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Nigerian writer, Lesley Nneka Arimah has been announced as the Africa Regional Winner of the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

The competition was open to unpublished work by writers from the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, but was won by the Nigerian author.


On the judging panel, which reflects the five regions of the Commonwealth, is Leila Aboulela, (Africa), Bina Shah (Asia), Marina Endicott (Canada and Europe), Fred D’Aguiar (the Caribbean) and Witi Ihimaera (The Pacific). The chair of judges is Romesh Gunesekera.

“We had a strong shortlist of stories from around the world that excited the judges and provoked a lively, stimulating set of discussions,” Gunesekera says. “The judges were looking for well-crafted stories that were compelling and original.

“The standards were high. We wanted stories that would engage us and make us rethink our notions of form, language and what mattered. The winning stories did all of that and more. Thank you writers.”

2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Regional Winners:
Africa: Lesley Nneka Arimah, “Light” (Nigeria)
Asia: Siddhartha Gigoo, “The Umbrella Man” (India)
Canada and Europe: Jonathan Tel, “The Human Phonograph” (United Kingdom)
Caribbean: Kevin Jared Hosein, “The King of Settlement 4″ (Trinidad and Tobago)
Pacific: Mary Rokonadravu, “Famished Eels” (Fiji)
More about the winners: Commonwealth Foundation

African judging representative Aboulela says the shortlisted stories from the continent were wide in range, but that Arimah’s story will resonate with readers from all walks of life.

“The African stories on the shortlist range from a satire on gender tensions to a meditation on bereavement; from internecine warfare to a comedy about childhood punishment,” she says.
“‘Light’ is warm, beautiful and deeply felt. Fluid and delightful, its theme of parenting across continents will strike a chord with readers throughout the world.”


Arimah says the recognition that comes with winning an international award is gratifying.
“I was delighted to hear that I’d won the regional prize,” she says. “Writing sometimes feels like yelling into a void and this was the pleasant shock of having a voice shout back ‘I get what you’re doing and I like it!’ Especially with this particular story and it’s wry, tongue-in-cheekiness. It means a lot to me.”

Read Lesley Nneka Arimah’s “Light” here

Listen to Arimah chatting about her story:



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The overall winner will be announced in London on 8 September.

via nigerianeye

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun, on Thursday said recent happenings in the country had shown that politics could be played peacefully.

Oyegun said this while receiving a delegation of Former Governors Forum (FGF) at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.



According to him, Nigerians should be proud as the outcome of the general elections had taught political leaders a valuable lesson.

“The party would require the contribution of every single, well-intended head because the problem confronting us demands collective efforts to surmount.

“Nigeria is going through a peaceful democratic revolution, all that is happening in the country at present shows that politics do not have to be war’’, he said.

He said APC would welcome a strong opposition in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to keep the incoming administration on its toes.

He said “PDP is part of Nigeria’s history’’ and the APC would be glad to have a formidable opposition party.

“For the PDP, they are part of the country’s history and history in the making. All they need to do is to go into retrospection.

“We will be glad to have a virile opposition. We want the PDP to be strong enough to be able to keep us on our toes’’, Oyegun said.

The former Gov. Jim Nwobodo of Anambra State, who spoke for FGF, said politicians should learn to embrace one another and support whoever emerged winner at any election.

He expressed concern over the break-up of the Forum into two factions saying it was unnecessary.
“Nigerian leaders should learn to eschew bitterness in politics and to support whoever emerges victorious at an election.

“I really do not feel it is good for us to have two former governor’s forum. It is good to have a united body regardless of whichever party wins.

“There is no reason to have two parallel bodies representing governors of the APC and the PDP’’, Nwobodo said.

He pledged support for the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, whom he described as “humble and principled’’ adding that the FGF would support Buhari when he assumes office in May 29.

Nwobodo also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for “his rare act of humility in conceding defeat at the polls thereby stemming the anticipated tension and crisis.’’

Former Gov. Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia said the parties in opposition will take up the challenge posed by Oyegun and provide a strong and virile opposition in the days ahead.

Also present were former governors Balarabe Musa, Ahmed Markarafi, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Fidelis Tapgun, Niyi Adabayo and Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

Also at the meeting were APC Women Leader, Hajia Ramatu Aliyu, National Auditor, Chief George Muoghalu, National Secretary, Mai Bala Buni, among others.

via nigerianeye

The Chief of Army Staff (CAOS), Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, on Thursday in Lagos said the Nigerian Army would not relent until it brought insurgency to an end in the country.

Minimah gave Nigerians the assurance at the inauguration of the newly refurbished 81 Division Officers’ Mess built by the General Officer Commanding, Maj.-Gen. Tamunomeibi Dibi.



“Never again will Nigeria walk this path where insurgency and terrorism will come to redefine our unity as a nation and bring the Nigerian Army to a low level of concern to its own.

“We will continue to push in major operations in the fight against insurgency to a close. It is achievable and we are working towards that.

“It is our wish that we find them (Chibok girls). It’s just in one of the camps that were destroyed that we found that number of Nigerians.

“I am sure that as we edge further into the forest, we will begin to capture more camps,’’ he said.
“We pray that we rescue more people. Every Nigerian looks forward to this.

“Let me commend the efforts of our gallant officers and soldiers who continue to make enormous sacrifices to ensure that Nigeria remains a safe, united and stable.

“I wish to reassure all Nigerians that the Nigerian Army will continue to do what is in the interest of the nation in pursuance of our constitutional roles.

“We will always rise to the occasion wherever and whenever duty calls. We will not fail Nigeria and Nigerians.’’

Minimah expressed profound thanks to President Goodluck Jonathan for his unwavering support for the Nigerian Army.

He noted that Jonathan had in various ways, particularly his morale boosting visits to the North-East operational theatre demonstrated unique leadership and solidarity.

Also speaking, the GOC, 81 Division, Dibi, said the mess was built through direct labour under the supervision of 45 division engineers.

“Greater part of the resources used in executing the project was initially generated internally and with support from friends of the division.

“Along the line, the COAS visited the mess under reconstruction and was impressed with the efforts put in place and the progress made,’’ he said.

The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Jonathan Ango, senior army offcers and the police graced the inauguration.

via nigerianeye

Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo, on Thursday said the All Progressives Congress (APC) would take the entire South-East in 2019 general elections.

Okorocha gave the assurance while speaking with newsmen at the end of his closed-door meeting with Buhari at the Defence House in Abuja.



He claimed that the region played a key role in Buhari’s victory in the just-concluded general elections compared to 2011 general elections.

“The South-East played a very key role in the victory of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, considering what happened in 2011 when the Peoples Democratic Party returned about seven million votes.

“We came to reassure him that in the next dispensation, the entire South-East will be APC,’’ he said.
The governor expressed optimism that the region would advance under Buhari’s leadership, describing him as a “fair person, who believes in justice, equity and fair play’’.

“The South-East is one of the tripods upon which this nation stands and we believe that what is good for ‘A’ is also good for ‘B’.

“We know that the South-East will not be left out in the political equation of Nigeria in terms of distribution of infrastructure and federal appointments,’’ he said.

On zoning of positions in the party, Okorocha said that no position had been zoned to anyone, adding that a committee had been set up to review the allocation and distribution of appointments in Nigeria.
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He also said that the issue of a president emerging from the South-East was still early and urged all to pray for success of the in-coming administration.

He prayed for God’s wisdom and health to enable Buhari carry out the task of governance in Nigeria, and assured him of the support of the South-East. (NAN)

via nigerianeye

Another walker, Malam Abubakar Umar, 43 years, who started trekking from Yola, Adamawa, on Saturday to celebrate the victory of President-elect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, arrived Gombe on Thursday where he spent the night.

