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Post Date : May 6, 2021

POB interview: NBC fines Channels TV, radio station N5m each

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has asked Channels Television and Inspiration FM in Lagos to pay a fine of N5 million each for breaching the broadcast code. The commission had queried Channels Television after Emma Powerful, a leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was interviewed during one of its programmes in April. NBC, however, said the TV station apologised for breaching the code. Similarly, Inspiration FM Lagos reportedly aired a broadcast of IPOB wherein it made “secessionist claims”. In a statement on Thursday, Armstrong Idachaba, NBC acting director-general, said the sections of the code breached by the stations are “class A” offences which attracts the “immediate order of suspension of broadcast services; suspension of licence and immediate shut down”. “Section 3.11.1(b), the broadcaster shall ensure that no programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state,” NAN quoted Idachaba as saying. “(In) 15.5.1: the following penalties shall apply in respect of a breach committed by the broadcaster: light, N200,000 to N500,000; heavy, N500,000 to N4,999,000; severe, N5,000,000.” The DG said the commission reviewed the appeals of both stations and decided to set aside the option of suspension of licence. “The NBC has reviewed the appeals and apologies from both stations, and has decided to set aside the option of suspension of licence,” he said. “The commission has, however, directed both stations to pay N5 million penalty each to serve as a deterrent.” Idachaba warned broadcasters to stop giving voice to “terrorist organisations”. IPOB was proscribed in September 2017.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

Gunmen attack police station in Anambra, kill two Inspectors, free detainees

Gunmen on Wednesday night attacked Obosi police station in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, killings two police Inspectors and freeing all detainees in the cell. The attack happened barely 24 hours after the new Commissioner of Police, Mr Christopher Adetokumbo Owolabi, assumed office. A source at the affected police station told journalists that the gunmen attacked the station late on Wednesday night, killing two Inspectors while all the detainees in the cell were freed before razing down the police station. When contacted, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the incident, adding that the police commissioner has sent a team to the scene of the incident to unravel the circumstances behind the attack. Details later….

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

Uzodinma’s stance on state police exposes his sympathy for bandits

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Thursday said the frenzy by Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, against demands by the party other well-meaning Nigerians for the establishment of state police, has exposed his sympathy for terrorists and bandits who are killing, kidnapping innocent Nigerians. The party said its position “is predicated on Governor Uzodimma’s interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today (on Wednesday) wherein he also attempted to justify President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to wake up to the statutory demand of his office and take expected steps to rescue Nigerians from terrorists and bandits.” In a statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, it’s spokesman, the PDP asserted that “Governor Uzodimma’s anti-people stance against efforts to establish state policing system also exposes his insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians in the face of manifest failure by the All Progressives Congress, APC-controlled federal security apparatus to protect the people.” The statement further read: “Nigerians are now seeing the faces of the APC leaders who have sympathy for terrorism and should hold such individuals responsible for the activities of such deviants in our country. “Governor Uzodimma, as a former legislator, knows that the Second Schedule (Exclusive Legislative List) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) vests the operation of the police, the military and other armed services; the control of arms and ammunition as well as criminal records among other statutory paraphernalia of national security on the Federal Government and not the states. “Against this backdrop, any well-meaning leader ought to be lending his or her voice to the call by Nigerians on President Buhari to wake up to his statutory responsibilities as well as initiating the required executive instrument to accelerate legislative actions towards the amendment of relevant sections of the constitution to establish a desirable state police system. “Furthermore, the PDP cautions Uzodimma against politicizing the current security crisis in Imo state which is occasioned by his mismanagement of the sensibilities of the citizens. “Governor Uzodimma should end his pursuits of imaginary traducers and blame nobody but himself and his APC for the crisis in Imo state. “Our party is grief-stricken over the devastation that Governor Uzodimma and the APC have brought to Imo state and urges the people to continue to be peaceful and law-abiding despite the provocations by APC thugs who have been causing mayhem in the state.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

