4 Drivers to Cool off in Jail for Fighting with FRSC Officials

 Four drivers will be remanded in prison custody for allegedly fighting with officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission in Ilorin. According to an Ilorin Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, the accused, Suleiman Aweda, Segun Busari, Suleiman Raji and Lawal Yusuf, will be remanded in the Federal Prison Yard, Ilorin.

They had appeared before the court on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, trespass and mischief, contrary to the Penal Code. According to the charge sheet, the accused entered the premises of FRSC, Jebba Unit, in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State and forcefully removed a Toyota Corolla car with registration number AE 814 PTG, impounded from Yusuf.

The charge also said that the accused vandalised the FRSC premises in the process of removing the vehicle, adding that the first accused, Yusuf, was arrested for contravening traffic laws and had his car impounded by FRSC operatives. The charge reads, “Yusuf was the person that mobilised his accomplices from the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Bode Sadu Branch, in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara.”

The prosecutor, Insp. Mojisola Olamokun, told the court that the alleged offences were not ordinarily bailable and urged the court to remand them in prison, pending the completion of investigation. Meanwhile, the accused persons pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the allegations against them. However, in her ruling, Magistrate Mariam Salahu ordered them to be remanded in the Federal Prison Yard, Ilorin, and adjourned the case till November 8.

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Lagos to get bicycle lanes

 In a bid to give Nigeria’s most populous city an effective transport system, the state government has announced plans to introduce bicycles lanes on major roads across the city.

This announcement was made by the Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos, Mr Kayode Opeifa, on Sunday at a cycling event ‘Park and Ride’ which urge Nigerians to park their cars and ride bicycles for an enhanced lifestyle and cleaner environment.

Speaking at the event as the special guest, Mr Opeifa noted that “the bicycle programme is on and pretty soon, you will see some roads in Lagos, marked as bike zones.”According to the Commissioner, “what is alternative to Okada (motorcycle) is the bicycle.”

This is coming at a time when the state government is still embroiled in controversy with the Okada riders over their restriction to ride on some highways in the city and a recent clampdown on them for defaulting the new Lagos Traffic law.

Discouraging the use of okada on walkable distance, the Commissioner stated that “anybody who wants to take a bike (okada) from their house to the bus stop, should use their bicycles.”

“And when they (commuters in Lagos) get to the bus stop they should tie their bikes to the poles provided at the bus stop and join the BRT buses.” “The poles we are providing at the bus stops are not for decorations but for people to tie their bicycles” he added.

“All over the world, from London to Stockholm to Buenos Aires, people now ride their bikes to work because it saves the environment of the gaseous emissions that is harmful to the environment.”

He also noted that cycling will enhance people’s lifestyle and thereby improve their productive and lifespan which he claims will also have a resultant effect on the nation’s GDP.

Acknowledging that the tropical weather in Lagos will make it uncomfortable for cyclers, the Commissioner noted that “yes, the weather will make people sweat but offices will be urged to provide showers” to ameliorate the discomfort.

This he claimed is done across the world.Park n Ride is an annual event organized by On Air personality, Mannie of CoolFM Lagos, which urges people to park their cars and ride bicycles in a bid to address climate change and improve people’s lifestyle.

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World’s Biggest Bra Put Up For Auction

 The world’s biggest bra is being auctioned for a breast cancer charity. Although, technically, the record-setting bra isn’t even the largest cup available.

 

How is that possible? Well, the bra, modeled on a 34B T-shirt bra, is actually a “mega 1,360B” that is nearly as big as two tennis courts and weighs as much as 1,800 traditional bras.

“Our aim in auctioning the bra is to build awareness and involvement in Wear It Pink Day as well as raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign in the process,” said the director of Chillisauce.co.uk, Adrian Simpson, whose group is auctioning off the bra.

The bra is being auctioned on eBay with a starting bid of £500 (U.S. $800.30). The auction continues through October 28, 2012.

Along with the actual bra itself, the winning bidder will receive a copy of the Guinness World Records official certificate. The record-setting bra first made headlines in October 2011, when it was suspended from the ITV Tower in London, in conjunction with last year’s Wear It Pink Day.

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Dangote, Elumelu nominated for Forbes Africa Person award

 Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and former Managing Director, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, have been selected along with three other individuals for the 2012 edition of the Forbes Africa Person of the year award.

 

The other persons are Dr. James Mwangi, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Equity Bank Limited, Kenya; Joyce Banda, President of Malawi and Stephen Saad, Co-founder, Aspen Pharmacare.

According to a statement by Forbes Africa, Dangote, Elumelu and the others were nominated by its readers because of their impact on African business in the past year.