Umar said he was carrying more than 70 letters of requests from people of the North East region to Buhari which were gave him.



He said that most of the requests he received from the people were urging the president-elect to address insecurity and rebuild the region.

Umar, popularly known as African Duduwalle, said some women had also asked him to appeal to Buhari not to scrap the office of the First Lady.

According to him, the women said the office provided them opportunity to benefit from empowerment opportunities, appointments and other benefits.

“My bag is full of letters and requests from people who said I should give Buhari.

“Women also told me that I should appeal to the president-elect not to scrap the office of the First Lady, which affords women the opportunity to air their views as well as benefit from the government.

“Some people also told me to appeal to the president-elect to do something on the issue of Boko Haram; they even said they would bring photographs of the insurgency,” he said.

The man, who said he was an ardent supporter of Buhari since 2003 when he was a youth leader on the platform of the defunct ANPP, was happy to hear that Buhari had won.

Umar explained that his walk to Abuja was also to identify with notable Adamawa indigenes such as the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Aliyu Mustapha; and wife of the president-elect, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, among others.

The walker said he had earlier planned to ride a bicycle to Abuja, but was encouraged by the trekking of Mr Suleiman Hashimu, who trekked from Lagos to Abuja to celebrate the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate’s victory in the March 28 election.

On his experience on walking a long distance before now, he recalled an instance where he trekked from Adamawa to Cameroun.

Officials of Airtel Nigeria received the man and provided him with a smart phone to enhance his communication as he proceeded to his destination, Abuja.

Umar thanked Nigerians from all walks of life that provided him with water, food and other assistance on his way.

Also speaking, the North East Zonal Business Manager of Airtel Nigeria Ltd, Malam Muhammad Ibrahim, said the company was proud to identify with the man who is an Airtel customer.

Ibrahim said as a social responsibility of the company to the customer who was embarking of such heroic action, the company believed it should support him with means of communication, hence the gift of a smart phone.

He said workers of the company kept contact with him as well as assisted him during his journey and that the assistance would be sustained to ease his burden of his trekking.

The man, who spent the night in Gombe, continued with his journey to Abuja on Thursday. (NAN)

via nigerianeye

The Federal Government on Thursday summoned the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Purwanto, and protested the execution of four Nigerians for trafficking drugs to the Asian country, despite appeals.

The Undersecretary, Economic and Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry, Amb. Bokunolu Onemola, who met with Purwanto in Abuja, conveyed Nigeria’s position to the envoy, saying the men should not have been executed in view of the robust relationship between Nigeria and Indonesia.



The Indonesian government had executed by firing squad Jamiu Owolabi Abashin, 50, Martin Anderson, 50, Okwudili Oyatanze, 41, and Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise, 47, and other nationals for drug trafficking, on Tuesday.

But Purwanto, in an interview with journalists after the meeting with Onemola, insisted that the execution of the convicts was carried out after all legal proceedings had been exhausted.

He said the case had been on for 10 years and Indonesia needed to make sure adequate opportunity was given to the convicts within the bounds of the law, stressing that his government suspended the moratorium on death penalty due to the gravity and dangerous impact of the drugs on the citizens.

“There was nothing we could do for those four Nigerians because every legal process was completed and only then did the government of Indonesia implement the decision of the court,” the envoy stated.

He explained that Indonesia suffered from the harsh reality of drug trafficking as about 4.5 million citizens, especially the youths, were affected by the narcotics, adding that only about 1.8 million of them had been rehabilitated.

The envoy added that between 33 to 50 victims of the drugs die every month, describing it as unfortunate.

On the issue of the Prisoner Transfer Agreement between both countries, Purwanto said, “Indonesia will be happy to do that but unfortunately we do not have the legal basis; we have to wait for a new legislation in Indonesia but then we have to convince our members of parliament to do that.”

Commenting on the incident, Onemola said irrespective of the fact that Nigeria had protested the execution on the basis of the subsisting friendly relations between both countries, Nigerians must desist from drug trafficking in countries where capital punishment was being implemented.

via nigerianeye

Defence authorities have said they will not be able to confirm whether the about 453 females rescued by the Special Forces in the Sambisa Forest on Tuesday and Wednesday are from Chibok or not without a comprehensive profiling of the distressed persons.

Troops of the Nigerian Army rescued 293 ladies comprising 200 girls and 93 women on Tuesday and rescued another batch of 160 women and children on Wednesday.



Those rescued comprised 100 children and 60 children, bringing the total number of the rescued persons as of Wednesday night to 453.

However, the Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday that the military would not release figures of those being freed from the captivity of Boko Haram as the number of those being released was on the increase.

Olukolade, who said the identities of the women and girls rescued on Tuesday had not been ascertained, stated that the military had commenced the process of verifying their identities.

He assured Nigerians of the readiness of the military to sustain the tempo of the ongoing raid on the Sambisa Forest and the continuing release of those held under abominable condition by the insurgents.

The defence spokesman stated however that while some of the rescued ladies might be from Bumsiri community in Damboa as claimed by the Borno State Government, not all of them belonged to that category.

He said, “The true identity of some of the rescued women and girls are yet to be ascertained. At the moment, what is uppermost and of priority is their movement to a conducive place, where they are now undergoing thorough profiling to verify their true identity; where they come from, how they found themselves in the forest, etc.

“Additional number of persons is still being recovered from the forest. Until such comprehensive profiling is done, nobody can confirm whether they are among the Chibok girls or not.

“Whoever they may be, the important thing is that Nigerians, held captive under very severe and inhuman condition, have been freed by our gallant troops. The joy and sense of hope being expressed by many Nigerians on hearing about the rescue operation is therefore understandable.

“We would like to reassure them that the momentum of this operation will be sustained until that Sambisa Forest is comprehensively cleaned out and all Nigerians held captive within the bowels of the forest are rescued. There is great hope for the recovery of more hostages of the terrorists.”

Olukolade urged the Boko Haram fighters to surrender themselves as the forest would no longer be a safe haven for them.

via nigerianeye

The Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has instructed all state commissioners and heads of government agencies and parastatals to cooperate with the transition committee, set up by the Governor-elect Alhaji Abubakar Bello.

Aliyu said his instruction has become necessary as the outgoing administration has nothing to hide, warning the state official not to create the impression that the government was not ready to cooperate with the incoming regime.


He said top government officials as well as permanent secretaries should provide answers to questions asked by members of the 37-member committee put in place by the Governor–elect
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Aliyu stated this in Minna on Thursday after inaugurating the 4.5-kilometer Lapai-Gwari-FUT junction road executed at over N1bn.

The governor said he had met with members of the Governor-elect’s transition committee, during which “we had fruitful discussions.”

He promised that the administration would make public the income and expenditure and the final financial position of the state before May 29, adding that since government was a continuum, the incoming regime should be able to take over the assets and liabilities of the government.

He faulted the Federal Government’s directive, placing a restriction on state governments from obtaining financial facilities from commercial banks, saying the policy had no justification from whatever perspective it might be looked at.

The governor also reacted to the claims that his administration was hugely indebted, saying from available records, Niger State is the 27th most indebted state in the country, contrary to the claims by critics of the administration.

Aliyu said the administration had started negotiation with some commercial firms in Saudi Arabia for a loan to dualise the Minna–Bida road, but had to put the talks on hold because of the limited time left for incumbent government.

