The police command in Kogi on Sunday confirmed the killing of two of the abducted students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara. The State Police Commissioner, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja. Onuoha described the killing by their abductors as very unfortunate. The CP did not, however, give the details of the killing, and said that the security operatives were on the trail of the abductors to bring them to book. 1st anniversary: It’s time to publish your assets, SERAP tells Tinubu Six years after, Edo community battles installation of clan head Abductors invaded the school around 9.00 pm on May 9 while the students were studying in their classes ahead of their examinations slated for May 13 and abducted some students, after shooting sporadically into the air. Although security agencies had rescued 21 of the abducted students with the help of local hunters, a few were still in the hands of the abductors. Meanwhile, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Education For All (E4A), condemned the killing of two students in spite of ongoing negotiations with the parents to pay ransom for their release. Malam Nasir Ibrahim, the Publicity Secretary of the NGO said this in a statement in Lokoja.   Ibrahim described the killing as the height of callousness. He said that the intent of the kidnappers was to scare young people from going to school, which was unfortunate. “It is sad that the criminals killed two of the students who were not among the 21 rescued through the operation coordinated by the Kogi Government. “Although the circumstances of their kidnap and being traced to a forest in Kwara State by security agencies are yet to be ascertained. This is sad, callous and a call for collective action against attackers of educational institutions. “We are aware that parents of the students were negotiating with the kidnappers which slowed down the offensive on the kidnappers by security agencies so as not to endanger the lives of the captives. “We were very hopeful and optimistic that they will be released at the end of the negotiations,” he said. Ibrahim added: “Information reaching us shows that the students allegedly killed were James Michael Anajuwe, a 100-level Information Technology student and Musa Hussein, a 100-level Software Engineering student of the University. “They were allegedly killed at the kidnappers’ hideout in Kwara. “We are broken and shattered that despite the efforts of the parents, NGOs and the State Government, we still lost these promising students.” He called on the Kogi government to work with its Kwara counterpart to take decisive action against the perpetrators who were said to be hiding in a forest in Kwara, very close to Kogi and Ekiti States. (NAN)

  More than 670 people have been killed in a massive landslide that hit Papua New Guinea on Friday. Serhan Aktoprak, chief of the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the nation, said the revised number of fatalities is based on calculations from Yambali village and Enga provincial officials. The officials now estimate that more than 150 homes had been buried. The previous estimate was 60 homes. Papua New Guinea is an island nation in Oceania. It lies in the south-western Pacific and includes the eastern half of New Guinea and several offshore islands. A landslide is the collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff. The UN now estimates that more than 4,000 people have been impacted after a thousand homes caved in. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said more than six villages were hit by the landslide in the province’s Mulitaka region. Sky News reports that three bodies were pulled from an area where 40 to 50 homes were destroyed, and that six people, including a child, were pulled from the rubble alive. Survivors rummaged through tonnes of earth and rubble for missing relatives, as a first emergency convoy delivered food and other supplies on Saturday. “Hopes to take the people out alive from the rubble have diminished now,” Aktoprak said. Papua New Guinea has a population of around 10 million people. It is the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia. The country sits on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’– the arc of seismic faults where much of the world’s volcanic activity occurs. The country was hit by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in March.