We’re working to get abducted Greenfield varsity students freed -Sheikh Gumi

Renowned Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has expressed optimism that the remaining students of the Greenfield University, Kaduna will soon regain their freedom from their captors. Gumi said negotiation was ongoing for the release of the students of the privately-owned university abducted by bandits on April 20, 2021. Few days after their abduction, five of the students were killed by the bandits while the leader of the bandits, Sani Jalingo, said the remaining students would be killed if the government or the parents failed to provide N100 million and 10 motorcycles for the bandits. The deadline to kill the remaining students had lapsed since Wednesday. But on Thursday, Gumi while receiving the parents of the 27 Afaka students on a thank-you visit to his Kaduna residence, said the bandits had rescinded their decision to kill the students. He said, “The talk with the Greenfield University students’ abductors is also going on. you know they threatened to kill all of them after a particular deadline but after talking to them, they are now lowering their bar. “So, we thankful they have stopped killing. And we are still negotiating with them. I hope this Afaka case will also encourage to know that there is hope in negotiation and release the children.” While fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the visit, Gumi said the role he and former President Olusegun Obasanjo played were purely mediation roles, noting that fight was between the bandits and the government. Gumi VIDEO: We paid N800,000 to someone Gumi introduced us to –Parent of kidnapped Kaduna student ‘Settle, empower’ bandits ready to surrender, Obasanjo, Gumi tell FG He explained that the bandits while attacking the government, attacked government institutions and “innocent children.” Gumi said, “The role myself and former President Olusegun Obasanjo played in the release of the 27 Afaka students is the role of mediators because the fight is not between us and them but between the bandits and the government. “What we understand is that these people are trying to attack the government by attacking the government institutions and take innocent children. “Having understood that we came to the conclusion that this is not a hopeless situation and that we can really go in and negotiate for the release of these children, which we did after so many ups and downs. “But in the long run, a conclusion was reached and these children are out. So, we are happy that, all of them are out and none was killed.” Earlier, the parents of the 27 abducted students had said they were his to thank him for the role played in securing their children from bandits. Led by the chairman and the secretary of the Parents Forum, Malam Usman Abdullahi, Friday Sanni, respectively, begged the Islamic cleric to extend their appreciation to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for their struggle to bring back their children.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

Buhari: NIN-SIM linkage will help us identify crooks

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians to fully participate in the ongoing synchronisation of the National Identification Number (NIN) with SIM cards. Buhari spoke on Thursday at the launch of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in Nigerian Telecoms Sector and Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Cards registration in Abuja. The president, who was presented with his “new improved NIN slip”, said registering for NIN will provide a digital framework for improving security and strengthening the economy. He explained that proper identification of all Nigerians and legal residents in the country, and the ability to conveniently access a database, will provide the impetus for effective planning and security oversight. According to him, the NIN “will cover one of the weaknesses in our security structure”. “We will be able to easily identify and know the personality of Nigerians. We will identify people easily, including the crooks,’’ Buhari said. “The National Identification Number is the foundational digital ID for the country; both Nigerian citizens and legal residents are expected to obtain the NIN. It will provide access to government services and will give government useful insights that will enable us to utilise scarce resources in a more efficient way. “The digital economy sector has made significant progress and recorded a number of unprecedented achievements since we expanded the mandate of the ministry of communications to include the digital economy mandate. “The information and communications technology sector was the fastest growing sector in both the fourth quarter of 2020 and the entire year 2020, based on the report by the National Bureau of Statistics. “Previous attempts have been unsuccessful due to a number of reasons, including sabotage. Our focused approach shows that this administration is dedicated to ensuring that we derive the benefits of a secure and robust digital identity system.’’ In his remarks, Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, said the NIN registration has recorded a huge success with 54 million Nigerians already captured in the process. Pantami added that it is now possible to have virtual ID cards that can be used in various transactions.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