He urged the incoming state administration to continue with the negotiation.

via nigerianeye

Femi Fani-Kayode, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, says he will remain in the party in spite of its defeat in the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

Fani-Kayode said this while fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday.



He also dismissed the insinuation that he was about seeking political asylum abroad, following the failure of the party to win the 2015 presidential election.

“We are not going anywhere, I can speak for myself and I can speak for many others. We are here to stay. We will provide a virile opposition to the APC.

“We will do all that needs to be done to ensure that the incoming government remains on its toes and we will all do this in a very peaceful and a very honourable way.

“But, nobody is going anywhere as far as I’m concerned, we are here to stay, neither are we running away, there is nothing to be scared of, we fought hard, we did well.

“I’m very proud of my team, I am proud of my campaign organisation and we will continue in the trenches until this country is on the road to success and we will continue to do that.”

He assured that the PDP would join hands with other political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), to move the nation forward.

According to him, the PDP is not divided as is being speculated in some quarters, but will remain stronger and united for the general progress of the country.

via nigerianeye

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday promised that he would do all within his powers to ensure that all parts of the country still under the control of terrorists and insurgents were totally liberated before May 29.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted the President as making the promise while receiving a delegation of Heads of Customs from the West and Central African Region of the World Customs Organisation, led by the Secretary-General of the organisation, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya.


The delegation visited Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Jonathan reportedly told his guests that he was determined to hand over a country completely free of terrorist strongholds to the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.

He was further quoted as saying the ongoing military operations in the North-East had already recorded huge successes, with two states completely free from the control of terrorists, while operations in the third state had reached a concluding stage.

“We can now say two states are completely free from terrorist control, while in the third state, it is only in one Local Government Area that they are still present. That is in the Sambisa Forest,” the President told his guests.

Jonathan also noted that the military had already moved into the forest to seize the remaining camps of the terrorists, adding that the recent rescue of about 300 abducted girls and women was further evidence of the success being achieved in the ongoing operation.

On his decision to concede victory to the President-elect before all the results of the presidential elections were announced, Jonathan said elections must be approached from a nationalistic point of view.

“Our elections should be about where Nigeria is going. If Nigeria is moving forward, it is for the good of all Nigerians. My children and grandchildren will live and grow in this country and contribute to it.

“I always tell my colleagues to leave office when their time is up. We are trying to encourage African leaders not to remain in power as kings until death,’’ he said.

via nigerianeye

Justice Muhammed Lima of Benin division of Federal High Court on Thursday sentenced Michael Igbinedion, son of Gabriel Igbinedion, a Benin based billionaire to six years imprisonment over alleged laundering of N25 billion fund belonging to Edo state government.

Justice Lima also sentenced Patrick Eboigbodin, an aide to the former governor Lucky Igbinedion to 20 years imprisonment, in addition to a fine of N250,000 on a 10-count charge.


Michael Igbinedion, a younger brother to former governor Lucky Igbinedion, was sentenced to two years imprisonment on each of the three count charges. He was however given an option N3 million fine.

All the jail terms of the convicts are to run concurrently.

PML Securities Limited, one of the companies allegedly used by the convicts to launder the funds, was ordered to fold up and forfeit all its assets to the federal government.

The 81-count charges case was instituted against the convicts, Michael Igbinedion, Patrick Eboigbodin, Gava Corporation, Romring Nigeria Limited, PML Securities and PML Nigeria Limited by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), an offence said to have been committed between 1999 and 2007 when Lucky Igbinedion was governor of the state.

Michael Igbinedion was convicted on counts 79, 80 and 81 which bothered on collecting cash payment above N500,000, while Patrick Eboigbodin and PML (Nigeria) Limited were found guilty on counts 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 and 58 which bothered on collaboration to conceal origin of funds amounting to millions of naira paid into their private accounts.

Justice Lima however discharged all the accused on other count charges on ground of failure to prove allegations beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution.‎ He said the prosecution only proved suspicion and failed to prove illicit origin of funds deposited in some banks.

via nigerianeye

The Lagos State government yesterday said at least 24 religious outfits were shut in year 2014 for contravening the State guidelines on noise pollution.



The state government further said the new Material Recovery Facility, would be established to capture the huge waste generated daily and boost the Waste-to-wealth programme in the state.
Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello and General Manager of the Lagos State Environment Protection, LASEPA, Mr Ademola Shabi, an engineer, disclosed this at the 2015 ministerial press briefing held in Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

Shabi reeling out the activities of his agency in the year under review added that 13 industries were shut for violating the environmental guidelines set by the government.

He lamented that the pollution generated daily in the state was increasing and the government must embark on measures to reduce it, adding; “We received over 1, 000 petitions in the year under review. But we have been able to resolve some and some have relocated.”

According to him, “We have shut about 24 religious outfits in the last one year because they failed to adhere to the state guidelines on noise pollution.”

The general manager explained that these religious outfits contribute “the religious outfits contribute about 50 percent of the noise pollution in the state. In the last few years, we have been having problem to control noise from these outfits. We have been able to shut them down while some have relocated from the community where they were.

via nigerianeye

In a daring operation, Nigerian troops rescued over 400 women and children from Boko Haram stronghold, Sambisa forest, North-East, Nigeria.

Some of the pictures of the rescued women and children below..











via nigerianeye

The Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday denied appointing PriceWaterHouse Coopers to audit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the allegation the company diverted $20 billion oil money.

This claim was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Minister, Paul Nwabuikwu, Thursday.



According to Mr. Nwabuikwu, the statement came in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of three accounting firms before a Lagos High Court, accusing Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala of violating the local content law by appointing PwC.

“The group is alleging that she appointed the global audit firm PWC to conduct the recently concluded forensic audit of the NNPC against the provisions of the Local Content Act,” he said.

As finance minister and coordinator of the economy, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala played a leading role in 2014 as the government tried to debunk allegation by a former governor of Central Bank, Lamido Sanusi, that $20 billion oil money had been stolen.

After efforts to reconcile the accounts at a Senate hearing failed, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala announced that an independent forensic audit would be conducted.

The government later announced the hiring of PriceWatersHouseCoopers.

Despite completing its work in September, the government only released the report on Monday.

The report, which indicted the NNPC and has asked the corporation to refund over at least $1.48billion to the federal government, has however been discredited after PwC affirmed it could not vouch for its content and overall quality of its work.(NAN)

via nigerianeye

Below is A text of Press Briefing by Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade at Defence Headquarters, Abuja on April 30, 2015

• Rescued Women Undergoing Thorough Profiling
• True Identities of some Freed Victims yet to be ascertained
• Terrorist Field Commanders Killed -Notorious Training Camps Destroyed
• Nigerians being held captives are being freed by Gallant Troops
• Hope for the recovery of more hostage of the terrorists

Gentlemen of the press, As you already know, troops have commenced operations deep into the Sambisa forest after sustained aerial bombardments by the Nigerian Air Force. The main objective as you know is to decimate and clear the terrorists from the forest which is their last bastion.


Several field commanders and foot soldiers of the terrorist group have lost their lives, some armoured personnel carriers, Bufallo vehicles mounted with Anti-Aircraft guns, a truck and several Hilux vehicles were destroyed by troops. Also recovered from the fleeing terrorists are a number of Anti-Aircraft guns, General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) and several AK 47 rifles.

Unfortunately though, we lost one soldier in the course of the operation while 10 others have so far been wounded.

Chris Olukolade

The true identity of some of the rescued women and girls are yet to be ascertained. At the moment, what is upper most and of priority is their movement to a conducive place where they are now undergoing thorough profiling to verify their true identity, where they come from, how they found themselves in the forest, etc. Additional number of persons are still being recovered from the forest.

