Bandits have reportedly killed a clergy man and three other church members in Niger Community. Scores were also said to have been kidnapped by the suspects. The incident happened in Majure village via Sarkinpawa in Munya local government area of the state on Monday night. They were said to have been killed in a farm close to the Church of Evangelical Church of West Africa, (ECWA).
UK MPs arrested on suspicion of serious sexual or violent offences could be barred from attending parliament after lawmakers changed the rules in a narrow vote late on Monday. Parliament decided by just one vote that any MP arrested over such accusations should face a risk assessment, which could lead to them being excluded from entering the House of Commons. The move toughens up a proposal by the Conservative government, which had said MPs should only be barred if they were actually charged with an offence after being arrested. Notable MPs voting in favour of the amendment included former Tory prime minister Theresa May and Natalie Elphicke, who defected from the ruling Conservatives to Labour last week. Previously, MPs arranged with their own party whether they could attend parliament having been arrested for serious sexual or violent offences. Now an independent panel will decide. Several MPs have been arrested for such offences since the last general election in 2019. Conservative MP for Wakefield Imran Ahmad Khan was found guilty in 2022 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a party in 2008. Fellow Tory Charlie Elphicke, the former husband of Nathalie Elphicke, was jailed in 2020 for sexually assaulting two women, including a parliamentary worker. And Conservative Crispin Blunt was arrested on suspicion of rape in October 2023. He continues to sit as an independent MP. Several other MPs from both sides of the house have been suspended from their parties over allegations of sexual misconduct that did not warrant police action. Labour former minister Chris Bryant said the move was “long overdue”. “Parliament should be no different from any other workplace,” he said. Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect trade union, whose membership includes civil servants, called it an “important and overdue victory for common sense and those working on the parliamentary estate”. But Conservative Michael Ellis, a former attorney general for England and Wales, said there were constitutional and legal implications to banning MPs from parliament before they had been charged. “There is a key principle here. There’s a golden thread that runs through our system that a person must not suffer imposition before guilt has been proven,” he said. AFP
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has charged former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, his brother, Ahmad Sirika; and his company – Enginos Nigeria Limited, with over N19.4bn fraud. The sum is said to be for several aviation ministry contracts from the former minister to Enginos Nigeria Limited, owned by Sirika’s younger brother, Abubakar. The Sirika brothers and Enginos Nigeria Limited will be arraigned before Justice Belgore of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Garki, Abuja today (Tuesday). It is the second criminal charge the EFCC will be filing against the ex-aviation minister. He was last Thursday arraigned for N2.7bn fraud before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja. Sirika was arraigned on six counts alongside his daughter, Fatimah; brother-in-law, Jalal Hamma, and Al-Buraq Investment Ltd. The defendants pleaded not guilty while Justice Sylvanus Oriji granted them N100m bail each, with the condition that they must not travel out of the country until the end of the criminal case. On Monday, EFCC insiders informed The PUNCH that the anti-graft agency had filed a second charge against the ex-minister, bordering on N19.4bn fraud. In the copy of the fresh charges sighted by our correspondent on Monday, the EFCC alleged that Sirika, “while being the Minister of Aviation, on or about 18th August 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did use your position to confer an unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited, whose alter ego, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, is your biological brother, by using your position to influence the award to him, the contract for the construction of a terminal building at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,345,586,500.00.” According to the EFCC, Sirika’s alleged action was a violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section. In another count, the EFCC alleged that “on or about 3rd of November, 2022, in Abuja,” Sirika used his position “to confer unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited, whose alter ego, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, is your biological brother, by using your position to influence the award to him, the contract for the establishment of Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at Katsina Airport for the sum of N3,811,497,685.00.” In another count, he was accused of corruptly awarding a N615,195,275.00 contract to his brother for the procurement and installation of lift and air conditioners and power generators for the Aviation House in Abuja. Furthermore, the EFCC alleged that Sirika, between August 2022 and May 2023 in Abuja, “had possession of an aggregate sum of N2,337, 840,674.16, which sum you knew indirectly represented the proceeds of criminal conducts of Hadi Abubakar Sirika, who was the Minister of Aviation at the time.” It was revealed that the ex-minister’s younger brother, Abubakar, was earlier arrested and detained by the EFCC in connection with N3,212,258,930.18 paid to his company, Enginos Nigerian Limited’s bank account by the former minister.