  The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 48-year-old Paris, France-bound businessman, Emmanuel Okechuku Orjinze at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja. NDLEA noted that he excreted 111 wraps of cocaine. Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi who disclosed this said the businessman excreted the wraps of cocaine after days of observation in the agency’s custody following his arrest. “Okechukwu who also claims he is a professional footballer in Europe was arrested on Tuesday 21st May during the outward clearance of Airfrance flight AF 878 from Abuja to Paris, France. “After a body scan confirmed he ingested illicit drugs, he was taken into custody where he excreted a total of 111 pellets of cocaine that weighed 1.603 kilograms over a period of three days. “The suspect claimed he does business in the maritime sector while still scouting for any European football club to engage him”. “In the same vein, NDLEA officers operating at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos have dismantled another drug trafficking syndicate at the airport.   “This followed the arrest of four members of the network and the seizure of a total of 8kg of methamphetamine and 7.60kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa. “The lid was blown off the syndicate when an official within the airport system was intercepted with a backpack and a bag at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the airport by NDLEA officers with the support of Aviation Security officers on Tuesday 21st May 2024. “A search of the bags led to the discovery of the illicit substances. A swift follow-up operation at Ajao Estate area of Lagos led to the arrest of two other members of the syndicate: Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwaosu. “Further investigation led to the arrest of another member of the cartel working within the airport system on Saturday 25th May. “In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport have arrested a freight agent, Sonubi Mariam Abiodun over her attempt to cargo 8 parcels of cocaine weighing 2kg concealed in three out of six paint buckets containing shea butter packaged for export to the United Kingdom on Wednesday 22nd May. In another part of Lagos, precisely at Igbo Elerin in Ojo local government area, NDLEA officers on Tuesday 21st May arrested a suspect, Odumegwu Obijofor producing and distributing skuchies, a mixture of black currant and illicit drugs. No fewer than 2,480 litres of the New Psychoactive Substance, NPS, were recovered from his clandestine factory when he was arrested. In Cross River state, while Ogar Emmanuel, was arrested with 2.5kg of cannabis at Ukpada Utugwan village, 29 sacks of the same substance weighing 290kg were recovered from the warehouse of another suspect, Usani Ikpi, who is currently at large. Three suspects: Sa’adu Sule, 23; Mukhtar Nura, 23; and Hamza Nura, 18, were nabbed at Jabiri Funtua, Katsina state on Friday 24th May with 129 blocks of cannabis weighing 70kg coming from Ogere, Ogun state. No fewer than five suspects including: Ezekiel Munda, 30; and Sule Mustapha, 21, were arrested by NDLEA operatives on Thursday 23rd May during raids at Karu Abattoir, Jikwoyi and Tora Bora hill area of FCT, Abuja, where 95.01kg of cannabis and different quantities of opioids were recovered from them. In Edo state, operatives arrested a physically challenged notorious drug dealer, Zekere Sufianu, 45, at Auchi town on Wednesday 22nd May. At the time of his arrest, he was found with 751 grams of Loud, 178 grams of tramadol and pills of swinol. In like manner, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of Baptist Grammar School, Iresi, Osun; students and teachers of Anwar-Ul-Islam Grammar School, Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo state; students of Shalom Secondary School, Saminaka, Kaduna; students of Government Day Secondary School, Gandu, Gombe Others are students of Pakoto Senior High School, Ifo, Ogun state; students of Nwafor-Orizu Demonstration Secondary School, Awka, Anambra and muslim faithful at Central Mosque, Abudu, Orhionmwon LGA, Edo state. Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, FCT, Lagos, Cross River, Katsina, and Edo Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week. He equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.

  A train from Kaduna heading for Abuja has derailed at Jere, Kaduna, an hour after commencing its journey on Sunday. The train which had dozens of passengers on board departed Kaduna around 8:05 am. Three carriages were reported to have skidded off the tracks. Security personnel, including the Nigeria Police and Army, are present at the site to provide support. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, (NSIB) while confirming the incident revealed some of its personnel had been dispatched to investigate. ”NSIB is aware of a derailment of an Abuja-bound train from Kaduna which occurred halfway into the journey at Jere.” ”A go team has been deployed to the site of the accident, ‘ the statement read. The Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) has yet to confirm the incident.

  A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, has died at the age of 61. Lamorde reportedly died in Egypt where he was receiving medical treatment. Confirming Lamorde’s death in a statement, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, described it as sudden and shocking. He said Lamorde served the nation actively as a focused and gallant anti- graft fighter. “He will be sorely missed both at the EFCC and the nation at large. The Commission prays for the repose of his soul and comfort for his family, the EFCC and the entire nation,” the statement added. 64 Larmode was the EFCC chairman between 2012 and 2015. President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Lamorde in an acting capacity as chairman of the anti-graft agency on November 23, 2011 after the removal of Farida Waziri. The Senate confirmed him as the third substantive chairman of the commission on February 15, 2012. Lamorde was born on December 20, 1962, in Mubi, Adamawa state, and attended Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology in 1984. Having joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1986, Lamorde was made pioneer director of operations when the EFCC was created in 2003. He was first made acting chairman in January 2008 before Waziri was appointed chairperson and confirmed by the Senate in June 2008. On his return to the EFCC in 2010, Lamorde replaced Stephen Otitoju as director of operations. On November 23, 2011, Lamorde, who was at the time an assistant commissioner of police (ACP), was again appointed acting chairman. He held the position the position of chairman at the EFCC until November 9, 2015, when former President Muhammadu Buhari replaced him with Ibrahim Magu.

