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Post Date : May 13, 2021

COVID-19 new variants: Lagos places 14 countries on watch list

As part of measures to prevent infection and possible spread of the new variants of COVID-19, pandemic, Lagos State Government has placed 14 countries on close monitoring. Recall that the state had earlier placed all emergency facilities in the state on high alert to pick up early trends that may suggest fresh wave. The state Commissioner of Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi who announced this on Wednesday, at a media briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, said the measure has become necessary following discovery of variants from banned countries within another country. He said the state government will begin to monitor movement of people from 14 countries into the state. The affected countries are: Canada, USA, France, Germany, Netherlands, Togo, Ghana, Cameroun, Angola, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda.

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

BREAKING: Army arrests another IPOB commander

The Second in Command to the neutralized IPOB/ESN Terrorist leader Ikonso, Awurum Eze, has been arrested by security operatives in Aba, Abia State. A statement by Brig Gen Mohammed Yerima said, “The 48 years old Awurum Eze, a native of Umoneke Nta, Isiala-Mbano LGA, Imo State, had on the 4th of May 2021 escaped when operatives of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) stormed his village house in Isiala Mbano where he was hiding. “Intensive manhunt was thereafter launched towards tracing and arresting him. “He was eventually apprehended on Wednesday, 12 May 2022, in Aba after weeks of unrelenting follow-ups by operatives. “Awurum Eze is one of the main sponsors of the numerous killings in Imo State and has been on the wanted list of security agents for more than 3 months. “Many of the arrested IPOB /ESN terrorists had earlier mentioned him as their key sponsor, mastermind and Second in Command to late Ikonso. “According to them, amongst all their leaders in Imo State, only Ikonso and Awurum have direct communication link with Nnamdi Kanu. He can be seen in several photographs posing with the fugitive terrorist leader, Nnamdi Kanu. “Investigation by the combined team of security operatives continues”.

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

Police Apologise Over Arrest Of Newspaper Vendors, Distributors In Imo

Imo state police command has apologised to media practitioners in Imo state over the recent clampdown on newspapers vendors and distributors in the state. Police commissioner, Abutu Yaro, said that the arrest was not arbitrary, but was in the course of investigation into some issues in publication that the command was investigating. According to him, the vendors were arrested by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) for profiling and analysis over certain publications being circulated in the state. Speaking when he received the leadership of the Correspondents’ Chapel at the Command Headquarters in Owerri, on Tuesday, the commissioner, “In the course of my finding, I got to know that IRT operatives said they have been working on the subject matter before now on some publications and on some issues that require further profiling and analysis. “And in tracking that assignment, the point of concentration revolves around that particular spot and those persons were of primary evidence to them. And that they are profiling the persons in respect to what they are doing. Earlier, the correspondents led by the chairman, Chris Njoku said the visit was to bring to the knowledge of the commissioner to the recent unprovoked arrest of the vendors and distributors in the state. According to him, “Vendors and distributors are vital components of newspaper organizations and anything that affects them also directly or indirectly us, the journalists.” Security men, on Monday, raided the popular Rotobi area noted for newspaper distribution and arrested some vendors and distribution agents.The raid followed a similar arrest of a New Telegraph sales representative, Chuks Ugwuibe, arrested Banana Junction in Orlu after he had gone to reconcile his sales with the vendors. The security agents were said to have gone to Rotobi, taking Ugwuibe with them, and ransacked the whole area and arrested two sales representatives and two vendors. The situation was said to have sent jitters down the spine of newspaper distributors in Owerri, who quickly closed shop and ran away. A vendor, who spoke to our correspondent, anonymously, said that the men did not disclose their identities. “They were looking for papers, they said, that carried bad news about the government. They were just arresting everybody arbitrarily. All of us are afraid,” he said. Other vendors and distribution agents, who ran away, told journalists that the gun-wielding police operatives accused them of circulating newspaper publications that had stories on the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and that were “anti- state.” One of the vendors who escaped the arrest said, “As we were circulating our newspapers for the Monday edition, policemen putting on jackets that had IRT inscription swooped on us and started arresting us. The ones they took away were the ones that carried IPOB stories and the ones they said were against the government.”

