June 2021 – Page 16 – Crime Facts

Post Date : June 25, 2021

Lai: Those attacking NBC, NPC bills didn’t show up during public hearing

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, has refuted the claim that the federal government sponsored the bills purportedly meant to stifle the press. He said some of those attacking the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Press Council (NPC) bills did not show up during public hearing on the legislation. Speaking in an interview with NAN on Friday, Mohammed said the bills are private member bills sponsored by a lawmaker in the national assembly. The bills, sponsored by Olusegun Odebunmi, a lawmaker from Oyo state, seek to amend the NBC and NPC Acts. The proposed amendment to the NBC law seeks to put online broadcasters under the purview of the commission while that of the NPC seeks “harsh punishment” for defaulting media organisations and journalists. Mohammed said those falsely accusing the federal government and misinforming the public on the bills had a chance to make their contributions but rather than show up during the public hearing, they chose to play to the gallery. “First, let me say how disappointed I am that those who have been berating me on these bills have been doing so on a false premise that the federal government had sponsored bills to stifle the press,” he said. “It baffles me that those who rushed to the media to slam the government didn’t even try to verify the facts. “I was invited, as the minister of information and culture, to make my contributions, just like many other stakeholders at the public hearing. “It was an opportunity for stakeholders to make their input into the bills. I attended and made my contributions. “The Nigerian Press Organisation, which represented the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, appeared there merely for appearance’s sake. “Instead of strongly stating their reservations on the bill on the Nigerian press council, they were more interested in stopping the hearing, hinging their argument on the case at the supreme court on the press council. “It is a shame that some of us love democracy so much but hate the fine details of democracy and its processes. “These critics will rather play to the gallery than do the needful. Why didn’t these critics show up at the much-publicised public hearing on these bills? “Why have they, instead, opted to go hysterical in the media and to point accusing fingers at the federal government as the sponsor of the bills when indeed that is not true?” The minister advised the critics of the bills to engage the chairman of the house of representatives committee on information, national orientation, ethics and values to convey their reservations. He said they should stop engaging in “cheap blackmail and misinformation”, saying “you cannot like democracy and abhor its processes”.

Post Date : June 25, 2021

Borno Commissioner Queries College Provost For Suspending Students Over Buhari’s Welcome

Borno’s Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Juliana Bitrus, has on Friday, issued a query to the provost, College of Nursing and Midwifery, Rukaiya Shettima Mustapha, for suspending some students under the claim, that the students failed to join others, in welcoming President Muhammadu Buhari on June 17 in Maiduguri. The commissioner, described the provost as being mischievous against Borno State Government, because she acted on her own, without recourse to any official at her supervising ministry and without any directives from anyone in the state government. In the query with reference number MOH/PER/752 V.I and dated June 25, the commissioner demanded that the provost responds within 48 hours, to advance compelling reasons why disciplinary action should not be meted against her. The commissioner said while Borno has about eight state-owned tertiary institutions, it was curious that only at the college of nursing and midwifery, that students were suspended, including with signed letters addressed to them, in an apparent effort to embarrass the state government. The commissioner said, even though it is a normal practice that students join in welcoming visiting Presidents all over Nigeria, such acts are voluntary. More so that students constitute far less than a thousand residents who freely trooped out to welcome the President in all parts of Maiduguri. The commissioner explained that it was unbelievable to the ministry when news came about the action taken by the provost, and hence, the ministry took time to investigate and confirm the act before issuing a query. The commissioner was concerned that the provost may have simply used the president’s visit to get at some students she may have had issues with. Juliana noted that Heads of States and Presidents have been visiting Borno since 1976, and students do join in welcoming them, and no one ever expected 100% compliance in any public mobilization. The commissioner further said, that if any issue involving students was to be raised, how come it was not the Borno State University, which the President Commissioned, or schools around projects commissioned by the President? It would be recalled that President was in Maiduguri for appraisal of the security situation, during which he commissioned first phase of 10,000 houses he approved for resettlement of IDPs in Borno State. Buhari who was widely and spontaneously welcomed by thousands of residents at all points of his visit also commissioned seven out of 556 capital projects executed by Governor Zulum in two years.