  The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged President Bola Tinubu to use his first year in office as an avenue to publish his assets declaration form. SERAP asked the President to “use the anniversary of your first year in office as an opportunity to demonstrate your oft-expressed commitment to democracy, accountability, and openness in government by immediately publishing your asset declaration form,” the organisation said in a statement issued on Sunday by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare. SERAP urged Tinubu “to encourage your Vice-President Kashim Shettima, ministers, and state governors to also widely publish their asset declaration forms.” It noted that to “promote public trust and establish a system of transparency, accountability and public participation,” Tinubu should “urgently propose a constitutional amendment to include provisions on the creation of asset declaration database to publish government officials’ asset declaration forms before, during, and after serving in public office.” SERAP, in its statement, indicated that “openness and transparency in the details of asset declaration forms of high-level public officials would strengthen the country’s democracy and promote accountability at all levels of government.” The statement partly read, “You promised in your inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, ‘to take proactive steps to discourage corruption’, and to ensure that ‘Nigeria is impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law’. “We urge you to use your first anniversary in office as an important opportunity to underscore and reaffirm your oft-repeated commitment to democratic governance, openness and public accountability by immediately taking concrete steps to implement the proposed recommendations. “Transparency in the details of asset declaration forms would also enable Nigerians to scrutinise the forms and verify the financial situation of public officials and alert about possible conflicts of interest and corruption.” SERAP stated that the declaration of assets by public officials is a “matter of public interest and your government ought to provide the leadership,” noting that one of the ways through which “corrupt politicians in the country have perpetuated corrupt practices is through hiding assets.”   “Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended]; and Nigeria’s international anticorruption and human rights obligations. “Information regarding the property and economic interests of public officials ought to be accessible to the public through a website created for this purpose,” SERAP said. It stated further that “because asset declaration forms are public documents, public officials cannot claim that publishing their assets would violate their privacy rights. “There is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information on the assets of public officers who are trustees of Nigeria’s wealth and resources. “Publishing your asset declaration form and encouraging your Vice-President, ministers and state governors to also widely publish their asset declaration forms would enable Nigerians to scrutinise the assets and worth of public officials before taking office and at the end of their term of office.” SERAP highlighted sections of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, contained in Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Tribunal Act, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and Articles 7(4) and 8(5) of the UN Convention against Corruption, among others, as supportive of assets declaration by public officers. “We hope that the aspects highlighted will help guide your steps in taking steps to publish your asset declaration form and to encourage others to do so,” the organisation urged. As part of his resolve to ensure maximum efficiency in his administration, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, told Sunday PUNCH of Tinubu’s readiness to fire underperforming ministers who fail to deliver on targets set for them. Onanuga also rated the performance of the administration high as it approaches its first year in office, giving it a score of 70 per cent.

  Sunday 26 May 2024 Sanusi Storm: Deposed Emir returns to Kano in ‘presidential jet’, state govt orders his arrest Governors grumble over withheld N3.8 trillion stamp duty fund LP crisis deepens as Edo chapter suspends Abure Tinubu inaugurates N24b Ogbia Nembe Road, 7 bridges FG Backed Deposed Emir’s Return, Attempt To Destabilise Kano’ll Be Resisted — Atiku NSA Office Denies Backing Deposed Kano Emir Tinubu In Lagos To Flag Off Construction Of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road US Rapper Nicki Minaj Detained In Netherlands Police Vow To Enforce Court Order Stopping Dissolution Of Kano Emirates Flood Destroys Voter Enrolment Machines In Edo INEC Office Criticisms Trail Reintroduction Of Old National Anthem Junior Pope: NSIB report indicts canoe driver Home delivery of passports begins in June – Minister Six soldiers dismissed for killing NDLEA official in Niger Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Gunmen have reportedly invaded Kuchi in Munyan local government area of Niger state during which they were suspected to have killed four members of the Military Joint Force and three other villagers. The three villagers were said to have been gunned down while trying to escape into the bush. Our correspondent reliably gathered that the gunmen numbering up to about 300 rode on motorcycles with each carrying two or three of their colleagues, all fully armed. They allegedly had a smooth and an unhindered operation on Friday during downpour on the fateful day around 7pm with help coming from nowhere to rescue the villagers while the attack lasted for about three hours Abdulsalami makes case for zoning of political offices Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has advocated for official adoption of zoning of political offices across the country for political balancing and for peace to reign in the country. He noted that where zoning had been formally adopted in some parts of the country, peace and stability had been brought into the system and urged such states to sustain it and for others to follow suit. Abdulsalami specifically mentioned Niger State which adopted the system since the return of democracy in 1999, saying it has brought peace and political stability into the state. The former Head of State spoke when members of Niger State House of Assembly, led by its Speaker, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, visited him.