The magazine said the Forbes Africa Person of the Year award would go to the individual who has had the most influence on events of the year gone by, adding that with the release of the final shortlist, voting has started on the magazine’s website.

The magazine said voting would close on Thursday, November 1, 2012, and the Forbes Africa Person of the Year would be revealed in an event in Nigeria.

“Aliko Dangote and Tony Elumelu are two Nigerians who made the final five. Dangote was there also last year before the awards was won by fellow country man and Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who did not make the final cut this year,” the magazine maintained.

On the nominees, Forbes said Aliko Dangote, founder and president of Dangote Group, last year’s runner-up to Forbes Africa Person of the Year, is still Africa’s richest man worth more than $11.2 billion. Dangote continues to be one of the continent’s biggest employers. He promises to donate most of his fortune to charitable causes upon his retirement.

“Dr James Mwangi won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2012 as well as Africa’s Innovation Leader of the Year Award in 2012. Equity Bank is planning to extend its financial services to Ethiopia when the country opens its banking industry for foreign investors.

“Banda, Malawi’s first female leader, has restored strained diplomatic ties with neighbours and the international community. Her administration has embraced investor friendly economic policies; she cut her salary by 30 per cent; sold the presidential jet and a fleet of luxury cars in austerity drive.

“Tony Elumelu, the multi-millionaire, grooms African business leaders and enterpreneurs through the Tony Elumelu Foundation. He is the leading advocate of Africapitalism, an economic philosophy that embodies the private sector’s commitment to Africa’s economic transformation through long-term investments.

“Stephen Saad is the biggest shareholder of the largest publicly traded drug manufacturer, Aspen. The company has a market capitalisation of $6 billion. Saad became a multimillionaire at 29. Now aged 47, he employs more than 6,000 people.”

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Mothers sell their breast milk on Facebook

 Women in the UK and U.S are selling their breast milk online, despite serious concerns that it could be harmful for babies.

 Mothers are using community forums, including Facebook, to make some quick cash out of their extra milk.

Buying breast milk is tempting to new parents struggling to express their own, as it provides babies with better protection against illnesses and allergies compared to formula.

Websites such as onlythebreast.co.uk appear to answer this need, saying: ‘Our discrete breastfeeding breast milk classified system makes it possible to sell or buy breast milk in a clean, private way.’

Donor mothers list their milk under the age of their baby and if they can provide fresh milk on demand. A search around the site reveals women from Essex to Newcastle are offering it either fresh or frozen for around £1 per fluid ounce, while $2 per ounce is the standard rate in the U.S .

There are legitimate ways to both donate and receive breast milk for free via milk banks.These centres store breast milk for babies whose mothers can’t breastfeed.The banks collect expressed milk from pre-screened mothers who have a plentiful supply and a baby under six-months old. It is then pasteurised before it is offered to nearby hospitals.

But today doctors in Germany warned new parents against privately obtaining their baby’s food through social networks such as Facebook.The Professional Association of Pediatricians said that although breast is generally the best option for newborns, mothers unable to breastfeed should not turn to the internet.

‘Donors can be taking medicines or drugs, have infectious illnesses like AIDS or Hepatitis,’ Wolfram Hartmann, president of the association, said.‘Nobody can check whether the unknown mother’s milk is harmless for the particular child’ he warned, adding that the milk’s quality could also be affected during its transportation.

The warning follows a report by the online edition of German news weekly Der Spiegel and the association’s own research, it said.

Doctors agree that breast milk is better than formula as it is packed with disease-fighting substances. However, many women struggle to express enough milk and resort to bottle feeding

It also warned that a newborn’s nutritional needs differed from those of a baby even of several weeks or months old.

‘The milk of a woman who already has an older child does not contain the right nutrient composition for a newborn,’ it added, and said women who were unable to breastfeed should use special powdered milk.

Although websites such as onlythebreast.co.uk says families can take precautions such as asking for medical documents showing the donor has a clean bill of health, this isn’t mandatory.

Professor Mitch Blair, Officer for Health Promotion at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: ‘We encourage women to breastfeed where possible – as it can have real health benefits for both mother and child.

‘For mothers who are unable to breastfeed, but want to give their children breast milk, the NHS breast milk bank provides a safe outlet for them to do so.

‘We would strongly recommend using these official NHS milk banks rather than buying breast milk from other sources over the internet.

‘It’s crucial that the milk is checked thoroughly for substances that could be harmful to the baby, that it is pasteurised properly and that it is transported safely – and only through official milk banks can we be sure that’s the case.’