Tuesday 14 May2024 Electricity tariff hike: FG convenes meeting as Labour threatens indefinite protest FG may need supplementary budget to pay minimum wage – IMF FG plans performance-based salary scheme for workers N’Assembly moves to bar CBN gov from partisan politics Band A customers opt for solar as energy costs triple ‘The Jungle Has Matured,’ Fubara Vows To Probe Governance Of Rivers Israel-Palestine War Death Toll Hits 35,173 Record 76 Million IDPs Worldwide, Says Monitor Indonesia Flood Death Toll Rises To 50 With 27 Missing Naira Swap: EFCC To Arraign Emefiele On Wednesday Troops Kill Notorious Bandit Leader Dongon Bangaje, Three Others In Kaduna Tinubu Launches Campaign For Inclusive Education, Gender Equity Rivers Politics: Pro-Fubara Lawmakers Confirm Commissioner Nominee INEC To Begin Continuous Voter Registration Ahead Of Edo, Ondo Poll Electricity Tariff: Labour Unions Shut Down Jos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt DisCos EFCC Vows To Clampdown On Businesses, Others Charging In Dollars Tinubu Directs MDAs To Procure CNG Vehicles Police To Arraign Two For Alleged Defamation Of Oba Saheed Elegushi ‘Decision To Expel Bully Students Final’, Says BOUESTI As Parents Pressure Varsity Tinubu Swears In Two National Population Commissioners CP Itam Assumes Duty As 34th Commissioner Of Police In Anambra Tariff hike: Labour protests, disconnects NERC, TCN, DisCos’ offices CBN’ll retain high interest rates to tame inflation — Cardoso 7.4m consumers still without electricity meters as installations rise 5% INEC gives 18 parties May 20 deadline to nominate candidates in Ondo ‘Contract fraud’: EFCC to arraign Hadi Sirika, brother on fresh 8-count charge on Tuesday Naira depreciates further at parallel market, trades at N1,520/$ Ajaka vs Ododo: Tribunal reserves judgment in Kogi governorship election dispute Slain FIRS Official Planning To Marry In December – Uncle Bandits Lay Ambush In Edo, Abduct Cement Workers Governance Cost: Akpabio Seeks Urgent Implementation Of Oronsaye Report Ohanaeze Ndigbo fumes over campaign of calumny against its leadership Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…
Terrorists have attacked a military camp in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, killed five soldiers and injured 11 others on Sunday. Our correspondent gathered that the terrorists also killed some civilians yesterday at Yarmalamai village. Premium Times quoted a military internal memo which stated that the incident occurred at about 2pm on Sunday. The memo said over 200 terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons and led by a terrorism kingpin, Ado Aleiru, attacked the military camp situated at the village of Yar Malamai. A member of a vigilante group, Aliyu Tukur, was also killed in the attack. The memo stated: “Terrorist attack on military camp causing grievous hurt and death of military personnel. “On receipt of the information, Supol Faskari, proceeded to the scene with his team and engaged the bandits on a gun battle as reinforcement (of) Air Components were also called upon and responded promptly. “The battle lasted for over two hours after intervention from the Air Force; sadly five soldiers and one vigilante by name Aliyu Tukur, 30 years (old), of the same address, lost their lives. Eleven soldiers sustained different degrees of gunshot injuries, all the injured were rushed to hospital by the military, all the corpses were also removed. “The attack led to the withdrawal of all the remaining military personnel from the village to a nearby camp 25 kilometres away situated at Ali Kere village due to heavy casualty recorded. “The bandits also suffered heavy casualties but have succeeded in removing them away from the scene (sic). Residents of the area are currently migrating “Investigation has commenced further development would be communicated above for your information, please.” A credible source in the state told Daily Trust yesterday that the incident was a clash between the soldiers and the terrorists near a military camp in Faskari Local Government Area. He said the soldiers were