Crime Facts

Fresh Crisis Breaks Out In PDP As Two Factions Lay Claim To Secondus’ Seat

Two factions have emerged in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the suspension of the party National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, by a Port Harcourt High Court. On Monday, the court restrained Secondus from parading himself as PDP helmsman. Sequel to this, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, laid claim to the leadership of the party. But the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Suleiman Nazif, also said he is in charge of the party. The Nazif led faction of the party has fixed Friday August 27, for the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Six Tegina students die in captivity

Six out of 136 abducted students of Salihu Tanko Islamiyya, Tegina, Niger state have been reported dead. The students were kidnapped on May 30 from the Islamic school in Tegina, Rafi local government area of the state. Abubakar Alhassan, the school principal, was said to have disclosed that the bandits called to notify him of the death of the children. Alhassan said the bandits disclosed the children died of illness, asking that the demanded ransom be paid for the release of the other children in captivity. Abubakar Adam, a father of seven children who are currently in captivity was said to have further confirmed the development. The bandits had earlier demanded the sum of N110 million but later raised the ransom figure to N200 million. The parents of the abducted children were said to have paid N30 million naira as ransom to the bandits who refused to release the children. TheCable had earlier reported that residents of Alawa community in Shiroro LGA alleged sighting children on several motorcycles around the region. The Niger state government had promised to intensify efforts to rescue the children. Niger has come under bandit threats with several attacks on communities and with many persons displaced across the state.

Tunde Bakare: Nothing Wrong With The North Producing Nigeria’s Next President

The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church formerly Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said even the north can produce Nigeria’s next president. Speaking in an interview on Channels TV, Bakare said any zone can produce the next President as long as the candidate is competent. “Let the best of the best emerge… it doesn’t matter which part of the country the person comes from.” “I have heard all kinds of arguments on rotation and zoning. Some are saying Obasanjo, plus Jonathan, that’s 14 years and Yar’Adua plus Buhari is 10 years and that the North still has four more years. At this moment, what is needed is a person who can do it. “Political parties should bring their best forward. Let the best of the best emerge. It can go to the South, it can go to the North. It is only one seat. If it’s an Igbo man, so be it, if it’s a Yoruba man, so be it. If it is a Northerner, a Hausa or Fulani, so be it. And I am saying that passionately. “If we had promised rotation, so let’s practice rotation, if it’s not part of our Constitution, let’s face the reality. It is not really where the person comes from that matters, it is what he is able to do and deliver.”

Zambia inaugurates new president

Hundreds of dignitaries and thousands of ordinary citizens on Tuesday thronged the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, to witness the inauguration of the country’s new President, Hakainde Hichilema. Many clad in red T-shirts and caps, the colour of the United Party for National Development, started gathering at the stadium as early as 4 a.m. They started arriving early in order to secure seats even when the ceremony was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. In his speech delivered after he was inaugurated, Hichilema said his government would strive for the benefits of all citizens. He said his government would fix the economy and grow it in order to lift people out of poverty. He said his government would endeavour to deliver on the promises made during the campaigns, adding that his government would endeavour to restore the rule of law and the dignity of the people. “You have entrusted us to run the affairs of this country and we will be your servants,” he said. The new president further thanked his predecessor for his service to the country and for the smooth and peaceful transfer of power. He further invited the private sector to work with his government to grow the economy and political parties to work with the ruling party in unity and put political differences aside. According to him, macroeconomic stability will be crucial as well as reducing public debt which has affected investment in other sectors of the economy. Hichilema, who becomes Zambia’s seventh president, further said fighting corruption will be the hallmark of his administration. He, however, said the fight against corruption will be done in a professional way by giving institutions powers to fight the vice. (Xinhua/NAN)

Nigeria at risk of food scarcity, says minister

Mustapha Shehuri, minister of state for agriculture and rural development, has described the country’s food system as weak and vulnerable to shocks. Shehuri said this on Monday at the year’s ‘Feed Nigeria Summit’ held in Abuja. Represented by Karima Babangida, director of federal department of agriculture, Shehuri said the summit will assist the ministry to re-examine the weak link, with a view to strengthening it for an agricultural system that will work for Nigeria and stabilise food security. He said the ministry is determined to create a functional food system that will guarantee all citizens unrestricted access to good quality, nutritious and safe food. “This underscores the various programmes and interventions that are ongoing in the ministry in areas of agricultural livelihood and support, food safety, and the provision of infrastructure in different ecological zones of the country,” he said. He said for a sustainable food system, the country must rise to overcome the challenges of poor quality food supplies, hunger, malnutrition and improper habit of food wastage. “This is the acceptable consumption behaviour globally to which the average Nigerian, especially in the urban areas, pays little or no attention,” he said. “If we devote so much to produce, we should pay more attention to avoid waste because of its negative economic and environmental impact.” Also speaking, Muhammad Nanono, minister of agriculture and rural development, said the country may produce enough food to eat, but people will still sleep with hunger because they did not have enough money to buy the food. He attributed the problem to unemployment and identified this as a great challenge to the nation. “I recently met with some young Nigerians who are into processing and synergising agriculture with industry, and that is exactly what we need in this country,” Nanono said. “Unless we create that relationship and make it strong, poverty will persist. “If we do not focus on how to remove this fundamental issue of an army of unemployed youths and move them to be gainfully employed, we are doing nothing, the relationship between the agricultural sector and the industrial sector is a must.” Nanono said the federal government is implementing new strategies to aid the development of the agricultural sector and strengthen the value chain. He, however, lamented that Nigeria still imported a significant amount of food and was not earning as much foreign exchange as it should from agriculture. The minister said, for this reason, it has become imperative to re-strategise and deploy innovation to tackle the longstanding issues and lead Nigeria towards food sufficiency. In June, the United Nations (UN) had said about 4.4 million people are facing food insecurity in the north-eastern region of Nigeria.