Until such comprehensive profiling is done, nobody can confirm whether they are among the Chibok girls or not. Whoever they may be, the important thing is that Nigerians held captive under very severe and inhuman condition have been freed by our gallant troops. The joy and sense of hope being expressed by many Nigerians on hearing about the rescue operation is therefore understandable.

We would like to reassure them that the momentum of this operation will be sustained until that sambisa forest is comprehensively cleaned out and all Nigerians held captive within the bowels of the forest are rescued. There is great hope for the recovery of more hostage of the terrorists. Already, the dislodged and disorganized terrorists are in flight on different directions and running helter-skelter in the expansive forest.

There is no longer any respite or sanctuary for them; they will be pursued and tracked down not minding the daunting challenges in the mission including hundreds of land mines and difficult terrain of the Sambisa forest. It should be noted however that the essence of this operation is not to kill everybody in sight. We encourage any of the combatants who is desirous to surrender to come out, as the forest will no more be tenable as a haven for their activities.

In the same vein, innocent civilians among those in flight are also encouraged to report themselves to the troops. We will continue to treat civilians in the most professional and humane way.

We thank all Nigerians for their continued prayers and support and assure them that Never Again shall forces of darkness reign supreme in our country.

Thank you.

CHRIS OLUKOLADE Major General Director Defence Information
April 30, 2015

via nigerianeye

The three children who suffered serious injuries following an unexpected attack by a monkey in Illado, Ikorodu, Lagos, are receiving treatment at the Shallom Hospital in the area, the Police in Lagos said on Thursday.

The children, attacked on Tuesday, are eight-year-old girl, Funmilayo Gbadegeshin, two siblings Roda and Emmanuel Alombo.



Eyewitnesses said that the monkey is owned by one Mrs Daniel, popularly known as “Iya Ibeji’ who also resides in Illado also.

Mr Babatunde Oyesola, one of the residents, who said he witnessed the incident, said that the monkey left the owner’s house and went into the Gbadegeshin’s home.

It attacked Funmilayo right in the parents’ home as she just returned from school.

He added that after the she was rescued and was rushed to a nearby hospital the monkey moved to another house belonging to Mr Alombo to attack Roda and Emmanuel.

The children had just returned from school also.

Oyesola said that neighbours on hearing the shout of the girl, felt she was being scolded by her older sister.

“The incident happened at about 4.30 p.m. when the children had just returned from school.

“I heard Funmilayo shouting and crying, so, I felt her sister was beating her for something she did, but when the cry did not stop, I decided to check what was happening myself.

“When I got there, I saw blood all over the place and saw a monkey jumping out from the window but because of what I saw, I had to save the girl first.

“We noticed that the vein on her right hand has been cut off and the blood was seriously rushing out of it,’’ he said.

Oyesola added that while Funmilayo was being attended to in the hospital, other children who were attacked by the monkey too were rushed in.

Another eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the monkey had been attacking people in the area and that necessary precautions had not been taken by the owner.

The victim’s father, Mr Mojeed Gbadegeshin, who was away when the incident occurred, said he was called from work that the monkey had attacked his daughter.

“When I got to the hospital, I met a crowd and I was asked to go inside and see the state the monkey left my daughter.

“Afterwards the owner of the monkey came without uttering a word of sympathy and she only left with the monkey,’’ he said.

Gbadegeshin said that a report was made by well-wishers in the area to Igbogbo Barracks Police Division.

The police were said to have arrested the monkey and its owner.

Confirming the arrest, the Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said the owner and the monkey were already in custody.

“One of the children was badly injured and the other two were mildly injured but they are currently being treated.

“Also, necessary precautions will be taken to check such attacks by animals reared by people in communities.

“Necessary tests will be carried out on the children to ensure that the monkey is a healthy animal and that the children are free from any form of disease,’’ he said. (NAN)

via nigerianeye

The proprietor of Daar Communications PLC, Raymond Dokpesi, has stated that Monday’s decision by the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to bar one of its subsidiaries, Africa Independent Television, from covering his activities was an attempt by the former military Head of State to bring back the era of Decree 4, according to an interview he granted Premium Times.

Mr. Dokpesi said Mr. Buhari lacks the power to stop the AIT from covering his activities, as doing so would amount to breaking the law.

“I am sure that the President-elect needs to be reminded of Decree 4, and he should be clearly reminded that section 32 of the constitution makes it mandatory for the media to hold public officials accountable to the people,” he said.

He also said Section 39 of the constitution equally grants Nigerians the freedom of expression and to hold opinion.



“The president-elect said that he does not want to be covered by AIT, but AIT has a responsibility to the Nigerian public to report the things that are happening,” he said.

“There are three national networks available for national coverage in Nigeria, the NTA, AIT and Silverbirds. You cannot stop a foremost private station from reporting in Nigeria, it brings us back to Decree 4 era.”

Mr. Dokpesi also acknowledged that Mr. Buhari may have taken his decision based on the documentaries ran by the station during the electioneering campaign.

He said Daar Communications is a commercial entity and therefore reserves the right to run anything it considers worthy of being televised. He said there is also a right of response available to anyone who feels strongly about any matter broadcast by the station.

“If they had produced their own documentary to say this is what we want and AIT did not publish it, then that is another matter,” he said.

“What is obviously very clear is the fact that AIT believes that the historical information about the President elect that were ran, were factually correct. Nothing was done to defame him or impinge on his character or integrity.”

Mr. Dokpesi also added that another documentary about one of the national leaders of APC, Bola Tinubu were also factually correct.

The media proprietor said although the documentaries were produced outside of Daar communications, “We take responsibility for the running of these items and I as an individual is satisfied because due diligence was followed in ensuring that the things that are contained were factually right”.

via nigerianeye

A middle-aged-man, Collins Nduka, on Thursday pleaded with an Ojo Customary Court in Lagos State to order his wife, Sefinat Nduka, to refund N1.4 million he spent in marrying her.

Collins told the court that his wife, whom he married three years ago, had decided to abandon her matrimonial home for more than a year.



“I would want a refund of the amount that I spent as marriage and dowry expenses because she has become unfaithful.

“My wife is not faithful to the marriage because she has other relationships apart from me and I no more love her. After all, she has not given birth to any child for me.

“The most painful thing is that she has parked all my belongings in my house to an unknown place in addition to her emptying my shop which I stocked with over N750,000,” he said.

According to him, the three-year-old marriage is being threatened and every bit of her action portrays her as someone no longer interested in the union.

“I invited my friends from outside the country to make the marriage an expensive one and after it, she wants to leave me for another man, I need my dowry so she can be free,” Nduka said.

He pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage and order Sefinat to return his belongings which she allegedly parked away and money to him so that he could continue with his life.

Sefinat, who was absent in court, had earlier told the court that she did not cart away her husband’s property as he had alleged.

She, however, said that she was ready for the divorce.

The President, Chief Joseph Ogunmola, while advising the husband on the dangers of divorce, instructed that the respondent be invited to the court.
'
“The court does not dissolve any marriage except in extreme cases, we need the consent of both parties before judgment so she must be invited, “he said.

Ogunmola, therefore, adjourned the case to May19 for further hearing. (NAN)

via nigerianeye

The Nigerian Police Force, Lagos State Command, on Thursday gave hints to the public on how to be security conscious in their environment and while driving around the metropolis. The spokesperson to the command, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, gave the hints while speaking with newsmen in Ikeja.