Selling breast milk also throws up ethical questions, as one mother found when she expressed an interest in selling hers on Netmums.

One member asked why she wouldn’t donate something that was ‘free to make’, while another responded: ‘I cannot believe someone would want to profit from a mother & baby’s misfortune.

Onlythebreast.co.uk has not yet responded to a request for comment.

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12 bodies recovered as bus plunges into River

The Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) on Saturday said it has recovered 12 of the 21 persons travelling in a bus which plunged into a River at J4 area of the Sagamu-Ore expressway in Ogbere, Ijebu-East local government area of Ogun State.

The bodies were recovered 24 hours after the incident when officials of the FRSC, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Nigeria Police Force and Red Cross society launched a search and rescue operation.

The driver, who allegedly slept off, lost control of the coaster bus which swayed off the road and plunged into the River on Friday and got swept away before it was located 24 hours after.

About  11 bodies of the women and that of the driver, a male, were recovered inside the Federal Urban Mass Scheme bus with Abuja registration number BWR 428 XA.

The victims were reportedly travelling for a burial at Uronigbe in Oriohwon local government area of Edo State.Issa Seidu , the Ijebu-Ode Unit Commander of FRSC said three people were rescued on Friday night and were rushed to a private hospital in Ore.
He said he got the information from one of the survivors that the passengers that boarded the bus were 21, including the driver.

The FRSC boss attributed the accident to over speeding. “It is a clear case of over speeding on the part of the driver of the bus. If you look at the distance from which the bus ran into the river, which is about a kilometer away, it shows that the driver was on a terrible speed.

“It clearly shows that the driver was on a suicide mission. Although we don’t know the actually number of people in the bus, one of the survivors said they were 21 in number. “In all we were able to recovered 12 bodies and rescued three”.

Ibrahim Farinoye, information officer NEMA South – west Zone 2 said the agency would commence search and rescue operation of the remaining bodies in the river.

Families of the victims who were at the scene of the rescue operation could not hold the pain and tears.

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3 youths electrocuted in Warri flood camp

 Three youths were electrocuted at the Cavagina Primary School camp for flood victims in Warri, Delta, according to Chief Frank Omare, the state Commissioner for Environment.

Omare disclosed this on Saturday in Warri while briefing Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan on the situation at the Cavagina camp.

Omare said the youths were electrocuted after the high tension wire which ran through the camp snapped.

“Two young men who came to visit their aunty died and one Man-O-War member who was manning the camp gate died and we were able to get the area commandant to carry the corpse to the mortuary.

He said the situation at the Cavagina camp was horrible as it was being invaded by miscreants and recommended the immediate relocation of the flood victims

“Sir, we have also agreed that we will come here to seek your approval to relocate the Cavagina camp immediately, and we have identified two places --- the Ogbe-Ijaw primary and secondary schools’’, he said

Uduaghan ordered the immediate evacuation of the flood victims from the Cavagina Camp to Ogbe-Ijaw Primary and Secondary Schools, in Warri.

He frowned at the casualty recorded at the Cavagina camp, saying that the deaths could have been averted, if the managers had acted fast in relocating the people.

Uduaghan gave the Ministry of Housing and other stakeholders up till Saturday, 3 p.m., to move the people from the Cavagina camp.

“We need to move these people tomorrow (Saturday); you all know that I have been very uncomfortable with that Cavagina camp and kept saying let’s look for another place and what happened today was preventable.

“It is unfortunate that what was worrying my spirit, unfortunately has happened today,'’ Uduaghan said.

He charged the officials to respond to issues quickly because the situation was an emergency and should be treated as such.

The governor admitted that there were lots of challenges in providing and managing flood victims in the state.

He expressed appreciation to  those who had donated relief materials and urged others to support the government.

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Man wins $30M lottery after being dumped by his girlfriend

 

 A Massachusetts man who was recently dumped by his girlfriend has had the last laugh after winning $30 million in the Mega Millions jackpot. Sandeep Singh, who had been working two jobs to help his mother and sister, said he was heartbroken after his girlfriend broke up with him recently but he was “suddenly starting to get over it,” WCVB reported.

  “She broke up with me. But right now, I’m not really worried about it,” he said. He was asked if he thought his ex-girlfriend would call him back, he said, “Doesn’t matter.

 I hope not.”Lottery officials said Singh, 22, asked his sister to buy him four Quick Picks lottery tickets from a convenience store. He discovered he had won following the draw on Tuesday night.The Lottery winner did not feel comfortable with the media attention he was receiving. “Ahh, I’m like overwhelmed right now,” he told CBS. 