escorting residents of Yarmalamai village, “who were unable to move without military escort due to security concerns.” He said: “Suspecting each other as threats, both groups engaged in gunfire, resulting in casualties. Tragically, five soldiers lost their lives and others sustained injuries. “The following day, the terrorists returned to Yarmalamai village, setting houses ablaze and causing casualties, though the exact number is yet to be confirmed,” the source said. The military high command in Abuja could not be reached for comments last night as calls to the mobile phone of the Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba depicted “not reachable”. Buba, a Major-General, was yet to respond to the WhatsApp message sent to him. In the same vein, the spokesman of Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, did not also reply a WhatsApp message sent to him. Our correspondent reports that over the years, the affected areas have faced series of attacks by bandits, and farming and other economic activities have been affected. However, of recent, combined security forces with support of aerial reconnaissance have killed many terrorists in different parts of Katsina, with locals hoping to access their farms this rainy season. Besides Katsina, other states in the North West like Zamfara, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Kebbi are also facing security challenges
The naira depreciated to N1,520 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Monday. This signifies a 3.4 percent decline from the N1,470/$ traded on May 10. The bureau de change (BDC) operators, popularly known as street traders, put the buying price of the dollar at N1,490 and the selling price at N1,520 — leaving a profit margin of N30. At the official window, the local currency depreciated by 0.80 percent against the dollar to close at N1,478.11 on Monday — from the N1,466.31 traded on May 10. According to FMDQ Securities Exchange, a platform that oversees official FX trading in Nigeria, an exchange rate of N1,490 to the dollar was the highest rate recorded during trading and the lowest rate was N1,322/$. Meanwhile, Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Monday, said the apex bank had been “reoriented” to focus on price and monetary stability. Cardoso said the official FX market has been stabilised. According to the governor, investors previously had a “tendency to head for the window” in response to currency fluctuations, however, there has been a “fundamental shift”. Cardoso said investors are getting more comfortable with the official window.
President Bola Tinubu has directed all government ministries, departments, and agencies to purchase compressed-natural-gas-powered vehicles. Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said this in a Monday statement. “In line with his commitment to ensure energy security, drive utility, and cut high fuel costs, President Bola Tinubu has directed the mandatory procurement of compressed-natural-gas-powered vehicles by all government ministries, departments, and agencies,” Ngelale said. According to him, the move is part of the country’s efforts to transition to cleaner energy as CNG-enabled vehicles have been adjudged to produce lower emissions, even as they present a more affordable alternative for Nigerian energy consumers. This nation will not progress forward if we continue to dance on the same spot. We have the will to drive the implementation of CNG adoption across the country, and we must set the example as public officials in leading the way to that prosperous future that we are working to achieve for our people. It starts with us, and in seeing that we are serious, Nigerians will follow our lead,” Tinubu was quoted as saying while addressing members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the State House. Tinubu also directed the rejection of all memos brought by members of FEC seeking the purchase of traditional petrol-dependent vehicles, tasking the affected members of the council to go back and diligently seek value-driven procurements of CNG-compliant vehicles.