NECO releases 2020 SSCE results

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination for External Candidates. Announcing the results at the Council Headquarters in Minna on Thursday, the Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Godswill Obioma disclosed that a total of 41,459 candidates registered for the examination, out of which 39,503 actually sat for the exams. Professor Obioma explained that a total of 26,277 candidates obtained five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics while 34,014 candidates also obtained five credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics. The Registrar who reiterated the Council’s zero tolerance for examination malpractice noted that appropriate standards and excellence were maintained right from the planning stage to the release of results. Professor Obioma disclosed that 6,465 cases of examination malpractice were recorded in the 2020 SSCE External as against 17,004 cases in 2019. He noted that the reduction in the level of malpractice was as a result of deepened monitoring of the examination by members of the Governing Board, Management and Senior Staff of the Council. The Registrar explained that in line with the Council’s zero tolerance for examination malpractice, four supervisors who were found culpable of aiding and abetting malpractice have been blacklisted and would no longer be engaged in the conduct of NECO examinations. One examination centre in Ogun State has been derecognized for intimidation and several attempts to induce NECO officials as well as aiding and abetting examination malpractice. Professor Obioma further disclosed that the results of 256,000 candidates who missed some papers during the 2020 SSCE (Internal) due to the ENDSARS protests in some states and who sat for those papers during the 2020 SSCE (External) are being released alongside those of external candidates today. He added that “it is gratifying to note that the examination was at no extra cost to the affected candidates”. A further analysis of candidates performance indicates that a total number of 29,918 obtained credit and above in English Language while a total number of 34,061 candidates obtained credit and above in Mathematics. The Registrar stated that year 2020 ushered in very daunting challenges essentially occasioned by COVID-19 Pandemic and ENDSARS Protests in the pursuit of the Council mandates. He explained that “this necessitated the rescheduling of the various examinations organised by NECO, for instance, 2020 SSCE (External) which ought to have been concluded in November/December 2020 was conducted in February/March 2021”. According to him, “in spite of these, we were not deterred rather we remained resilient and resolute in the conduct of our activities”. The Registrar reiterated the Council’s commitment to conducting credible examinations to improve the quality of education in the country. In another development, Professor Obioma explained that in view of the above, and based on approval of the Federal Ministry of Education, NECO has scheduled her public examinations for year 2021 as follows: National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) for admission of JSS 1 students into Federal Unity Colleges is scheduled for Saturday 29th May 2021. Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal is scheduled from Monday 5th July to Monday 16th August 2021, while Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) has been scheduled for Monday 23rd August to Monday 6th September 2021 in order to enable students at that level to cover enough subject matter for the examination. The Registrar thereby expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR for finding him worthy to be appointed to serve in this capacity and contribute his quota to the development of education in the country. He also appreciated the Federal Ministry of Education under the able leadership of the Honourable Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu, the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and the Permanent Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, for their support to the Council. The Registrar also thanked the Governing Board of the Council under the able leadership of Dr Abubakar Siddique Mohammed for their policy guidance in the implementation of the Council’s statutory responsibilities. Candidates were however enjoined to access their results on NECO website www.neco.gov.ng using their examination registration numbers.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

Bandits Kill 7 In Fresh Attack In Niger

Seven people have been reportedly killed by bandits in Yangalu Community in Magama Local Government Area of Niger State. The bandits were said to have invaded the community in large numbers on motorcycles and shot sporadically to scare away the people. Bandit attacks, which has become a daily occurrence in parts of Niger state, have led to the killing, maiming and displacement of many people. The situation has led to a humanitarian crisis, with thousands of people displaced from over 70 communities. It was gathered that the bandits before leaving the community destroyed properties and foodstuff. The chairman of Magama Local Government Council, Sufiyanu Yahaya, who visited the community to commiserate with the people in the wake of the attack assured them that measures will be taken to improve the security situation in the area.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