Post Date : June 25, 2021

Buhari postpones UK medical trip

President Muhammadu Buhari will no longer embark on his medical follow-up trip to the United Kingdom as earlier scheduled for today. His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, revealed this in a statement titled ‘President Buhari postpones London trip.’ The statement read, “The medical follow-up visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United Kingdom earlier scheduled for today, Friday, June 25, 2021, has been postponed. “A new date will be announced in due course.” Details later…

Post Date : June 25, 2021

Delta Senator, Nwaoboshi, defects to APC, meets Buhari

The senator representing Delta North, Peter Nwaoboshi, has defected to the All Progressives Congress, days after his suspension from the State Peoples Democratic Party. President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, welcomed the senator to the APC. This was made known by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in a statement titled ‘President Buhari congratulates Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi for decamping to APC’. The statement read, ‘President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja welcomed Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi to the All Progressives Congress, after he left the Peoples Democratic Party, saying ‘you are welcome to the progressives family.’ “Sen. Nwaoboshi, representing Delta North District, Delta State, was presented to President Buhari and National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee at the State House by Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege. “The Deputy Senate President said Senator Nwaoboshi’s decision to join the APC clearly shows that the effort of the CECPC was yielding fruit. The Senator was warmly welcomed by party members.”

Post Date : June 25, 2021

APC Extends Buni’s Tenure

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has extended the tenure of Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee. Mamman Mohammed, Director-General, Press and Media Affairs to Gov. Buni, confirmed this in a statement on Friday. Daily Trust had earlier reported that the tenure of the committee would be extended by six months. Buni had earlier visited President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock, where he presented a report of the committee to him. Speaking after receiving the report, Buhari said the APC has been revived, energised and repositioned for its national convention and future elections. He commended the Buni committee. “With the work done by the committee the party has bounced back to life.’’ “I have listened with great interest the remarkable job you have done so far. “We are all witnesses to the crisis that engulfed the party leading to litigations and presented a picture of selfishness and division.” Buhari said the party structure was disturbed by the conflicts that preceded and followed various elections, noting that the secretariat had been witnessing a beehive of peaceful activities after the reconciliation. The President told members of the committee that they will continue to enjoy the support of all party stalwarts and members to complete their assignment with the actualisation of the convention and leave an “indelible footprint’’. “We want to leave behind a legacy of transparency and fairness, which the party needs to survive,’’ he added. In his remarks, Buni said the committee approached the duty with commitment and dedication to rescue the party from imminent collapse. The Yobe State Governor noted that all issues and members were given a fair hearing, and an open door policy was created to accommodate all those that were aggrieved, leading to withdrawal of cases in court and peaceful settlements. “We are currently witnessing high powered decamping to our party, including governors from the PDP. “The party is now more peaceful, orderly and accommodating than what we met on the ground. Although there was initial fear, the mobilisation and sensitization was able to allay the fears of members,’’ Buni said. The caretaker committee was put together on June 25, 2020, following the sack of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the party, by a court. It was given the mandate to stabilise the party and organise a convention to usher in a new National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party within six months. However, its tenure was extended by six months. A chieftain of the APC, Chief Jackson Lekan Ojo, had earlier confirmed to Daily Trust that the tenure of the committee would be extended by six months. “They have already extended their timeline by six months internally. They are trying to see if they can resolve some internal wrangling,” he had told Daily Trust. Below is a full list of members of the committee. Governor Mai Bala Buni (Yobe) Chairman Isiaka Oyetola, Governor Osun (South West) Ken Nnamani (South East) Stella Okorete – Women Rep Governor Sani Bello (North Central) Dr. James Lalu (Physically challenged) Sen. Abubakar Yusuf (Senate Rep) Hon. Akinyemi Olaide (House of Reps) David Lyon (South South) Abba Ari (North West) Prof. Tahir Mamman (North East) Ismail Ahmed (Youths) Sen. Akpan Udoedehe (Secretary)

