Crime Facts

Kogi Police Arrest Suspected Anti-Buhari Campaigners

The Kogi Police State Command has confirmed the arrest of two persons caught yesterday midnight allegedly carrying out ‘smear campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari’ in Lokoja, the state capital. The state Police Commissioner, Ayuba Edeh, explained that at about 2:30 a.m. yesterday, policemen attached to the command arrested two young men who were allegedly painting buildings and carrying posters with the inscription ‘Buhari Must Go’. Edeh disclosed that while the people have the right to protest, however, he said it must be done lawfully without inciting the public. He added that the young men could not have been protesting at the wee hours of the night as being insinuated, as painting walls, buildings and pasting anti-Buhari posters cannot be termed as peaceful protest. The commissioner said the police command was working round the state to ensure the protection of lives and property, warning mischief makers to stay clear of the state, as he promised that his command would fish out and arrest perpetrators of crimes in the state. It was gathered that at an odd hour of yesterday, some youths allegedly invaded Lokoja, campaigning against President Buhari through paintings on buildings as well as carrying posters with the inscription ‘Buhari Must Go’. Meanwhile the state government has commended “the gallant and vigilant youths of the state for rising to the occasion to crush the ungodly campaign by some imported and sponsored youths, who came to the state to campaign against President Buhari.” The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, alleged that some youths had gathered in Benue State from where they moved to Kogi State to paint walls as well as display anti-Buhari posters that were printed in a South-south state. Fanwo pointed out the Kogi youths, “who are ardent supporters of President Buhari, apprehended the ‘sponsored hoodlums’ and handed them over to law enforcement agents for possible prosecution for violating the environmental laws of Kogi State as well as disturbing the peace of the people.” According to him, “We are placing it on record that the fanatical followership of the president by Kogi people is borne out of our faith in his integrity and quality leadership. Kogi is Buhari and Buhari is Kogi. “The Kogi State Government hereby sounds a note of warning to all agents of destabilisation to steer clear of our state in their bid to play divisive, destructive, destabilising and debilitating politics. The state is focused on development and commitment to improving the living standards of the people. “For us, President Buhari is more than a national leader. He represents an ideology that protects the poor and the weak; an ideology of transparency and accountability; and an ideology of security and stability. These are the unfailing strings that bind us with the president. “We urge Nigerians from all walks of life to continue to give their support to the president.”

ALERT: NAFDAC warns against use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser from Mexico

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians against the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers imported from Mexico. Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general, NAFDAC, said in a public alert issued on Monday that the US Food and Drug Agency (USFDA) had placed all alcohol-based hand sanitisers from Mexico on a countrywide import alert. NAFDAC said according to the USFDA, the products were labelled as containing ethanol but were found to have methanol contamination. The USFDA said until it is able to review the products’ safety, it will be on its watchlist. NAFDAC said methanol is toxic and could be life-threatening if absorbed through the skin into the body system. “The USFDA has seen a sharp increase in hand sanitiser products from Mexico that were labelled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but tested positive for methanol contamination over the course of the ongoing pandemic,” NAFDAC said. “Methanol or wood alcohol is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and life-threatening when ingested. “Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in hand sanitiser or other drugs. “Under the import alert, alcohol-based hand sanitisers from Mexico offered for import are subject to heightened FDA scrutiny and the shipment may be detained. “This marks the first time the FDA has issued a countrywide import alert for any category of drug product.” NAFDAC said substantial methanol exposure could result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death. It warned that all persons using the products on their hands were at risk of methanol poisoning. NAFDAC asked importers, distributors, retailers, and consumers to exercise caution and be vigilant to avoid the distribution, sale and use of methanol alcohol-based hand sanitisers. It also warned those in possession of such products to discontinue the sale or use and to submit the stock to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Covid-19: 2021 WASSCE postpones exams indefinitely