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

NDLEA nabs ex-Lagos council boss, seizes cocaine, N145m

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has nabbed ex-Lagos council boss and drug baron, Asekun Kehinde, recovering one kilogramme of cocaine and N145 million in the process. Asekun, a former vice-chairman of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, was nabbed by operatives of the NDLEA at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos last Friday while the suspect was trying to board a Virgin Atlantic airline flight to London. According to a statement on Wednesday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Publicity, Femi Babalola, Askeun has been on the wanted list of the Agency as some recent drug traffickers and recoveries were linked to him. “He has been on the wanted list of the MMIA Command of the Agency in connection to a case involving one Azeez Adeniyi Ibrahim who was arrested with 6.45kg of cocaine in December, 2020,” the statement partly read. When Asekun was arrested, a kilogram of cocaine concealed in five pairs of palm slippers was recovered inside his suitcase. “During preliminary investigation, it was gathered that the London based baron is a seasoned politician. “He was at different times between 2004 and 2014 the vice chairman of Lagos Island East LCDA. “He had also contested and lost elections for House of Representatives in 2007 and Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015,” the statement noted. The statement further said during tracking, a sum of N131 million was seized from his account and another N14 million also blocked in the account of one of his traffickers, Azeez Adeniyi Ibrahim, bringing the total sum recovered from him to N145 million. NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa reportedly commended the Agency operatives at MMIA for their success in arresting the drug baron. The Chairman also reportedly emphasised that the arrest should serve as a warning to barons and traffickers, stating that such criminals would be caught by the agency if they do not back out from their criminal activities.

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

Officer killed as gunmen attack two police stations in Akwa Ibom

An officer was killed when gunmen attacked two police stations in Etim Ekpo LGA of Akwa Ibom state on Wednesday morning. Odiko MacDon, police public relations officer in the state, confirmed the attack. He said the gunmen, who came in two vehicles, first attacked the Etim Ekpo area command where the police officer was killed. The PPRO said the gunmen later proceeded to the Ika divisional police station where they were successfully repelled by the security operatives. “At about 6:30am today, Armed Men, in their numbers, armed with AK 47 Rifles and other dangerous weapons, in two vehicles attacked the rented building housing the Etim Ekpo Area Command and Division,” a statement by MacDon reads. “The undaunted and vigilant Police Officers on duty, gallantly fought back, repelled them and averted the intended carnage. Unfortunately, a dedicated Officer, one PC Edogi Bassey paid the supreme price while a small portion of the building was touched. “The gunmen who proceeded to Ika Division to perpetrate their nefarious activities were successfully again repelled leaving the Station intact without loss of lives or arms.” MacDon added that the worrisome trend of attacks on police is being addressed by the authorities and that it requires the support of all. “The Commissioner of Police, CP AMIENGHEME ANDREW who is going round formations and Divisions to ensure alertness and safety of Officers, Men and the People has called on law-abiding Citizens to volunteer timely information that will enable the Police tackle the present security challenges.” The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on police officers and security facilities in the state. On Sunday, a police station in Ikot Odon Otoro, Abak LGA, was razed by gunmen. Vehicles at the station were also set ablaze. The attack came 48 hours after the Odoro Ikpe police station in Ini LGA was invaded by gunmen. Some officers were reportedly killed in the attack. On May 1, two police officers were also killed when gunmen attacked a police station in Ikono LGA.

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

Imo Gov Uzodinma fires 20 commissioners

The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, on Wednesday afternoon, sacked 20 out of his 28 commissioners. The eight commissioners not affected by the announcement were of the ministries of Health, Youth and Sports, Tourism, Information and Strategy, Woman Affairs, Works, Finance and Technology. The PUNCH had earlier reported that the governor alleged two weeks ago that some of his appointees were moles sabotaging his administration. The sacking of the 20 commissioners came just one month after the governor reshuffled his cabinet and appointed new Commissioners for Finance and Health. The sacking came as a surprise to the affected appointees, as there was no sign that the announcement would be made. The PUNCH gathered that the affected commissioners were in their offices on Wednesday afternoon when the news broke. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nwachuku Oguwike, who confirmed the development to The PUNCH, said that the governor wished the affected appointee well in their future endeavours. The governor’s spokesperson said, “The news is correct. 20 commissioners were affected while eight were not affected. The reason is to infuse new blood and add more value to the governance system of the state.” The state Commissioner for information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, also confirmed the sacking of the 20 commissioners when contacted by The PUNCH on Wednesday afternoon. Imo State has been in the eye of the storm of late as members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra have been alleged to attack state security apparatus including prisons and police stations. Credit: The Punch