What is Singh going to do with his money?

He decided to take the one-time lump sum payment of about $23 million, about $16 million after taxes.

He told the media he would use the cash winnings to pay his mother’s mortgage, help his family, pay for college and donate some to charity.

Singh, who plans to leave his two jobs, is giving his two weeks notice. He also said his ex-girlfriend won’t be receiving a cent.

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Gunmen Kill another UNIPORT Student and 2 others

 Two weeks after four students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) were killed by a mob in Omuokiri, Aluu, tragedy struck in another host community of the institution as unknown gunmen killed another student of the school, his girlfriend and an ex-member of the National Youth Service Corps.

 

The incident occurred at Rumuchakara village in Choba community, the major host community of the university.THISDAY gathered that the former corps member, who only passed out on Thursday, decided to celebrate his graduation from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with his friends.

The ex-corps member was said to have gone out with the two friends to celebrate his graduation from the service and were returning from the outing when the car they were driving in skidded off the road and ran into a shop in the village.

Though no life was lost after the accident, an argument was said to have ensued between the owner of the shop and the occupants of the car.It was at that point that some men in an SUV arrived at the scene of the incident and opened fire on the crowd, killing the ex-corps member, the Uniport student and his girl friend, on the spot.

According to an eyewitness who would not give his name, “The corps member and his friends were drunk while driving and their vehicle ran into a shop. There was a serious argument between them and the owner of the shop.

“Within a short time, a group of men in an SUV came out and opened fire on the three persons, who died on the spot. The gunmen immediately drove away without any challenge.”

The names of those killed by the gunmen could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.Reacting to the incident, the institution’s public relations officer, Dr. Williams Wodi, said the university was shut down while students were asked to leave the hostels and go back to their various homes.

Wodi explained that the reason for such directive was for the management of the institution to re-evaluate the security situation on campus, adding that he was not in a position to speak for students expected to be currently under their parents’ care.

Confirming the incident, the state’s police public relations officer, Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, said security agencies had begun investigations into the matter.

Ugwuegbulam said the incident occurred around 9.30pm on Thursday. He assured the public that those behind the killings would be apprehended and brought to justice.

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NDLEA uncovers cocaine in candle

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Abia State command yesterday arrested a suspected drug peddler in Aba, Abia State. According to NDLEA commander in the state, Florence Ezeonye, the suspect was arrested at a courier house while attempting to transport the drugs concealed in a ‘spiritual’ candle to their agent in Vietnam. 

  Ezeonye said the officer attached to the courier company became suspicious when the suspect arrived the company, insisting that his parcel be handled with caution.  According to her, the officer took the candle from the suspect, and on closer examination, discovered that it contained drugs as well as a cheque of 500 Euros.

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Flood: 25% of Nigerians displaced, says Jonathan as Dangote committee targets N100bn

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday regretted that no fewer than 25 per cent Nigerians had been displaced by the flood ravaging most parts of the country.He said since those saddled with the responsibility of compiling data on the victims were still working, there was possibility that the figure might be more than that. 

He said his major concern was therefore how to resettle the displaced persons immediately after the flood receded.Jonathan spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja while inaugurating the National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation which he set up to raise fund to augment government’s efforts at mitigating the pains of the flood. 

The committee has businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association as its co-chairmen. Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr., who was absent at the inauguration is the Chief Fund Mobiliser.The President regretted that some states of the federation, includinghis home state Bayelsa, are currently about 80 per cent submerged.

He said his government was sad that Nigeria was facing what he called its unfair share of the global phenomenon.He tasked members of the committee to ascertain the impact of the flood on the people, raise fund to complement or augment government’s efforts to mitigate the pains and advise government on other things incidental.He said he expected the job to be completed in 12 months.

He said, “When people face this kind of flood devastation, it is no longer a national issue, it is an international issue because of the magnitude of refugees.“This is a country of 167 million as at November last year’s projection. It’s almost a year since that figure was released though the Commission is yet to release fresh figures, we are definitely more than that now.

“And when you consider the fact that about 25 per cent or so of these communities are impacted by that, though the actual figure of the land and area affected is yet to get to us, have been affected by the flood. 

“I spoke to my governor yesterday, he was so desperate because he said people do not even have food because all the channels of communications to Bayelsa State has been blocked by water.“So you have enormous responsibility but we believe you are equal to the task.” 

The President said members of the committee were carefully selected because the assignment needed people with empathy and human kindness.Jonathan assured stakeholders that his government is up to the task as it will do everything possible to ameliorate the pains. 

“Let me also use this opportunity to assure Nigerians again that the present administration will do everything possible to ameliorate the impact of this devasting flood on our people.