The conduct of 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, for school candidates has been postponed indefinitely due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic. Briefing journalists on Tuesday in Lagos over the release of results of WASSCE for private candidates 2021- first series, head of the body, Mr. Patrick Areghan explained that the pandemic distorted academic calendar, hence it was not possible to hold the examination in May/June. His words: “Let me also use this opportunity to dispel remours being peddled about by some people regarding the conduct of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2021. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still very much felt in the education sector. “The academic calendar has been distorted. It will, therefore, not be possible to have the examination in May/June this year. A convenient International Timetable for the conduct of the examination will soon be released. All stakeholders are requested to keep their fingers crossed until they hear from WAEC. ” Areghan stated. The WAEC boss also pleaded with school principals and proprietors to keep to time in the enrollment of their candidates. According to him: “May we also use this medium to appeal to all school principals and proprietors to keep to the stipulated timelines for the enrolment of candidates for the examination. ” It is important to re-emphasize the role of Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) in the computation of candidates’ results. All schools are advised to get this aspect of the registration process right in order to make the entry processes seamless.” He said.

NNPC Signs Contract For $1.5bn Port Harcourt Refinery Rehabilitation

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has signed a contract with an international company, Maire Tecnimont SpA, for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC). Recall that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved the sum of $1.5 billion for the project. However, the move was rejected by many experts and a former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar who said the company should be sold off. Speaking during the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract signing ceremony on Tuesday, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, said: “Mr President promised Nigerians he will fix the refineries. “We are happy to deliver on this Presidential mandate. We’ll continue this process to also deliver on both Warri and Kaduna Refineries.” The Managing Director of PHRC, Engr Ahmed Dikko, signed the contract paper for his company while The Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Davide Pellizola, signed on behalf of Maire Techimont SpA. Details shortly.

WAEC releases 2021 results for private candidates

The West African Examinations Council, WAEC , Nigeria has released the results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, for private candidates 2021- first series 26 days after conduct of examination. This was disclosed at a press briefing on Tuesday by the Head of the Nigeria National office, WAEC, Mr. Patrick Areghan, at the body national office, Yaba, Lagos. Meanwhile, female take the lead over the male for candidates who obtained minimum of five credits subjects including English Language and Mathematics. Giving a breakdown of the results, Head of WAEC Nigeria stated that: ” A total of Seven Thousand Six Hundred and Ninety (7,690) (representing a 38% decline, when compared with the 2020 entry figure)entered for the examination, while Seven Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine (7,289) candidates actually sat the examination at Two Hundred and Fifty-Two (252) centres spread across the nooks and crannies of the country. The drop in the entry figure could be attributed to the negative impact of the COVID– 19 pandemic. “A total of Twenty-Three (23) candidates with varying degrees of Special Needs were registered for the examination. Out of this number, Six (6) were visually challenged, Two (2)had impaired hearing; Five (5) were Albino; One (1)was spastic cum mentally challenged, and Nine (9) were physically challenged with their results processed and also released. “Of the total number of Seven Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine (7,289) candidates that sat the examination, Three Thousand Five Hundred and Ninety-Three (3,593) were males while Three Thousand Six Hundred and Ninety-Six (3,696) were females, representing 49.29% and 50.71%, respectively. ” Of this number, One Thousand and Seventy-Four (1,074) i.e. 48.93% were male candidates, while One Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-One (1,121) i.e. 51.07% were female candidates. The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2019 and 2020, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, were 26.08% and 32.23%respectively. Thus, there is a marginal decrease of 2.12%” Mr Areghan noted. More details

ASUP Declares Immediate Strike Over New Salary Scheme

Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has declared a strike, demanding the implementation of a new salary scheme for polytechnic lecturers. According to the union, the industrial action kicks off on Tuesday, April 6th. ASUP leaders made the strike declaration today after a meeting with Federal Government officials in Abuja. Asides from the new salary scheme, the union is also demanding payment of salaries and promotion allowances owed lecturers by some state governments. National President of ASUP, Anderson Ezeibe while insisting that strike will go on, however, noted that the union will be open for dialogue with the Federal Government to resolve the issues raised.