Pastor Adeboye’s son dies aged 42

Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has lost one of his children. Dare, a pastor in one of the RCCG branches in Eket, Akwa Ibom state, was discovered dead in his bedroom on Wednesday. A source told TheCable that Dare, 42, had officiated a service the previous night and asked not to be disturbed when he got home. But the next morning, his wife, Temiloluwa Adeboye, found him dead. “He attended a program which he officiated yesterday and said he wanted to rest. He said he didn’t want to be disturbed,” the source said. “His wife was worried about how long he has been sleeping and tried to wake him up. She raised an alarm when he didn’t wake up.” Another source who resides at the Redemption Camp said the environment is calm but cars and security personnel have been trooping in and out of the house of the general overseer. Olaitan Olubiyi, RCCG head of media and public relations, could not be reached for comment. The deceased was the assistant pastor in charge of Region (Youth) 35. Leke Adeboye, the deceased’s brother, has also posted about the loss on his Facebook page. He shared a screenshot of a Bible verse — Isaiah 57:1 — which borders on loss. In 2020, when Dare celebrated his 42nd birthday, his father described him as “our first miracle child”. “We pray that God will keep his miraculous working power in your life and all those who needs a miracle today, will use you as a point of contact for their own in JESUS name. (Amen) love from Dad, Mom and the whole Adeboye dynasty,” he wrote in the caption of a video where he was praying for Dare.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

Gunmen kidnap Abia varsity students

Gunmen on Wednesday night kidnapped an unknown number of students of Abia State University, Uturu, The PUNCH has learnt. It was also gathered that the hoodlums whisked the students into the forest shortly after they ambushed them while journeying on a bus along Okigwe-Uturu Road. The Commissioner for Information in the state, John Kalu, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday, saying that two of the students escaped from the clutches of the hoodlums while others were still being held hostage by the criminals. The statement read, “Abia State Government is currently monitoring an incident that happened in Okigwe, Imo State, yesterday which led to the suspected abduction of yet to be determined number of students of the Abia State University, Uturu, who apparently ran into a yet to be identified gang of hoodlums operating along the Okigwe-Uturu Road. “Preliminary information available to us indicates that the students were moving in a mini van from Okigwe to Uturu between 7pm – 8pm when they ran into the armed gang who marched them into the nearby forest along with other yet to be identified travelers. Two of the students managed to escape from the hoodlums while others are still being held at a yet to be identified location. “We are working with the government of Imo State and relevant security agencies in both states to ensure the rescue of the abducted students and others. “Members of the public and ABSU community are advised to remain calm as we will spare no resource in ensuring the safety of the victims. No criminal operating within our environment will be allowed to escape justice as we take the job of protecting lives and property of Abians and visitors to the State very seriously.” From Borno to Yobe, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Kaduna, and now Abia, Nigeria has become a hotbed of kidnappers of late as the criminals target schools. The PUNCH had earlier reported that on March 11, 2021, 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna, were kidnapped by bandits. Out of the 39 students, 37 had so far been released after 56 days while two students remained in captivity. Aside the Afaka abduction, no fewer than 23 students and a member of staff of Greenfield University, Kaduna were also abducted from the school on April 20, 2021. Few days later, five of the students were killed by the bandits. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has recently come under fire over the escalating kidnappings and killings in the country, with many losing confidence in the ability of Buhari, a retired military commander, who won the 2015 and 2019 general elections with the promise of ending the insecurity in the country.

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Post Date : May 6, 2021

Protest: Fr. Mbaka reappears in Enugu, calls for calm

The fiery Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, who was allegedly declared missing on Wednesday, suddenly reappeared few hours after his supporters embarked on protests across the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the priest arrived at the Catholic Bishop’s Residence in a motorcade amidst jubilation from his Adoration faithful around 2.45 pm. He, however, stopped in front of the Bishop’s Court and addressed his supporters urging them to remain calm and return to the Adoration ground for further information. NAN reports that irate youths on Wednesday vandalised the official residence of the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, in protest of the alleged arrest of Mbaka. NAN reports that the irate youths suspected to be members of the Adoration Ministry and numbering over 1,000 stormed the residence of the Bishop located at Igboeze Street, Independence Layout. The protesters accused the bishop of masterminding the alleged arrest of the priest by unidentified security personnel. Some of the protesters told NAN that Mbaka was allegedly arrested over his recent comments against the presidency. Mbaka is the founder and director of the popular Adoration Ministries, Enugu and Parish Priest, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Emene. NAN

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