“We will do everything to cushion their pains, and we have put up a strong team made up of credible men and women who will also help government to achieve this,” he added. 

Dangote, in his remarks, said he and other members of the committee saw their selection as a call to service.He regretted that the floods came at a time the nations was battling with other challenges.

He, however, commended the President for responding swiftly to the situation by allocating funds and materials and materials for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims and also the setting up of presidential technical committee and the fund-raising one.

He said the committee would reach out to relevant organisations and individuals nationally and internationally to join them in mobilising resources and ideas to complement government’s efforts.

He also promised that the committee would be accountable and transparent in carrying out the assignment in such a way that both donors and beneficiaries are given account of the judicious application of funds and materials donated for the purpose.

“Be rest assured that we will not only rise to your expectations, but indeed, we will exceed them,” he said. 

Dangote later told State House correspondents that there was no limit to how much the committee intends to raise.He, however, added that a minimum of N100bn would be raised.
He said, “Our target is as much as we can think of and I am sure lot of Nigerians will donate something including yourselves.

“We are targeting N100 billion minimum, we do not want to look at it as a government issue.

“For some of us, when there were disasters in other countries we helped and so we expect people to help us.”Members of the committee inaugurated by the President include Alhaji Karami Isiaku Rabiu, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, Ngo Hannatu Cholum, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, Prof. Dora Akunyili and Mr. Tony Elumelu.

Others are the Secretary-General, Nigerian Red Cross, representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, UNDP, European Union, DFID and USAID.

Permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources, Works, Agriculture, Health, Finance, National Planning and the Ecological Funds Office are also members.

Other members are the Director-General, NEMA; acting Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties,  Chairman, House Committee on Environment , representatives of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, National Council of Women’s Societies, Mr. Tunde Lemo, (representing the Central Bank of Nigeria), Ms. Fatima Wali, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr., and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa.

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At Last Patience Jonathan To Return Today

After close to two months of undergoing treatment abroad, wife of Nigeria's President, Patience Jonathan has been scheduled to return to the country today (Thursday).

According to presidency sources, arrangements were made on Wednesday night to bring the First Lady back into the country early Thursday, barring any unexpected developments.

An online report said a presidential jet was scheduled to fly out of Abuja on Wednesday night to bring her back to the President villa in Abuja.

Patience was flown overseas nearly six weeks ago after developing complications from a cosmetic procedure she had undertaken in Dubai.

Upon returning to Nigeria from Dubai, the President’s wife was allegedly flown to Germany in an air ambulance following an emergency during which she was allegedly diagnosed with “food poisoning”.

According to reports, investigation revealed that her condition was more complicated and precarious. In the early stages she was said to have lost her power of speech for four days.

President Jonathan had on Saturday visited his wife in Germany in company with two of their children. The visit was aired on the Nigerian Television Authority on Sunday evening. In the short footage, Patience was seen to be in high spirit as she took photographs with the children as well as her husband and members of his delegation.

It would be recalled that her spokesman, Ayo Osinlu, had earlier told journalists that the President’s wife was only resting abroad after the stress of hosting the African First Ladies conference.

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Three de*d, four injured in renewed Plateau violence

Three persons were confirmed dead while four others sustained injuries in an attack early Tuesday morning in Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau state, north-central Nigeria.

 

Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Abuh Emmanuel, while confirming the incident and the casualty involved, announced a dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed in the local government area to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

The police spokesman stressed that more security personnel have been drafted to the affected communities while investigations into the incident have commenced with the aim of bringing the culprits to book.

An eye witness account told Channels Television that “at about 1:30 Tuesday morning some gun men stormed Rakum village in Barkin Ladi local government area and opened fire on three people alighting from a car, killing two of them instantly while the third person escaped narrowly with gunshots”.

People of the affected community could not offer much resistance due to the sophisticated guns and other dangerous weapons displayed by the attackers thereby forcing the vigilante group to scamper for safety.

However, the little resistance by the community which lasted for about 45 minutes made the attackers to flee into the mountains before the arrival of the Special Task Force (STF) in charge of security in the area.

The locals in turn waited till dawn for a reprisal which claimed the life of a Fulani man passing by before the STF intervened leaving four persons injured.

Barkin Ladi Chairman, Emmanuel Lomman condemn the killings as well as the reprisal and implored both the Special Task Force and the police to fish out the perpetrators on both attacks as government is not happy with the renewed killings in spite of peace efforts and several meetings held among all factions to find lasting peace in the area.