Nwosu said the hints were to make sure the public was alert to security issues in their environment. According to Nwosu, he said any driver in Lagos should not display any valuables on the dashboard of their cars. “Do not accept any service of a hawker or a mobile artisan whom you are not sure of when driving as he may be a disguised burglar or rapist,’’ he said.



Nwosu also said that parents should not leave their children with strangers in public places and churches, adding that they should always lock the doors and windows before leaving their apartments. “When watching the television or listening to radio or entertaining your guests, the doors and windows should be locked,’’ he said.

Nwosu also advised that the public should not throw or leave their receipt behind after using the ATM as criminals could use it to access their bank accounts.

“Avoid carrying huge cash on transit; you may be preyed by miscreants who chance on such secrets.“Provide adequate security for cash in transit, including the use of police escort and also desist from keeping money or valuables inside your car,’’ he said. Nwosu said that the command had recovered over twelve cars suspected to be stolen during the month of March from different locations in Lagos.

He noted that curbing crime was a collective responsibility, stressing that the public should not relent in giving the police information about any suspicious persons. “Help the police to help you and let us join hands to rid our society of crime; it is a collective responsibility.

“Report any suspicious movement in your vicinity to the police and never confront a criminal as your life is very important. “Call the police on these numbers; Police control room 1 emergency/ distress call telephone numbers: 08060357795, 07035068242.

Others are Rapid Response Squad Control Room 2: 08065154338 or 07055462708 and 767, the toll free line,’’ he said.

via nigerianeye

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has attributed the current fuel scarcity to the misrule of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

Atiku who spoke to Journalists yesterday after a private meeting with the President-Elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari at the Defence House in Abuja said they the hallmarks of PDP were inefficiency and corruption.



He said that Buhari’s government would bring changes, but stressed it would be gradual.

“We just discussed private matters. Well, there is nothing unusual in what is going on. That is PDP for you: corruption inefficiency and what have you. Real changes will come. The president elect has assured that but it will not just come over night. It has to be gradual. Definitely there will be positive change in that matter but it will be gradual”.

On the zoning of offices in the national assembly and the time it will be resolved, the former Vice President said “That is too earlier. This is something the party and the leadership are handling. I believe it would be resolved before the House reconvenes”.

Meanwhile, a statement from his media office earlier commended the Nigerian military for rescuing some 293 women from Sambisa forest in Borno state.

“While we rejoice in the rescue of the women and girls yesterday, we urge that our military continues steadfastly in the operations until all abducted Nigerians have been rescued and territories recaptured,” Atiku said.

via nigerianeye

Hajiya Hauwa Yuguda, the mother of the Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, on Wednesday died at the age of 85 after a protracted illness.

The governor, who is the eldest son of the deceased, popularly called Goggo, described his mother’s death as a great loss to the entire family.



He also described her late mother as a caring mother, who used to accommodate to all.

While receiving sympathisers at the Ramat House, Bauchi, the Governor stated that the death of his mother did not come as a surprise as every soul must die.

Yuguda, while expressing appreciation to the people for their presence at the funeral prayer of his mother, prayed God to grant her soul eternal rest and her family members the fortitude to bear the loss.

Deputy Chief Imam of the Bauchi Central Mosque, Imam Ahmed Jahun, led the prayer at the burial of Hauwa Yuguda at the premises of the Bauchi Emir’s palace, with the Emir, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu, and other dignitaries in attendance.

The late Goggo was later laid to rest at the new Bauchi graveyard at Dungulbi Village along Bauchi-Gombe road.

She is survived by three children, among whom are Governor Yuguda and the chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board, who is also the District Head of Yuguda, Alhaji Abdullahi Dabo, over 30 grandchildren and great grandchildren.

via nigerianeye

The Adamawa North Senatorial District Senator-elect, Binta Garba, on Thursday said she would unite the upper legislative chamber if she is elected as the first female Senate President in Nigeria.

According to her, as the only female Senator from the North, her interest to vie for the Senate Presidency is to bring transparency into the leadership of the red chamber.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the three-term member of the House of Representatives, said she had written to all her colleagues and other Nigerians on the need to support her bid to emerge as the first female Senate President in Nigeria.


Garba, who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, said, “Apart from the fact that I have held several positions as a lawmaker in the House of Representatives, I am the first female chairperson of any public party in Nigeria, having been elected as the Adamawa State Chapter Chairperson of the APC in April last year.

“I am still holding that position till today and the unity I brought to the party brought about the successes we recorded in the recent general elections.

“As a delegate member from Adamawa State to the National Conference, I served on the Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government. I know what Nigerians need when it comes to lawmaking and leadership. It is time for all to support the female folks to be at the forefront of decision-making in Nigeria.”

via nigerianeye

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said all members of the Peoples Democratic Party who defected to the All Progressives Congress because he lost the March 28 presidential election would return with empty stomach.

He said the leaders of the APC would first settle their existing members before thinking of settling defectors.



He added that “food” may have finished before it gets to the turn of the defectors to eat.

Jonathan spoke shortly after receiving the report of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation led by Senator Ahmadu Ali at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

via nigerianeye

National Emergency Management Agency has unveiled plans to distribute relief materials to the hundreds of females liberated by the military from the captivity of terror group, Boko Haram, in their hideout in Sambisa Forest, Borno State.

The military had announced the rescue of 293 women and girls from Sambisa Forest on Tuesday while another set of 160 women and children were freed on Wednesday.



NEMA, in a statement on Thursday by the Information Officer of the North-East office of NEMA, AbdulKadir Ibrahim, stated that “contacts have already been established with the military to deliver immediate relief support to the women that were recently rescued by the troops from the camps of the insurgents in Borno State.”

Ibrahim revealed that the Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi, during a visit to the headquarters of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, said the agency had also commenced a special need assessment of the Internally Displaced Persons, rescued from previously occupied communities in the state, to strengthen humanitarian supports to them.

The NEMA boss, who was represented by the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation. Mr. Udemezue Ezeh, explained that the agency had packaged some relief materials for immediate distribution to the rescued women, urging the military to assist in the delivery of the items to them.

These items, he said, were made up of food and sanitary items.

The General Officer Commanding, 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Brig.-Gen. Hamisu Hassan, appreciated the prompt response of NEMA and assured the agency of necessary cooperation towards supporting the victims.

The statement added that at the various camps, hosting the rescued IDPs, Ezeh expressed satisfaction with the arrangements and cooperation among the stakeholders including the state officials.

At the Federal Training Centre camp, Dalori, the spokesman for the management committee of the camp, Alhaji Ali Grema, said there were more than 12,000 persons living in the camp.

He stated that about 33 bags of rice were prepared for the inmates per day.

via nigerianeye

A bus conductor, Ademola Segun, who allegedly stabbed a passenger with a broken bottle on his belly, was on Wednesday brought before a Badagry Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State. The accused, 18, whose address is unknown, is facing a charge of assault.



The prosecution said the accused allegedly stabbed a passenger on the bus, Abraham Shedrack, with a broken bottle following an argument over fares. Insp. Innocent Uko told the court that the accused committed the offence on March 6 at Ajido Bus Stop in Badagry.

“The accused stabbed the passenger on the stomach during an argument between them over the fare to pay. “When the conductor asked the accused to pay his fare, the accused gave him a torn note which led to an argument between them.

“In the process, the accused took a bottle and stabbed the passenger on his stomach. “The passenger is still on admission at a private hospital in Badagry,” he said. Uko noted that the offence contravened Section 171 of Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the offence. Counsel to the accused, Mr Bosipo Awuwu, pleaded with the court to grant him bail on liberal terms. The Magistrate, Mr Abioldun Etti, in his ruling, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with a surety in like sum.