Bandits invade NDA, kill two officers, abduct one

Nigeria’s foremost military university, the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna was on Tuesday attacked by bandits who killed two officers and abducted one other. The bandits invaded the permanent site of the institution located along Airport Road, Afaka, in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State around 1.00am. A source told our correspondent that the hoodlums, who were dressed in military camouflage, beat the guards and headed for the officers’ quarters of the institution. Incidentally, the military institution is opposite the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka where 39 students were abducted by bandits on March 11, 2021. The bandits demanded N500 million few days after the abducted. But they were finally released after spending 50 days in the bandits’ den following the intervention of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi. As of the time filing this report, information regarding the attack on NDA was still sketchy. Details later…

Court Strikes Out DSS Suit Seeking Further Detention Of Four Igboho’s Aides

A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking to further detain four of the 12 aides of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, who is also known as Sunday Igboho. The motion was thrown out by Justice Obiora Egwuatu on Tuesday following the dramatic withdrawal by counsel to the security agency, Mr Idowu Awo. At the resumption of the case, the DSS lawyer stunned the court just as the motion was about to be heard, announcing his decision not to go ahead with the matter. Rather, he informed the court that he had filed a notice of appeal against the bail granted to four out of the 12 detainees. Awo stated that he would prefer to pursue the appeal at the Court of Appeal. Thereafter, Justice Egwuatu struck out the motion following the no objection by the detainees’ lawyer, Mr Sunday Adebayo. In early August, an Oyo State High Court granted an ex-parte motion prohibiting the DSS and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, from arresting Sunday Igboho. The court also went further to restrain the DSS and Malami from freezing Igboho’s financial assets, as well as restrict any form of intimidation and harassment by the duo. The DSS paraded Sunday Ighoho’s aides on July 1 after a raid on his home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. During the operation, the security operatives arrested 12 of them and moved them to Abuja where they were detained. The detainees were accused of stockpiling arms to cause chaos in the country. Thereafter, the suspects filed an application through their lawyer, Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi, in which they prayed the court to inquire into the circumstances that led to their arrest and detention since July 2. Olajengbesi had also prayed the court to admit his clients to bail, a request that was granted by Justice Egwuatu on August 4.

IGP to officers: Step up fight against IPOB

Usman Baba, inspector-general of police (IGP), has charged police operatives in Delta state to step up the fight against “criminal activities” of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Alkali, who gave the charge on Monday, in Asaba during his familarisation visit to the state police command, urged the officers to ensure commitment to their duties. “In fighting crime, you may be trying your best, but your best is not good enough because anything that happens in Anambra will affect Delta, especially Asaba,” Baba said. “You have to step up the fight, that is why you must prepare to deal with any criminality, especially the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). “Brace up to the challenge posed by IPOB because it is a proscribed organisation and you have to treat them as such.” The IGP assured the state command that the force would ensure that logistics such as bullet-proof vests, teargas, and helmets are provided for them. Earlier, Mohammed Ali, Delta commissioner of police, briefed the IGP on the issue of inadequate manpower in the command, especially in marine policing. Giving a breakdown of the police activities in the state, Ali said the command had arrested suspected persons, including 912 for cultism, 217 for armed robbery, 194 for kidnapping, 94 on the charge of murder, while 87 kidnapped victims had been rescued. The Delta CP also said the command recovered a total of 253 guns and 8,756 ammunition from criminals.

Kebbi Assembly Speaker, Deputy Impeached

The Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Abdulmumeen Kamba, and the Deputy Speaker, Muhammad Buhari-Aleiro, have been impeached. Their impeachment was announced by the Chairman House Committee on Information and Culture, Muhammad Tukur, after a closed-door plenary session in the Assembly on Tuesday. According to Tukur, the speaker was immediately replaced by Deputy Chief Whip, Muhammad Abubakar- Lolo (APC – Bagudo West) while the Deputy Speaker was replaced by Muhammad Ankwai (APC – Zuru). While the reason for their impeachment was not disclosed, Tukur said 20 members of the Assembly out of 24 attended the closed-door session. Some of those present included the Chief Whip, House Leader, Deputy House Leader among others.

Akinwonmi claims PDP’s acting national chairmanship

The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, has assumed the office of the national chairman in acting capacity. He proclaimed himself as the new party boss on Tuesday, in a statement he released in which he also announced the indefinite postponement of the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting planned for Tuesday. Akinwonmi explained that he assumed the office in the absence of the substantive National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, who was ordered by the court to stop parading as such. ‌ He said he took over the position in accordance with the provision of the PDP constitution. Elder Akinwonmi said in the statement: “Section 35(3) (b) of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party empowers me to summon and preside over party meetings in the absence of the national chairman. “Our attention was drawn yesterday evening to a court order which purports to restrain our National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, from summoning and presiding over the meetings of the organs of the party. “In the foregoing circumstances, as Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, after due consultations and in the exercise of the aforesaid powers, [I] hereby deem it fit and proper to postpone the National Working Committee meeting earlier scheduled for today till further notice to allow for broader consultations in the overall interest of our party.”