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UNIPORT students block East/West road in protest of slain colleagues

 Hundreds of students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) on Tuesday went on rampage blocking the busy East/West road and the Choba/Rumuokwuta road in protest of the gruesome murder of four of their colleagues last Friday.

The students, who defied appeals by the University’s authorities, made good their threat to protest the killing of their colleagues, who were beaten to death and set ablaze by the vigilance group from the Aluu community for alleged robbery.

The protest caused vehicular traffic jam on the road, forcing passengers to trek to their various destinations.The students carrying placards and photos of their slain colleagues, called for justice.

And if justice was denied, they vowed to retaliate the killing of their colleagues.Armed policemen and soldiers were drafted to the scene to maintain law and order and Channels Television’s correspondent reported sporadic gunshots and the shooting of tear gas by the security operatives, who attempted to disperse the students.

The protesting students were reportedly marching to the office of the governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi but were stopped by the police.Frightened students were also spotted attempting to vacate their hostels but were sent back by policemen.

The students had earlier been told to remain calm and allow security agencies perform their duties.The university also ordered that the national flag be flown at half-staff and suspended the students’ union week that was to start today.The identities of the students have been made public by UNIPORT authorities.

 They are: Biringa Chiadika Lordson, a second-year Theatre Arts student, with Matriculation Number U2010/1805036, Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor, also a year two Geology student with Matriculation Number U2010/5565149 and Mike Lloyd Toku, year two Civil Engineering student with Matriculation Number U2010/3010094.

The fourth person, Tekena Erikena, was yet to be identified as a student of the University of Port Harcourt, but information had it that he was a student of School of Basic Studies.

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Bullet in baby hit in Maiduguri yet to be removed, 49 days after

 The stray bullet which hit 15 months old baby, Shuaibu Mahmud, in Maiduguri on Sallah day is yet to be removed, Today's gist has learnt. 

The father of the boy, Mallam Mahmud was told by doctors at the Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, where he was referred to that the bullet cannot be removed now so as not to damage his brain.

“We were told to bring him back by December because the bullet penetrated through his skull and could damage his brain and eyes”, he said.Narrating how the incident occurred, he said, “My son was playing with other children in my in law’s house at federal low cost housing estate on Sallah when suddenly he fell down and blood started coming from out from his head.

 Initially, we did not know that it was a bullet that hit him, until he was taken to hospital, and an x-ray was carried out and the bullet was discovered”.

Mahmud lamented that his son is no longer as agile as he used to be.

“He can no longer stand on his own without support. I am afraid that the bullet might affect his brain”, he said.

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Lagos govt arrest 33 for hanging and sitting atop moving trains

 The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit in collaboration with the Railway Police Command have arrested 33 people for hanging and sitting atop moving trains operated by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC). 

The 33 passengers aged between 18 and 52 years were arrested at the Ikeja and Agege Railway Stations.Speaking on the arrest, Chairman of the Task Force,  Bayo Sulaiman said it was alarming and worrisome to see people sit atop moving trains.

He said following investigations by his men,  it was  revealed that most people involved were  touts and miscreants.He said the state government would not fold its arms and allow this act to continue.

Also speaking, the District Manager, Lagos District of the NRC,  Mr. Paul Ndibe  decried the act, saying riding atop a fast moving train was suicidal.

“We have warned passengers to desist from such act. We told them know the implication, advised that whenever there is no space for them to sit inside the train, they should not go with the train. Times without number, we have sent our workers to sensitize them about the dangers associated with hanging on the door-mouth or sitting on top of a fast moving train, but they have refused to take to our advice, hence the arrest,” he said.

He said the arrest of the 33 passengers is not aimed to witch hunt anyone, but aimed at putting a stop to the act.

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Flood displaced 53,000 residents in 11 communities in Delta

NO fewer than 53,000 residents of 11 communities in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State, have been rendered homeless following the flooding of their homes as a result of the overflow of the River Niger. Their farmlands were also submerged. 

Ivrogbor, Umeh, Uzere, Ehwen, Edherie and Igbide, in Isoko South Local Government Area of the state had also been submerged by the flood, rendering over 1,000 homeless. Motorists plying the East-West Road were, weekend, stranded at Umeh Junction of the road, which was submerged by the flood.

Our correspondent who visited the area, yesterday, noted that Patani, Abare, Torou-Angiama, Aven, Koloware, Ogor, Adobor, Bulu-Angiama, Uduophori, Ogolomo and Amatebe with a population of over 60,000 were being deserted. Odorubu and Ebresegha were the only two communities spared out of the 13 communities in Patani Council.