He said the surety must provide evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government. Further hearing in the case has been fixed for May 4.

via nigerianeye

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Thursday in Islamabad condemned 10 men to life in prison for involvement in the attempted murder of teenage education activist and Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai.

Malala was shot in 2012, as she returned with two classmates from school in Mingora town of the Swat District in the northwest.


The military said in September 2014 they had arrested 10 militants in connection with the attack.

A chief court officer said on condition of anonymity that the accused were tried by an anti-terrorism court in Swat.

He said they confessed to planning and carrying out the attack on behalf of fugitive Taliban Chief, Maulana Fazlullah.

He said the court found them guilty of the attack and conspiracy to kill her and handed down life sentences to them.

A police official confirmed that Fazlulllah was wanted in the Malala attack case along with another militant Ataullah Khan, who was also believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Shahbaz Rajput, a senior lawyer said life imprisonment in Pakistan “means 25 years in jail and the convicts can appeal against the sentence in the high court.”

Malala, now 17, survived being shot in the head and moved to Britain, going on to become the youngest Nobel peace prize winner in 2014.

She initially gained fame at the age of 11, when she wrote a diary for the BBC in Urdu.

Her writings documented life under strict Sharia, including a ban on women’s education by Taliban, who controlled Swat from 2007 to 2009.

The rebels lost power when they were defeated by army and their chief Fazlullah escaped to Afghanistan, where he lives in a hiding.

(NAN)

via nigerianeye

South African women married to Nigerian men have narrated the discrimination they face for marrying men outside their country. Seeing the disaffection their kinsmen show them after finding love in the hands of Nigerian men, the women decided to form an association, the United Nigerian Wives in South Africa (UNWISA) club about two years ago where they give support and succor to each other.


42 year old Lindwela Uche who serves as the chairwoman of the group told AFP that they saw the xenophobic attacks coming and alerted their husbands but they did not take their warning seriously "We saw this thing coming and that’s why we formed this association. If only they (the authorities) had listened to us… they would have known that there’s a fire burning slowly and they would have seen how to tackle it.”she said.


One of the members of the association,“Lufunu Orji who is married to a Nigerian resource consultant, Ogbonnaya Orji, says being married to a foreigner is very challenging
"Being married to a foreigner is very challenging. You often spend your time defending yourself and then you defend your foreign husband for being himself. Just before I got wed to my husband, I lost two very best friends of mine. They thought I was out of my mind" she said

Another member of the group who gave her name as Uche, said her 13-year-old daughter returned from school a while ago, complaining that her teacher had told her “not to bring that Nigerian mentality here” after she and classmates were noisy in class.

“We need to be protected, we need our children to be protected… and our husbands to be treated with dignity,” Uche said

37 year old Thelma Okoro, says the attitude towards them “are negative everywhere we go,”. According to her, wearing traditional Nigerian dress on the street can attract bad comments. She spoke of how her eight-year-old daughter gets mocked by schoolmates over her name “Ngozi” which means “blessing” in Igbo but literally translates to “danger” in Zulu.

via nigerianeye

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the JonathanAdministration of plotting to hinder a smooth handover of power on May29th,. as it is becoming apparent that the Administration will not fully cooperate with the incoming government, despite its public posturing in that regard.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also described as an act of hostility and a patently-misplaced aggression the unnecessary vituperation against the incoming Buhari Administration by the Jonathan government, ostensibly because of the terms of reference of the Buhari Transition Committee but in reality part of an orchestrated plot to sabotage the transition.



It rejected the continued blackmail by the Jonathan Administration as a result of President Jonathan’s concession of defeat, wondering whether the concession, gracious as it was, has now become a shield for all wrong doings.

”We are sick and tired of being blackmailed by the Jonathanians. Gen. Buhari won the 28 March Presidential Elections fair and square, having satisfied both constitutional and other statutory requirements.

We have no apology for our victory, and the concession of defeat – while it may have increased the political stock of President Jonathan – has by no means diminished the historic and emphatic victory of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress,” APC said.

Justifying its statement that the Jonathan Administration is plotting to hinder a smooth transition of power, the party said while the outgoing government had earlier issued a memo to all ministries, departments and agencies to make sure their handover notes are ready by April 20th, the same government has now reversed itself and said the handover notes will not be ready until May 14th.

”With the new date, the Buhari Transition Committee will have little or no time to take a thorough look at the handover notes or seek clarification on knotty issues, effectively handing it (Buhari Transition Committee) a fait accompli as far as the handover notes are concerned. This does not augur well for a smooth transition and gives the impression that the outgoing Administration is trying to hide something.

”By its dillydallying on the date for the readiness of the handover notes from the MDAs, the administration’s posturing that it is ready to hand over has been exposed as nothing but a smokescreen,” it said.

APC described as illogical and strange the claim by the Jonathan Administration that the President-elect is trying to set up a parallel government simply because he has set up his own Transition Committee and given it terms of reference meant to guide the members on the discharge of their duties as members of that Committee, wondering how on earth those terms of reference have become the concern of the outgoing Federal Executive Council.

”In case the Federal Executive Council has forgotten, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress was declared the winner of the March 28th Presidential Election by INEC. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is therefore today the President-elect and the All Progressives Congress
the incoming government. It is therefore illogical to accuse the President-elect and the incoming government of setting up a parallel government.

”It is either the outgoing Federal Executive Council has something to hide or is bent on sabotaging the incoming government. There can be no other reasons for the misplaced aggression that was exhibited in that ill-intentioned, unprovoked and vitriolic statement from the Jonathan
government,” the party said.

It said that in order to put the matter beyond doubt, the party has decided to publish in full the terms of reference in question so that Nigerians can judge for themselves whether there is anything suggestive of intimidation or running a parallel government in the document.

APC warned the Jonathanians not to overstretch the goodwill which the President has earned by his gracious concession even before INEC officially declared Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the March 28th Presidential election, saying while it was momentous, it was not unprecedented in Africa, where power has changed hands peacefully between the ruling and opposition parties in several nations.

”Are they now saying that because the President conceded defeat, the incoming administration can no longer ask legitimate questions or seek clarifications that may arise from the handover notes.

”We will not surrender to any blackmail, subtle or otherwise. We shall ask questions and ask for explanations and clarifications whenever and wherever we deem such necessary. We cannot run a transparently honest government or fight corruption if we are prevented from asking legitimate questions and seeking clarifications from the outgoing government during the transition process. Let the Jonathan Administration not tie our hands behind our back just because he conceded defeat after losing an election,” the party said.

via nigerianeye

Eleven ships laden with petroleum products had arrived at the Lagos ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority(NAN) said on Thursday in Lagos.

This is contained in ‘’’Shipping Position’’, a daily publication of NPA.



It said that the vessels conveyed petrol, kerosene and base oil, adding that two other ships with rice consignment had also sailed into the ports.

The publication also stated that 37 ships were being expected at the ports from April 30 to May 23.
According to it, 13 of the ships will sail into the ports with food items, including rice, buckwheat, bulk sugar, salt and frozen fish.

It disclosed that containers were expected to be brought in by 12 ships, while seven others would berth at the ports with general cargo.

It added that the remaining five ships would arrive at the ports with petroleum products, which would include diesel and petrol.

via nigerianeye

Nigeria’s president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari is know for his stern looks, and 'serious face' most times, however former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar must have cracked a very good joke to keep the General laughing all the way.

It must have been a really good joke, because Atiku laughed along as well.

Atiku visited Buhari at the Defence House in Abuja yesterday and below are more pictures...