Conflict in Sudan and Gaza pushed the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) worldwide to a record 75.9 million at the end of 2023, an NGO monitor said Tuesday. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said the figure was a new end-of-year high by its count, with the number of people displaced within their own borders having increased by more than 50 percent in the last five years. The figure was up from 71.1 million at the end of 2022. While refugees are those who have fled abroad, internal displacement refers to the forced movement of people within the country they live in. In its annual Global Report on Internal Displacement, the IDMC said that 68.3 million people worldwide were displaced by conflict and violence, and 7.7 million by disasters. Over the past five years, the number of IDPs resulting from conflict has increased by 22.6 million, with the two biggest increases in 2022 and 2023. At 9.1 million, Sudan has the highest number of IDPs recorded for a single country since records began in 2008, the monitor said. Almost half of all IDPs live in sub-Saharan Africa. “Over the past two years, we’ve seen alarming new levels of people having to flee their homes due to conflict and violence, even in regions where the trend had been improving,” said IDMC director Alexandra Bilak. “Conflict, and the devastation it leaves behind, is keeping millions from re-building their lives, often for years on end.” Damning verdict’ – The monitor also keeps track of the number of internal displacements: each new forced movement of a person within their borders. People can be displaced several times over. Last year there were 46.9 million forced movements of people — 20.5 million internal displacements by conflict and violence, and 26.4 million by disasters. Fighting in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Palestinian territories accounted for nearly two-thirds of new movements of people due to conflict in 2023. In the Gaza Strip, 1.7 million Palestinians were internally displaced by the end of 2023, with 3.4 million new movements. The bloodiest-ever Gaza war broke out in October last year. Throughout 2023, there were six million forced movements of people caused by the violence in Sudan — more than in the previous 14 years combined. It is the second-highest number of forced movements within a year after Ukraine’s 16.9 million in 2022. Of the 26.4 million forced movements due to disasters, a third were in China and Turkey as a result of severe weather events and high-magnitude earthquakes. The IDMC was created by the Norwegian Refugee Council in 1998. “We have never, ever recorded so many people forced away from their homes and communities. It is a damning verdict on the failures of conflict prevention and peace-making,” said NRC chief Jan Egeland. “The lack of protection and assistance that millions endure cannot be allowed to continue.” AFP
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday that at least 35,173 people have been killed in the territory during more than seven months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants. The toll includes at least 82 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 79,061 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7. AFP
Rescuers recovered more bodies on Tuesday after weekend flash floods and cold lava flow on Indonesia’s Sumatra island killed at least 50 people and left another 27 missing, the country’s disaster agency said. Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos into six districts on Sumatra island Saturday evening while flooding inundated roads, homes and mosques. Workers cleaned up damaged buildings after the deluge while rescuers deployed a thermal drone to help the search, using excavators and their bare hands to try to find survivors in the rivers and rubble. “For the emergency response, heavy equipment has moved to clean up the disaster areas. And after this, we will go to shelters to ensure affected communities are served well,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto told reporters Tuesday. The official, who goes by one name, raised the death toll from 44 to 50 and said 27 people were still missing and 37 had been injured. More than 3,300 people have also evacuated from the affected areas. Authorities warned the death toll could rise further as the search for the dozens missing continued. The search was urgent as rescuers only had a “golden time” of six days to find survivors, Suharyanto said. Residents described the thundering noise they witnessed late Saturday when large volcanic rocks bowled down from Marapi and their fear as terrifying rains inundated their neighbourhoods. “Now, [we are] very traumatised. Me and my family are afraid to stay there again. I feel like renting somewhere else,” said Refki Amelia, a 39-year-old mother-of-three in Agam who survived but lost her mother and niece. Dozens of houses were swept away and rescuers said many of the victims were found in or around nearby rivers. Workers rushed to clear and repair a damaged bridge to ease access to the area. To aid the rescue effort, authorities said they would deploy weather modification technology that will start to work from Wednesday. “Efforts were made so the these rain clouds would not fall at the location of the disaster,” meteorological agency chief Dwikorita Karnawati told reporters. – Terrifying rains – Aid deliveries were being carried out using air and land routes, some of which required emergency bridges, after the flooding and cold lava flow cut off some road access in the worst-hit areas, Suharyanto said. BNPB spokesman Abdul Muhari on Monday said 71 houses were completely swept away and 125 were moderately damaged by the flooding and cold lava flow. Cold lava, also known as lahar, is volcanic material such as ash, sand and pebbles carried down a volcano’s slopes by rain. Indonesia is prone to landslides and floods during the rainy season. In 2022, about 24,000 people were evacuated and two children were killed in floods on Sumatra island, with environmental campaigners blaming deforestation caused by logging for worsening the disaster. Trees act as a natural defence against floods, slowing the rate at which water runs down hills and into rivers. Marapi is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos. In December, it erupted and spewed an ash tower 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) into the sky, taller than the volcano itself. At least 24 climbers, most of them university students, died in the eruption. AFP