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

Six die, as gas cylinder explodes in Abeokuta

No fewer than six persons, including an infant, were on Wednesday confirmed dead when a refrigerator gas cylinder exploded in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. The explosion, which occurred around 2: 30 p.m at the Oke-Egunya area of the metropolis, was allegedly caused by a technical error on the part of a technician working to top up a faulty refrigerator in the area. A source at the scene of the incident told journalists that three people died on the spot, while three others, who initially sustained burns from the explosion died before the rescue team got them to the hospital where they were rushed for medical attention. Our correspondent gathered that the explosion occurred when one of the gas cylinders from where the technician was topping up the gas attracted fire from a nearby shop where a woman was frying fish with naked fire. When contacted, the Director of Fire Service in Ogun State, Engr Fatai Adefala, who confirmed the incident, however, said, only three persons died from the explosion. Adefala said his men, after receiving the distress call, raced to the scene to put out the fire. “However, three were burnt to death as they could not escape from the explosion”. “We received a distress call at 3:15 pm at Oke-Igbore. We learnt it was a spark of fire. On getting there, we discovered it was a gas explosion”. “What really happened was that they were cooking outside with fire and unfortunately the gas exploded. They were trying to top the gas in the fridge, in the process, it exploded”. “Three lives were lost, one infant was among them. You know it was those who are living in that house that was affected. It was an ancient building”. “Our men are still at the incident including other agencies, the Police, DSS and others”. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses at the scene of the disaster told our correspondent that three others, who initially sustained a high degree of injuries from the explosion later died before they could get to the hospital. Those who died, according to sources at the scene of the explosion included the technician, who was working on the faulty refrigerator, the motorcyclist that brought him, as well as the woman who owned the shop where the repair was being carried on.

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

Amaechi denies pressuring suspended NPA MD over Chinese firms for contracts

The Minister of Transportation, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, has denied putting pressure on the suspended Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, to consider two Chinese firms for Channel and Intel contracts. Reacting to a publication of a newspaper on May 11, 2021, the Minister said the publication was targeted at misinforming the public. According to a statement by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mrs Magdalene Ajani, stated that “the HMT on Monday, May 10, 2021, inaugurated an Administrative Panel to investigate certain alleged infractions within the NPA from 2016 till date. “This Panel was constituted pursuant to the approval and directives of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, who also approved the suspension of Bala-Usman pending the outcome of the Panel’s assignment. The Panel has since commenced its assignment. “In light of this position and consistent with the admonition of the HMT at the inauguration on the need to avoid undue media discourse of the assignment, this Ministry would ordinarily not have bothered to join issues with the newspapers or the sponsors of the above story in the media space. “This is due to the fact that it is apparent that the intention of the story is to attempt to pre-empt the outcome of the Panel’s work, unduly seek to personalize a serious national issue bordering on transparency and accountability in the handling of public finances and attempt to drag the HMT into the arena of brick-bats and mud-slinging in order to force a distraction from the assignment now being undertaken by the Panel,” she stated. Ajani said: “It is, however, necessary to quickly clear the air on the weighty allegation contained in the article, which was expressed in the following words in the seventh paragraph of the article: “THISDAY learnt that Amaechi had requested that two Chinese companies are selected to manage Bonny and Warri Channels, a request the NPA rejected because it violated due process.’ “It is to the above specific malicious and unfounded comments that this rebuttal strictly responds, as it borders on a deliberate attempt by THISDAY to drag the reputation and integrity of the HMT in the mud by an unfounded and malicious allegation, which is designed to hoodwink the Nigerian public, call into serious question the processes and standard operating protocols of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, and denigrate the person and standing of the Honourable Minister in the process. “It is necessary to place on record that while ‘Channel Management’ contracts have been routinely awarded over the years by the Nigerian Ports Authority at a cost of between 50 and 60 Billion Naira on an annual basis, the Honourable Minister has adopted a firm position that the NPA should undertake the job of channel management on an in-house basis through the acquisition of the necessary machinery and professional capacity given the humongous annual sums paid out to dredging Contractors by the Authority. “Indeed, following the expiration of the Channel Management contracts for the Lagos, Bonny and Port-Harcourt Channels in 2020 and the initiation of the contractual process for the renewal of the said contracts early in 2021, the HMT on 22nd January 2021, while responding to a request for the NPA to provide requisite details related to the proposed transactions directed in the following words: “Para. 10 approved. There is the need for NPA to know that NPA should purchase their own equipment and not award any contract.” Pursuant to the above directive, the Ministry’s Maritime Services Department vide a letter No. T0160/S.30/T4E/T2/61 dated 2nd February 2021, to the Managing Director, NPA titled “REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON THE EXPIRED CONTRACTS: CHANNEL MANAGEMENT AND MANAGING AGENT CONTRACTS”. The letter, inter alia, requested the NPA to provide the following information for the Ministry’s records and further necessary action. “I am to also convey the directives on the need for the Authority to procure its equipment for the service and cease from awarding any such contract,” the statement explained. She said it is instructive to note that despite the fact that the above letter was duly received by the NPA on the same February 2, the Authority has not deemed it necessary till date to respond to the Ministerial directives contained therein. “In light of the above, it is indeed difficult to reconcile THISDAY’s wild, malicious and unsupportable claim that the Honourable Minister insisted on the contracts being awarded to ‘two Chinese Companies’ with the documented evidence of his position that the NPA was engaged in obvious profligacy and wastage of public funds to be spending over Fifty Billion Naira on an annual basis on contracts for which it could purchase machinery and build in-house capacity for greater long-term benefits. “It is a mark of unprofessionalism and manifest unfairness, in our opinion, that in publishing this obviously sensational and targeted story, THISDAY did not consider it necessary to contact this Ministry for its side of the story before rushing to press to satisfy its sponsors”. Mrs Ajani noted that “as stated earlier and in keeping with the best traditions of the Public Service, this Ministry will not be drawn into an endless media war with faceless campaigners using certain media houses to pursue an agenda that can best be canvassed before the Administrative Panel already set up to unravel issues surrounding the management of the NPA since 2016. “The Panel has been charged to be fair and equitable in its deliberations and will certainly ensure that the primary purpose of the enquiry is the promotion of the principles of transparency and accountability which are strongly espoused in the present political dispensation”. She called on the general public to be guided accordingly and allow the Panel to conclude its assignment as soon as possible.