What do you think Atiku told Buhari?

via nigerianeye

The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, on Thursday expressed happiness with the nation’s labour movement and assured it of adequate security during the 2015 Workers’ Day celebrations.



Arase gave the assurance in a message to the workers ahead of the May Day scheduled for Friday.

He said adequate security arrangement had been made for a hitch-free celebration, adding that heads of police formations nationwide had been directed to deploy large human and material resources for the celebration.

The IG advised the workers to be vigilant and report any security threats in their locality to the police and other law enforcement agencies promptly.

He described workers as “a dependable ally” in the efforts to provide security in the country and commended their role in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the just concluded general elections.

(NAN)

via nigerianeye

The Anambra State Coordinator of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation in the 2007 presidential elections, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Nwokoye, was on Monday brutalised by men of the Department of State Service.

The DSS operatives reportedly beat Nwokoye to the extent that his sight had been affected.



Nwokoye alleged that he was brutalised because he refused to release information about 22 expatriate medical doctors invited by the Anambra State government for free medical mission in the state.

As of the time of filing this report on Wednesday, Nwokoye was receiving treatment at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka.

But the DSS said Nwokoye was to be blamed because he allegedly held its men hostage in his hotel.

This, the DSS explained, necessitated the agency to send its operatives to the hotel to rescue the men.

The state DSS Director, Alex Okeiyi, told newsmen that the command had concluded arrangements to take Nwokoye to court for assault.

Okeiyi said, “People should learn to respect security operatives because we are working for them. Securing Anambra is at a cost, people should help us; our men are being targeted by hoodlums all the time.”

But Nwokoye insisted that the DSS men bundled him and his wife to the agency’s office at Amawbia and humiliated them.

He said, “I was handcuffed with my wife like common criminals. I have never seen such a thing all my life, the retina of my eyes has been damaged. I was humiliated for no offence committed.

“I was in the hotel when these people walked in, three of them, they said they had information that some expatriates were quartered in the hotel and they demanded for the photocopies of their passports.

“I demanded for their identities because we did not know them and the security situation in the land is terrible. They refused and one of them banged his hand on the table in anger, shouting that they will deal with me for refusing to cooperate with them.

“At that point, I moved outside the room and called the Divisional Police Officer at the Central Police Station and ordered the people to lock the hotel gate; that was all. It is like they called their office for reinforcement and about 20 minutes later, they came in siren-blaring vehicles.

“They started beating my wife and me. They handcuffed us and bundled us into their vehicle and took us to their office, where we were dumped in a cell. As if that was not enough, they brought me out after they had removed my shirt, trousers and underwear, but their boss came out and ordered them to clothe me.

“One of the men later came and kicked me at the lower part of my body and I fainted. When I regained consciousness, I saw myself on a stretcher in their clinic; that was exactly what happened.”

A government official, who pleaded not to be named, said the DSS operatives were wrong for the assault on Nwokoye.

The official said, “Why would they demand the photocopies and identities of the medical doctors brought in by the government to treat the indigent and less-privileged persons in the state?

“Why didn’t they contact the government and inquire from us?”

via nigerianeye

Adamawa House of Assembly yesterday passed a resolution calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to probe alleged procurement of 50 Toyota Hilux vehicles and two bullet proof Jeeps at a cost of N580 million by the six- month old administration of Governor Bala Ngilari.



The House also called on the state government to, as a matter of urgency re-instate the sacked Director General of the state Public Procurement Bureau, Mallam Bello Umar, who it said was removed by the executive for querying the purchase for not following due process.Ngilari
The House at its plenary presided over by the factional Speaker, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, recommended the honouring of Mallam Umar with national award for doing his job diligently in relation to the alleged purchase and other executive excesses that cost him his job.

The Speaker the House Alhaji Fintiri, also declared the seat of three lawmakers vacant. Citing Section 108 of the 1999 Constitution, Fintiri pointing out that the affected members, Umar Abdulkarim- PDM-Nasarawo/Binyeri; Hamman Tukur- PDM-Jada/Mbulo and Adamu Usman- APC-Toungo, were elected to the House on the platform of PDP but they defected to other parties to contest the last general election.

A faction of the House had earlier sat at the Conference Hall of the Government House and impeached both the Speaker, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and his deputy, Mr Kwamoti La’ori.
Fintiri was replaced by Hon. Jerry Kumdisi as the new speaker following a motion moved by Hon Kabillo and seconded by the member representing Yola South, Hon Abuzarri Ribadu.

However, yesterday’s resolutions came under Matters of Urgent Public Importance moved by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Kwamoti Laori, who said that the state government sacked Umar for querying among others the procurement of the Hilux vans at the cost of N400 million and the two Lexus Jeeps at the cost of N180 million, bringing the total to N580 million.

Laori who described the affected contracts as exorbitant claimed that the cost of new bullet proof Jeep per unit was N35 million, adding that the ones purchased by the government were fairly used vehicles.

via nigerianeye

Michael Igbinedion, younger brother of Lucky Igbinedion, former governor of Edo state, was on Wednesday convicted by a Federal High Court, Benin Division, presided over by Justice A. M. Lima, in a N25 billion money laundering case instituted against him and five others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.



Others convicted in the 81-count charge of money laundering are Patrick Eboigbodin, a former Accountant-General and the four companies are Gava Corporation Limited, Romrig Nigeria Limited, PMI Securities Company Limited and PML (Nigeria) Limited.
‎
The offence was committed during the administration of his brother, Lucky, when was he Governor of Edo State between 1999 and 2007.

Reading the judgement that lasted for over three hours, Justice Lima convicted the junior Igbinedion on counts 79, 80 and 81 which bothered on collecting cash payment above N500,000.00, while ‎Patrick and PML (Nigeria) Limited were convicted on count 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 and 58 which bothered on collaboration to conceal origin of funds amounting to millions of naira paid into their private accounts.

Justice Lima who said the prosecution proved alleged collaboration beyond reasonable doubts, however discharged all the accused on other count charges because the prosecution failed to prove the allegations, noting that the prosecution only proved suspicion and failed to prove illicit origin of funds deposited in some banks.

Justice Lima however reserved their sentenced till Thursday, 30 April.

via nigerianeye

President- elect, General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday painted a gloomy picture in the economic development of his administration as he said that the decline in the revenues due to fall in oil prices poses a great threat to his administration’s development agenda.

Buhari who visited the newly elected Senators and House of Representatives members who are undergoing induction course in preparation for the 8th National Assembly in Abuja also said that the decline in revenue would affect the reconstruction of devastated areas in the country as a result of insurgency.



He reminded the elected members of the 8th assembly of the challenges the nation had been facing which he also said would continue in the near future.

The challenges according to him include general insecurity and insurgency that has caused extreme human hardship and destruction of lives, livelihoods that would take over a decade to rebuild across most of North Eastern Nigeria and some parts of North western Nigeria.

Another threat to his administration according to him was the devastation and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta area which he said must be attended to.

Others include, “endemic corruption which has crippled human and infrastructure development for decades. Unacceptably poor provision of power supply which has had a crippling effect on development of small businesses and indeed the wider economy.

“Deindustrialization for the past three decades leading to closure of many industries and migration of many to other African countries. Unacceptably high levels of unemployment and especially Youth Unemployment reaching over 40 per cent.”

Besides, Gen. Buhari mentioned high cost of governance that has been crowding out the nation’s capital and human development, erosion of public social services such as infrastructure, health and education as well as lack of development in the agricultural and solid mineral sectors as areas that should be aggressively addressed.