Buhari Approves Appointment Of Usman Alkali As Acting IGP

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of DIG Usman Alkali Baba as acting Inspector General of police. He immediately replaces Mohammed Abubakar Adamu. The Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi disclosed this to State House correspondents on Tuesday. The president had on the 4th of February, extended the tenure of Mohammed Adamu as the Inspector General of Police for three months out of which the erstwhile police boss spent two months and three days.

IPOB denies responsibility over attack on police headquarters in Imo

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from Monday’s attacks on Police and Correctional Service headquarters in Imo. Its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said in a statement issued in Owerri on Monday that the group was formed on the principle of peace and would not compromise its principles. It would also not attack government’s facilities, he stated. “The attention of IPOB has been drawn to the fallacious and fabricated reports that it is involved in the attack of prison and police headquarters in Imo. “IPOB and Eastern Security Network (ESN) are known groups, not unknown gunmen. ESN is in the bush chasing terrorists and have no business with the said attacks. “We were not involved in the attack in Owerri and the recent attack on Onitsha-Owerri road at Ukwuorji junction. “It is not our mandate to attack security personnel or prison facilities,’’ he stated. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that headquarters of the Police in Imo as well as that of the Correctional Service were attacked at about 2 a.m. on Monday by unknown gunmen. They set hundreds of inmates free from the Correctional Centre and set many vehicles there ablaze. Meanwhile , soldiers have been drafted to secure the Government House in Owerri. The troops already barricaded arterial roads to the facility. NAN

Imo Attacks: IPOB Building Armoury To Actualise Biafra – Ex-AIG

Members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are deliberately attacking security formations in the South East to steal weapons in order to fight for the actualisation of the Biafra Republic, experts and security operatives have said. Also, a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has described the assault on the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) and the police headquarters in Imo State as a sign of state failure, saying the federal government allowed non-state actors to take charge. Credible sources said the IPOB members who stormed Owerri, the Imo State capital in the early hours of Monday, and launched multiple attacks, started their journey from Onitsha in Anambra State and drove for over two hours at night. It was learnt that the gunmen met resistance from soldiers at Ukworji along Onitsha-Owerri Express Way but overpowered the security operatives. Two soldiers were said to have been killed while their vehicles were burnt by the assailants. the minds of the people and at the same time strive to secure the release of their fellow criminals in custody. ‘Attacks are about secession’ A retired Assistant Inspector of Police, Ambrose Aisabor, said on Monday that the IPOB agitators are bent on declaring the Biafra republic and therefore building up their armoury by attacking security formations. According to him, this explained why the security arm of the proscribed group has not been attacking innocent citizens. He said, “If you look at it, they are not attacking ordinary people. They are attacking the police, the army, and the air force that is what they are doing. “Why they are attacking those military formations is because they want to have enough ammunition to enable them prosecute their war against the government of Nigeria. They want to have their own police; they want to have their own armoury and so on.” AIG Aisabor said they have become so emboldened to attack the security formations because of the failure of intelligence on the part of the security agencies. According to the security expert, it is high time the security agencies improved on their intelligence gathering to forestall future attacks. He also called on the federal government to urgently convoke a national security summit involving all stakeholders including the security experts, traditional rulers, religious leaders and government officials, to come up with solutions on addressing the insecurity in the land especially the South-East part of the country. Also speaking, Veteran Wale Okunniyi, who is the convener of June 12 Pro-Democracy Movement and spokesman for the National Consultative Front (NCFront), said the government allowed the IPOB challenge to degenerate. “As we speak today, there is no national understanding. There are suspicion and distrust here and there. “Until the government is able to facilitate or join us to facilitate a real national consultation and understanding, attacks by the likes of IPOB would continue,” he added. A senior military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the attack is a confirmation that terrorism has come to stay in Nigeria, lamenting that the political class is not confronting the evil in an appropriate manner. The officer believed the attack was carried out by members of IPOB and was for the purpose of sending a message to the government on the strength of the group. “The unfortunate thing is that the political class and those in authority are not doing enough to stem the tide. IPOB will launch more attacks. They have passed a statement with this and will likely launch more if they are not stopped,” he said.