Post Date : June 25, 2021

Seven abducted’ as gunmen attack Abuja hotel

Gunmen have abducted seven persons after they attacked Hilltop Hotel in the federal capital territory (FCT). According to DAILY TRUST, the incident occurred on Wednesday at about 10:30 pm. The hotel is located in Tunga Maje, a town on the outskirts of the nation’s capital. The town is about 10 kilometres away from the usually populated Zuba area. Daily Trust reported that the gunmen stormed the hotel when Prince Adejo, its owner, was having a meeting with some people. Adejo and six other people were whisked away amid gunshots. A resident was quoted as saying that the kidnappers who were ten in number shot in the air to scare away those present in the area away. Mariam Yusuf, spokesperson of the FCT police command, confirmed the incident and said that an operation has been launched to rescue those abducted. “The command has launched a strategic operation to rescue the victims unhurt,” she said. There has been a spike in the number of abductions in Tunga Maje and other remote towns in the FCT.

Post Date : June 25, 2021

2021 UTME: JAMB releases results

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Friday, said candidates who sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) between June 19 and 22, can now access their results using the short USSD code of 55019. A statement issued by the examination body and signed by its head, public affairs and protocol, Fabian Benjamin, hailed the adoption of the unique National Identification Number (NIN) for what he described as the sharp reduction in the incidence of malpractices during the examination. He said; “The Board notes with satisfaction that the utilisation of NIN (National Identification Number) has helped in curbing examination malpractices as the 2021 UTME has recorded the least incidence of irregularities since the inception of the CBT examinations in Nigeria.” Mr. Benjamin, however, noted that JAMB will continue its review of “the CCTV footages and other technical gadgets for detection of possible examination misconducts.” The JAMB spokesman also revealed that few results are currently being withheld for further investigations, threatening that, “the board would not hesitate to withdraw the results of any candidate subsequently found to have committed any form of examination misconduct.” JAMB had commenced the ongoing examination on June 19 and said it would continue till July 3. More than 1.3 million candidates are taking part in the examination across more than 700 computer based centres nationwide. Due to what it described as their below standard performance, the examination body delisted a total of 30 centres and placed 53 on its watchlist.

Post Date : June 24, 2021

Insecurity will soon be a thing of the past, says Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says the security challenges affecting the country will soon be over. President Muhammadu Buhari had, on Tuesday, asked the national assembly to approve a supplementary budget of N895 billion. On June 9, the federal executive council (FEC) approved the budget for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as to support military operations. While receiving the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti on Thursday in Abuja, the vice-president, in a statement issued by Laolu Akande, his spokesperson, said the budget was informed by the government‘s plan to beef up its response to the nation’s security challenges. “The president has recently constituted a committee that will look at the whole security infrastructure with a view to looking at the needs of the military as well as the police and security agencies,” the statement reads. “The result of that is a bill before the National Assembly, a supplementary bill. “The purpose of that bill is to present some of the needs of the military, as well as of security agencies in order to be able to beef up our response to the security challenges. “We have to keep looking at how to support our security services to ensure that our country is safe. “I can assure you that soon, the issue of insecurity will be a thing of the past, and that we will all live in peace and prosperity in this country. “There is no question at all that at the level of community we need to take decisive action, because most of these things occur in our community level. “And I’m very happy to hear that you have a committee organised for the purpose of tackling insecurity and that you’ve been able to contain the menace that we see in different parts of the country in your community.” Osinbajo also called for collaborative efforts, involving governments at all levels, to address insecurity. “Any country with this number of security challenges must respond as robustly as possible. But it is also important to bear in mind that it takes a combined effort of all of us, at the local government level, state and federal levels; all of the levels,” he said. “We need to come together to tackle this issue of insecurity.” Osinbajo was said to have given the assurance that the government will provide necessary support to the community in tackling its challenges. According to him, the federal government is also working with the Ekiti government on dealing with insecurity.