While soliciting the support of the lawmakers, the President-elect said, “The legislature is a critical component and necessary ingredient of democracy and good governance. The legislature by nature is inherently democratic in the sense that all members are equal and are elected representatives of the Nigerian people.

“As President-elect, I recognize this fact and believe that legislators carry this heavy burden of representation with all the seriousness it deserves.

“For a president to be successful in addressing community development and general welfare of the various people of the country, he or she would benefit from working closely and in harmony with the legislative arm of government.

“I therefore commit myself to working with the legislature as development partners motivated by the desire to deliver good governance”.

He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the role he played in the sustenance of democratic institution by accepting election result, saying that Nigeria was in the threshold of history.
Bemoaning high cost of governance, he said, “First and foremost, appropriate policies need to be put in place and such policies may have to be translated into laws.

“Secondly, the oversight functions of the legislature is critical in ensuring that policies are implemented effectively and transparently. Therefore, my mission to bring integrity into governance would better succeed if complemented with a strong culture of transparent oversight.

“We need to collaborate on the budget process and restructuring of the public sector so as to collectively tackle the menace of high recurrent cost at the expense of capital and human development.”

“There is an urgent need to contain this high state of insecurity. All of you are representing various communities. We need to work together to address the problem from both its roots and manifestations.

“The strongest mitigating forces at this point are to redress the power sector deficits, encourage investments that are job creating and focus on human development and reconstruction. We also need to deploy efforts in conflict resolution and peace building in all our communities.

“I am here today, to invite you to work with the executive as partners in progress, as champions of good governance and development and as warriors for change. Together, we can make this nation great and as a role model in Africa and other emerging economies and democracies.”

President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, David Mark, who ushered in the President-elect into the International Conference Centre, in company of other leaders of the National Assembly, described the visit as historic.

Noting that it was the first time a President-elect was considering it worthwhile to address a joint session of the National Assembly, Mark agreed it was a historic meeting in the journey of democracy.
For the Speaker, House of Representative and Governor-elect, Sokoto State, Honourable Aminu W. Tambuwal, Buhari has extended a hand of fellowship to the legislature by his personal visit.

Tambuwal however expressed hope that his colleagues would reciprocate Buhari’s gesture by also extending a sincere hand of fellowship to the President-elect when his government fully takes over.

via nigerianeye

The military authorities have taken the 293 women and girls rescued by the Special Forces during a raid on the dreaded Sambisa Forest to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State.

An intelligence officer, who made this known to one of our correspondents on Wednesday, also said the women and girls were undergoing a series of tests, including pregnancy and HIV in the hospital.

The officer also said that seven of the girls had gunshot injuries which were being treated by the medical officials of the UMTH.



Findings indicated that out of the 293 ladies, 200 were aged between 13 and 18, the age brackets of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14, 2014.

When one of our correspondents contacted the Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris. Olukolade, to confirm the officer’s information on the rescued females, he said, “We will talk about it when we are through; we are busy moving them off the line of duty for a thorough screening.

“The military would do everything to take care of them and make them feel not traumatised.”

Our source explained that the military would on Thursday (today) commence a holistic investigation of the identities of the girls and women after the tests and treatment.

Another officer reevaled that the DHQ was being careful with saying who the women and girls were to avoid mistakes.

He said, “This is a sensitive matter that has to be handled with serious caution. You cannot say before the commencement of the investigation that they are the Chibok girls or not.

“Another thing is that you cannot start asking them if they are from Chibok because of the harrowing experiences or trauma they have gone through.

“Clearly, it would be too early for anybody to say that Chibok girls are among them or not; they are under custody; they went through trauma and we want to them to have some relief. Those with medical requirements are being treated.

“But the military is very careful. There is the need to ascertain their true identities.

“There would be individual interrogation of each of those rescued, to ascertain their link with the sect.”

However, the Borno State Government said on Wednesday that most of the ladies were from Bumsiri, a village in Damboa Local Government Area of the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Bulama, told journalists in Maiduguri that, “The girls and women rescued are our daughters just like the Chibok girls. We have to commend the military for liberating them, hoping that the rest will equally be liberated.

“Though everyone had thought they were the Chibok girls, but we should not lose sight that they are as important as the Chibok girls.

“At the moment, we are looking forward to the time the 293 women/girls would be handed over to us so that we can begin the process of rehabilitating and reintegrating them into the society.”

Also, the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, described the military operation as “gratifying regardless of whether or not the rescued women formed part of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by insurgents in 2014.”

Shettima, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Isa Gusau, said, “I am so full of excitement and gratitude to God. I commend our gallant armed forces for this great feat. For me, the lives, safety and welfare of all citizens of Borno State are of equal importance.

“However, this rescue is also very dear to me. I am as pleased as much as I would be when the Chibok schoolgirls are rescued by the special grace of God. I am very optimistic, prayerful and supportive of the military’s ongoing rescue and counter-insurgency operations.

“We won’t give up on the Chibok schoolgirls like I said two weeks ago. No sane parent gives up on a missing child.

“I have daughters and I know the love of a parent to the girl child. For now, it is better to allow the military handle things, conduct their investigations and ascertain the identities of those rescued but irrespective of the identities of the girls, we are very happy that they have been rescued whether they are citizens of Borno or anywhere else.

“We have abiding faith in God that He will see us through these times and we shall overcome the temporary but traumatic moment of grief. God will set Chibok girls and all Nigerians free from fear and the brutality of Boko Haram insurgents and others in their league.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress has appealed to the abductors of the Chibok girls to embrace reconciliation and release them.

A Deputy President of the NLC, Mr. Peters Adeyemi, said, “We use the opportunity to join in the call for the release of the Chibok girls; we plead with those who abducted them to release them in the spirit of national rebirth and lay down their arms to give way to a reconciliatory dialogue for peace and stability of the nation.”

via nigerianeye

Lagos State Government on Wednesday said it had fine-tuned its financial strategy to ensure that funds it borrowed were repaid.

The government added that N100.73bn had been reserved in the state’s sinking fund reserve to pay its debts.

The Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi, said this on Wednesday in Lagos.

He added that although it had N225bn outstanding in its debt issuance programme, over N100.73bn had been saved as of March 2015 to pay it back.



He said, “Fifteen per cent of the monthly Internally Generated Revenue is transferred to a Consolidated Debt Service Account, managed by independent trustees, with N100.73bn accrued in sinking fund reserve for repayment of outstanding issues, while coupons are serviced regularly.”

He said the government had the approval of the Lagos State House of Assembly for the buy-back of the Lekki-Epe Expressway, adding that the negotiated price for that transaction was N15bn.

Gbeleyi said, “The transaction came to closure in June last year. The payment was done in two tranches of N7.5bn and N7.5bn.

“We paid the second tranche last year December. And from that date, the government took effective control of the project.”

The commissioner further explained that after listening to the requests of the residents, the government decided to cancel the initial planned third toll plaza on the road.

“For the purpose of the Public Private Partnership project finance, one will find two sources of finances; that is debt and equity. The equity is provided by promoters of the ventures. The debt is provided by various members – commercial banks and other financial institution.

“On the road, we have about N40bn outstanding to this consortium of senior lenders which are eight financial institutions, including the African Development Bank and First Bank Plc.

“Thus, even though the state bought out equity interest in the transaction, the debt exposure must still be honoured over agreed contracted terms and conditions.

“We must send the right signal to the community of investors and we must respect the sanctity of contract, rule of law and predictability of investment. It is something that is sacrosanct if we must continue to attract the right investor to the state.”

via nigerianeye