Yinka Odumakin: A Hero And Legend In Death

By David Adenekan For the past 72 hours after the demise of a gigantic freedom fighter, Chief Olayinka Odumakin the mainstream and social media has been awashed with outpouring of tributes as if a president of a country has just passed away. It has been an atmosphere of painful grief and sorrow. The last time I spoke with comrade Olayinka Odumakin on the phone was during the electioneering campaign of 2019 general elections. I called him to feel his political pulse about the danger of re electing President Mohammed Buhari for the second term. His voice was very faint on the phone and I felt in my spirit that something was wrong. He confided in me that he was sick and on admission. I did not know when I shouted with a loud voice “Comrade the Yoruba nation cannot afford to lose you at a time we are at a crossroad in our struggle and pursuit of a new social order”. I never knew the inevitable hands of death will do his worst in less than three years. Suffice to say that the paradox of death has eventually taken our fine comrade to the great beyond and the sorrow of death has now overshadowed our struggle for a better society. The news came to me as a rude shock. Yes, the news of Yinka Odumakin’s death has created a big vacuum that may be far too big for anybody to fill. Yinka, this is because of who you are and what you represented. Your strong resolve for social justice and liberty for all cannot be overemphasized. Also, your humble style of leadership and uniqueness in writing, you have taken with you to the great beyond. Who will fill your weekly column in Tribune Newspapers? I was in shock at the news of your death that I could not utter a word on social media as I was very sad in my spirit. This is very unlike me. I do not know what to write because of the vanity mood about this world and everything inside it which descended upon me the moment I heard the news. What an unannounced passage of life to the great beyond in a time we are in dire need of leadership that will forcefully break the ceiling of bad leadership and poor governance in our society! Oh Yinka! You are gone too soon and why now? “Erin wo”, the elephant has fallen and the whole forest is shaking in awe of a great political figure. People that we least expected started pouring their encomiums and tributes for your great leadership style and your uncommon attribute to always stand for a just cause even in the face of threat to life. Yinka, you are heroic in death because many of your political adversaries have come to terms with the fact that your stands for justice and equity is unparalleled. Is your death now uniting many of your adversaries behind the truth? Wonder shall never end! However, woe onto any man that will use your death as a campaign strategy to mobilize votes for a 2023 presidential election. This is because in life and death you have vehemently opposed any general elections without restructuring the country into true federalism that allows every region to control her resources. Even in death your stands about the terrible political situation in the country live on…… The movement for a better society will never end at the negotiating table of your adversaries that may want to use it as an opportunity to whip up sentiment among gullible citizens. This is far from it as we all belong to the same school of thought. There is a parallel line between light and darkness. Also, they may want to use your death to open up a new political frontier for their selfish political interests. We have seen them visiting the home of our leader and the new acting chairman of Pan Afenifere Group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo. We want to believe there is no clandestine motive behind all of these visits. When was the last time some of these notable politicians visited Pa Ayo Adebanjo and make it a big news in all of the media??? Moreover, leadership in the school of activism is continuum. There are millions of Yinka Odumakin in Yoruba nation and this is why Yinka Odumakin’s fight for social justice, true federalism and a sovereign Yoruba Nation lives on.. The image of the fire band, Yinka Odumakin would remain an inspiration and indelible placard in our minds and the struggle for a better society shall continue and victory is certain Adieu one of the finest activists of our generation and you will forever be remembered for your great service to humanity. Rest in peace our finest Comrade.