17 people instantly and taking away 25 others. The source said the captors have demanded a ransom of N50 million but when they said they could not raise such amount, they told them to go to the government and collect it. He said of the 17 bodies, one was buried there because the body decomposed near the settlement of the gunmen. “We call on the government to assist us in rescuing the hunters. On Sunday evening, they called and said if we don’t need them, they will kill them,” the source pleaded. The hunters were said to have come from various towns, including Katsina, Tsagero, Abukur, Kanyar Uban Daba, Mashi, Fadi Gurje, Ku Tare Dandagoro, Muduru and villages of Jibia Local Government Area of ​​Katsina State. When contacted, the police spokesman in Katsina, SP Gambo Isah, said there were conflicting reports on the incident. Katsina is one of the states where bandits are making life difficult for residents.

Dokubo: Lai Mohammed laughs at Biafra govt, calls it entertainment

The federal government has described the reported formation of the “Biafra Customary Government” by Asari Dokubo as a “theatre of the absurd by a joker seeking attention’’. Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Force, had declared the formation of the purported government on Sunday, and also named those who would serve as leaders in the government alongside himself. He added that they would proceed to set up provincial structures for the new government. Speaking on the development in Lagos on Monday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will not be distracted by the absurdity of such actions. “I am sure you have heard of the theatre of the absurd; that is the best way I can describe it,” Mohammed said. “If Asari Dokubo wants to form and run a phantom government, I think he is free to do so. This administration will not be distracted because we still have a lot to do. “We are not ready to give any attention or time to a joker like Dokubo who is just looking for attention. We will just take it as one of these entertainment things. “The beauty about Nigeria is that it is never a dull country; you must have one thing or the other to entertain you.

Troops kill 41 terrorists, rescue 60 captive in Borno

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole of the Nigerian Army have neutralised 41 terrorists and rescued 60 captives comprising of elderly women and children in Gamboru, Borno State . The troops also recovered sophisticated weapons after they engaged the terrorists in heavy fighting in the early hours of Monday , March 15, 2021. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima. The statement read , “ In continuation of the ongoing offensive operation against the Boko Haram Terrorists and their Islamic State West Africa Province counterpart in the North East, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have decisively taken out several terrorists after heavy fighting in the early hours of today, Monday 15 March 2021. “ The gallant troops , who maintained aggressive posture , conducted a fighting patrol along Gulwa and Musuri in Gamboru Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State . “ At Musuri , troops encountered elements of the terrorist group and swiftly engaged them in a firefight which lasted for about 45 minutes . With superior firepower, troops ultimately dominated the area after neutralizing 41 of the terrorists . They also recovered sophisticated weapons and rescued 60 elderly women and children who were in the terrorists ’ captivity . “ Items recovered from the obliterated fighters include 12 AK47 rifles , 8 Fabric Nationale ( FN) rifles , a motorcycle , 6 bicycles, mechanic toolboxes, a sewing machine, large quantity of batteries used for making of Improvised Explosive Devices and sex enhancement drugs amongst other things. “ Troops are in high fighting spirit and determined as ever to clear the entire region and country of vestiges of Boko Haram terrorists . “ The Chief of Army Staff , Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru , has already congratulated the gallant troops while urging them to keep up the tempo . ”

South-East has no land for Fulani herdsmen — IPOB

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday said that it has made it abundantly clear that the whole of Southern Nigeria, particularly South East does not have land for Fulani herdsmen to make a permanent settlement. IPOB in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary Emma Powerful warned that any South-East or South-South Governor, Traditional ruler or President General of any community in any Biafra land, who for any reason cede any space of land, including for monetary reason is ultimately calling for the death of their people, and IPOB and ESN will not spare such Governor, Traditional ruler or President General, because they will equally pay with their own lives. IPOB’s statement signed read in part, “IPOB has made it abundantly clear that we have no land for Fulani herdsmen settlement in Biafra land, the North have more space than the South, especially the South East. “We must warn that any traditional ruler or President General of every any community in Biafraland who venture to cede any space of land to the Fulani herdsmen for the sake of monitory gain, or issue, is ultimately calling for the death of their people. “The person must equally pay with his own life for such ceding of land to the Fulani herdsmen, he must die, IPOB and ESN are prepared to deal with them. Even the governor who tried will not go scot-free. “We don’t have land for Fulani terrorists in Nigeria they are free to stay in the North where they were allowed in 1804.”