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

Power Outage As Nigeria’s Electricity Grid Collapses

Nigeria’s electricity grid has suffered a system collapse, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced on Wednesday. TCN General Manager (Public Affairs), Ndidi Mbah, explained in a statement that the system collapse led to the power outage witnessed in various parts of the country. She, however, noted that the company was already making effort to fully restore electricity on the grid. “The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that at about 11.01 am today, 12th of May, 2021, there was a total system collapse of the grid, as a result of voltage collapse at some parts of the grid. “TCN commenced grid recovery immediately after the collapse, from Shiroro Generating Station to Katampe TS, Abuja through the Shiroro – Katampe line at 11:29 am, and also through Delta Generating Station to Benin Transmission Substation and has reached Osogbo and parts of Lagos,” the TCN spokesperson said. She added, “While the grid restoration and power restoration gradually progress to other parts of the country, the cause of voltage collapse that precipitated this failure is equally being investigated,” Mbah appealed to consumers in the country to be patient with the TCN in its bid to ensure full restoration of the grid and power supply to the remaining parts of the country. The nation’s electricity grid suffered a system collapse a week after the Federal Government approved about N6.2 billion for the award of contracts for six projects in the power sector. This approval was granted at the 44th virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided by President Muhammadu Buhari, held on Wednesday last week. The Minister of Power, Mamman Saleh, who presented six memos to the FEC, had told State House correspondents that efforts by the government to boost power supply in the country dominated discussions at the meeting. The approvals included the award of a contract for the design, manufacture, and supply of critical spare parts for Crompton Greaves 330KV, 132KV, and 33KV circuit breakers at N298,339,887.04; and procurement of 50 sets of 400AH battery banks – 30 to 50 volts, and 30 number of 110 volts battery charges for the substation used by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) at N644,805,953.10, among others.

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Post Date : May 12, 2021

Buhari to Nigerians: Pray against kidnapping, banditry — and desperate quest for power

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians, irrespective of religious affiliation, to pray against kidnapping and banditry. In recent times, there has been a spate of killings, kidnapping and banditry in different parts of the country. The president, in a statement to celebrate the Eid festival, noted that the country can overcome its problems if Nigerians come together. Buhari urged Nigerians to ignore those using religion as a tool of division for their own “selfish advantages”. “On this blessed occasion, I wish that the Eid festival brings with it peace, safety, security, brotherhood and love amongst all,” Buhari said in a statement released by Garba Shehu, presidential aide, on Wednesday. “Unity and solidarity among all citizens, Muslims and Christians are imperative especially at a time when our country is faced with multiple challenges which are surmountable only when we come together as one. “It is important that we remember how we share, through our faiths, common bonds that should serve to unite us and not allow ourselves to succumb to those who seek to divide us, using our two great religions, for their own selfish advantages. “We should jointly pray against the tragic incidents of kidnapping and banditry and the desperate quest for political power expressed through blackmail against the existence of our country as a united entity. “We must resist the temptation to retreat into our communities. I urge our political and religious leaders as well as traditional rulers to encourage our citizens to turn towards one another in love and compassion.” The president advised Nigerians to continue to observe the COVID-19 measures, amid the celebration.

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