Most mud houses and some brick structures in the affected communities were destroyed. Transporters plying the Patani/Ughelli route had a field day as they hiked transport fare from Patani to Ughelli. Farmers were seen with their families in canoes harvesting their premature farm produce.

Former Delta State Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Development, Mr. Raymos Guanah, whose house in Patani was also submerged, expressed worry, lamenting that the entire council had been submerged save for two communities.

Guanah at the palace of the Pere of Kabowei Kingdom, HRH L. M. Erebulu, said he, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, Mr. Brave Enode, and Mr. Dogubo Mologe, whose houses were also submerged, had built a temporary camp at the Patani/Uzere Road that is still under construction, to accommodate displaced persons.

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Bomb kills woman, injures other in northern Nigeria

A bomb explosion near a state-owned National Television Authority (NTA) station in a northern Nigerian state has killed a woman and injured five children.

Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Yushua Shuaib said the overnight bomb blast occurred in Jalingo town in Taraba state.

He said a similar blast in the town had killed one person and left 14 others wounded on Thursday. 

Though no group has claimed responsibility, the only terrorist group that has been carrying out such bombing campaigns in the country is the Islamic sect known as Boko Haram.

The group wants an Islamic state in Nigeria's mostly Muslim north. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the north and capital city of Abuja since the sect started bombing and shooting at people in public places since 2009.

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EFCC arraigns 13 new marketers over N4.6bn subsidy fraud

 The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday arraigned 13 new oil marketers at a Lagos High Court, Ikeja for fuel subsidy fraud in the sum of N4.6 billion.

The EFCC alleged that they obtained the money by false pretence and using fake documents.

Ten of the oil marketers, made up of six persons and four companies, were arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru while the remaining three, made up of two individuals and one company, were arraigned before Justice Lateefa Okunnnu.

The six indicted oil marketers and their four companies were arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru on an eight- count charge.The charges bordered on “conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy to forge documents and uttering false documents.”

The EFCC alleged that the marketers and their companies had conspired to and also obtain huge sums of money from the Federal Government of Nigeria, purpoting the sums to be payments for subsidy under the Petrol Support Fund for the purported importation of premium motor spirit from Europe to Nigeria.

Those arraigned before Justice Abiru were Anosyke Group of Companies Ltd; Ifeanyi Anosike; Dell Energy Ltd; Emeka Chukwu; Ngozi Ekeoma; Downstream Energy Sources Ltd; Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula; Rocky Energy Ltd; George Ogbonna and one Emmanuel.

According to the charge sheets, Anosyke Group of Companies, Ifeanyi Anosike, Dell Energy Limited, Emeka Chukwu and Ngozi Ekeoma were arraigned on an eight count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N1,537,278,880.82, being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for purported supply of 15, 000 metric tonnes of premium motor spirit.

On the other hand, the commission arraigned Downstream Energy Sources Limited, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula, Rocky Energy Limited, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah on an eight count charge also bordering on conspiracy to obtain property by false pretence, conspiracy to forge documents, forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N789,648,329.25, being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported supply of 14,273,0227 litres of premium motor spirit.

The EFCC claimed that all the defendants at various times forged different bills of laden for premium motor spirit not supplied all in a bid to claim the Federal Government’s subsidy on fuel.

The 10 accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges and their counsel applied for a date for hearing of bail application for them.

They also prayed the court to order that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody as against prison custody.

Justice Abiru granted the request of the defendants as he ordered that they be remanded in EFCC custody.

He thereafter adjourned the matter till October 19, 2012 for hearing of their bail applications.

Eight oil companies and marketers were initially billed to appear before justice Lateefa Okunnu on Friday but the EFCC was only able to arraign only three marketers.

The three marketers arraigned before Justice Okunnu were made up of a company, ASB Investment Limited, and two persons, Aro Samuel Bamidele and Abiodun Kayode Bankole.

The three defendants and others yet to face trial were arraigned on an 18-count charge bordering on uttering, obtaining and falsifying documents to the tune of N2,326,927,210.07.

The three defendants who took their pleas before Justice Okunnu pleaded not guilty and the court fixed bail hearing for October 9, 2012 with an order that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody.

Among the five persons and companies that were absent in court on Friday were Abdulahi Alao, the son of Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Arisekola Alao.

Abdullahi Alao and his company, Axenergy Nigeria Limited, will be appearing for the third time for offences bordering on fuel subsidy fraud since the fuel subsidy trials commenced.

In the current charge, Abdullahi was again alleged to have obtained under false pretence as well as forged bills of laden and other relevant importation documents to perpetrate fraud.