Post Date : June 24, 2021

Uzodimma grants financial autonomy to Imo assembly

Ibe Pascal Arogorn, Owerri Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma has granted full financial autonomy to the Imo State House of Assembly, Crimefacts.news reports. Speaking through a motion at the resumption of plenary on Thursday, presided over by Speaker Paul Emeziem, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Amara Chyna Iwuanyanwu thanked the Governor for ensuring that the Imo State House of Assembly is financially autonomous. The Deputy Speaker who moved the motion which was adopted by the House exclaimed, “today is a remarkable day in the history of the parliament. Today, we are looking into this matter as one of the first Houses of Assembly in the South-East Nigeria and one of the first five states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria to have met every obligation to attain financial autonomy.” Rt. Hon. Iwuanyanwu disclosed that the House of Assembly Service Commission has been recognized as a parastatal under the Imo State House of Assembly, while the budgeting sub-heads of each of the 27 House Members are already in use by the members. While thanking the Legislative Staff of the Assembly, the Deputy Speaker assured that their interest will be advanced, especially the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) Imo State Chapter who has made the autonomy possible by standing strong. Members of the Assembly who took turns to support the motion to congratulate the Governor Hope Uzodimma includes, Hon. Kanayo Onyemaechi, Hon. Obinna Okwara, Hon. Chigozie Nwaneri, , Hon. Duru Iheonukara and a host of others. The House also resolved to urge the Governor to help by directing the Accountant General to ensure that funds of the Legislature including that of the Assembly Commission are paid promptly into the Assembly account to enable them undertake their capital projects.

Post Date : June 24, 2021

UNILAG Student: I Killed Super TV CEO While Trying To Force Sex On Me

Chidinma Ojukwu, the 300-level student of the University of Lagos, who was arrested over the death of Mr Usifo Ataga, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Super TV, has given the reason for her action. Speaking when she was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command on Thursday, Ojukwu said she stabbed him because he attempted to force himself on her. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ataga’s lifeless body was on June 16 found in a flat in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos with multiple wounds. The student who said she was arrested at her residence at Alagomeji, Yaba, where she resides with her parents, said that she met Ataga about five months ago. “On a Sunday, June 13, he asked that I get a place where we can stay. I checked online and sent to him, he asked me to go check it out which I did and paid. “On Monday, June 14, we were together drinking, smoking and I also went to get food. On Tuesday, June 15, he was making advances at me and I resisted, so he became violent and later had his way. “In the afternoon he ordered for smoke, ate and we became high because I also smoked with him even though I was still angry for the first one he did. “So, I was on my own, watching a movie on the couch. He came at me again and I said no because I wasn’t happy with him. I told him that he doesn’t help me but only plays me around, he kept trying to make advances and I was resisting so I had to defend myself. “At some point, he hit my head on the wall and was choking me. I tried escaping but the door was locked so he pulled me back. “I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed him twice in the neck and threw the knife on the bed. He then tried reaching for the knife so I picked it again and stabbed him the third time,” she said. She said she only withdrew N380,000 from Ataga’s account after she had escaped and not N5 million. Odumosu, while addressing newsmen, said the student hurriedly changed her clothe and left the apartment. Odumosu said Ataga’s body was discovered in a pool of blood when it was time to clean the apartment on Wednesday, June 16, during which the door had to be broken. Odumosu said the suspect escaped with the victim’s Automated Teller Machine(ATM) card which was used in withdrawing some money from his account. The commissioner of police said he deemed it necessary to brief the public on the update on the investigation, noting that as there had been fake reports in circulation. Odumosu further urged the public to utilise the social media positively and not for fake report. NAN learnt that Ataga was at first reported missing by concerned friends and family after all efforts to reach him proved abortive. Checks at his Victoria Island office showed he was not there putting everyone in panic mood, including his wife and children who reside in Abuja before his body was later found.(NAN)