Trial in the matter involving Abdullahi Alao and four others will commence on November 22, 2012 before Justice Okunnu.

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Your days are numbered, army chief tells terrorists

 The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, on Wednesday warned perpetrators of terrorist activities to have a rethink, warning that “nobody can bomb us into submission.”

Petinrin made this declaration at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Abuja during the presentation of entitlement cheques to the Next of Kins of the military personnel killed in action in 2012.

He said in any country there are those whose stock in trade is to constitute a nuisance and use acts of intimidation to get power.

He, however, urged Nigerians, especially families of those who died in the line of duty while defending the territorial integrity of the country, to be resolute as “the days of trouble makers are numbered.”

“We must be resolute, not only we in the armed forces but our families and children must be as resolute as we are,” he said.

The CDS advised those harbouring ambitions of ruling the country to do so through the proper channels rather than through the back-door of violence.

“Nobody will bomb us into submission or kill us into submission. If you want to rule people you don’t rule them by killing, you rule them by appealing to them, by forming your party, and by running elections,” he said.

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INEC is broke,can't pay salary - jega

 Its sounds rather unbelievable but its the truth that INEC- the Independent National Electoral Commission is broke and might not be able to pay its staffs in few months to come.

In a statement made by the commission boss on Wednesday in Abuja, he told the visiting members of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, led by its chairman, Mr. Jerry Manwe, that it was broke and might not be able to pay staff salaries, as from next month.

He therefore called on the legislators to quickly intervene and save the situation to avoid frustrating the commission’s aspiration of conducting the 2015 general elections in line with international best practices.

It would be recalled that, Ondo state gubernatorial election is just 16 days from now, it won’t be ideal for politicians to start ‘paying’ the salaries of the INEC staffs.

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EFCC blames cash based economy for crime and terrorism in Nigeria

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Sunday in Abuja, blamed the nation’s vulnerability to fraud, terrorism and crime on its operation of a cash-based economy. Speaking in an interview , the Secretary to the commission, Mr. Emmanuel Akomaye, said that the ease of cash flow occasioned by the cash-based economy made the nation so vulnerable.

He said that because of the cash-based economy, it was very difficult to track money as people carried huge sums of money in cash and did whatever business they liked without being tracked.

Akomaye said that if huge transactions were made to go through the financial institutions, they could be easily tracked and as such the nation’s vulnerability to such crimes would be reduced.

We are really highly vulnerable and one of the key reasons is this; we are a cash-based economy and that entails that it is difficult to track money.Elsewhere, every transaction goes through a financial institution; you can hardly go to some countries and bring out 5000 dollars to make a transaction. 

 

It necessarily would pass through a financial institution, but here because we are substantially cash-based, it therefore means that it’s a huge challenge to track money as you well know that we carry huge cash here and it’s becoming a challenge.Even the terror problem that we currently have in the country, one of the challenges is to determine: how are these people funded? Some of the operations are very sophisticated. 

 

You can conjecture that the level of their sophistication and operation necessarily means that they are properly funded. I mean it’s not a poor man that drives a jeep of N5 million and blows it up.Definitely that is not a poor man, even if the suicide bomber is a poor man, the person who funded him must be a rich man and these funding comes in very complex and complicated variance. 

 

It could be trade-based; sometimes the money is meant for legitimate things, but it ends up in criminal activity.So to the extent that we are operating a cash-based economy and monies move so freely in cash in huge sums, it’s a challenge.’’

Akomaye also said that the ease of cash flow had also made the nation vulnerable to drugs trafficking in the sense that drugs could pass through the country and payments made in cash as no one could easily track such cash payments.
He said that such vulnerability had also exposed the Nigerian population to illicit drugs saying that although Nigeria was a trans-shipment nation, some of the drugs still stayed back and were consumed locally.

``You also know that we have become a very significant trans-shipment route for drug trafficking and any country with that type of situation means that laundering activities will necessarily take place.

``Because when the drugs pass through here, it means that there is a syndicate either sitting locally or elsewhere that is networking with those who are doing the trans-shipment.
``Of course we cannot run away from the fact that even as we are still largely a trans-shipment point, some of it remains and when it remains, it is consumed by Nigerians.’’

Akomaye said that because the syndicates that ran drugs business could afford to do business with huge cash, they invested the dirty cash in some other legitimate businesses where it could no longer be connected to drugs.

``People who are involved in that trade try to make that business legitimate because the proceeds from the drugs are invested into businesses that look legitimate to make sure that it is clean.

``That is the whole process of laundering; to make dirty money look clean. We are highly vulnerable and again you know that our border points are so porous; we have a very large border line

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