The Global Peace and Life Rescue Initiative (GOPRI), has condemned the abduction of 39 students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State, who were abducted by bandits on Friday. The group urged Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai not to negotiate with bandits. In a statement by its Executive Director, Ambassador Melvin Ejeh, the group said the abduction was orchestrated to blackmail el-Rufai over his position on non-negotiation with bandits. According to the group, no responsible government should negotiate with terrorists. It hailed the governor for his prompt response that resulted in the rescue of 180 distraught students and members of staff of the school. It expressed optimism that the remaining 39 students still not accounted for would soon be rescued. The st...
Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has reiterated Nigerian troops commitment to ensure that Boko Haram terrorists are completely eliminated from Borno, Yobe , Northeast and the country in general . Attahiru stated this on Monday in Maiduguri while inspecting the second phase of large cache of weapons recovered from the Boko Haram terrorists by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole in various encounters with the insurgents in northern part of Borno state and fringes of Lakechad. The Army Boss who is on one week operational visit to the Theatre of Operation Lafiya Dole , had yesterday inspected another sets of heavy weapons recovered by the troops from the terrorists, which were displayed at the headquarters of 7 Division Nigerian Army, before later display of another sets of recovered...
The Zamfara Police Command has redeployed its Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Kaura-Namoda, following allegations of fraternizing and conniving with bandits terrorizing the area. The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu, stated this in a statement made available to journalists, in Gusau, on Monday. Shehu said, “the attention of the Zamfara State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video trending on social media platforms wherein the communities of Kungurki village, in Kaura Namoda LGA, accused the DPO of Kaura Namoda Division of conniving with recalcitrant armed bandits who were making life unbearable for the people. “Available records at the command revealed no formal complaint against the DPO in respect of the allegation. “However, the command enjoins members of ...
The Federal Government has dismissed the reported formation of a Biafra Customary Government by an ex-Niger Delta militant, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, as a “theatre of the absurd by a joker seeking attention’’. Speaking with newsmen on the development in Lagos on Monday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime would allow itself to be distracted by the absurdity. The Minister said: “I am sure you have heard of the theatre of the absurd, that is the best way I can describe it. “If Asari Dokubo wants to form and run a phantom government, I think he is free to do so. This administration will not be distracted because we still have a lot to do. “We are not ready to give any attention or time to a joker like Dokubo who is just looking f...
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it has intensified surveillance of filling stations in Lagos State to ensure compliance with the approved pump price band for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). Mr Ayorinde Cardoso, Zonal Operations Controller, DPR, Lagos, made this known after an inspection visit to some petrol stations located in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki areas of the state. Newsmen report that the Federal Government had on March 12 denied the increment of petrol to N212 per litre and had directed marketers to revert to the old price regime. Cardoso said the seven petrol stations inspected were selling fuel to customers between N162 to N165 per litre which was the approved price band. “This surveillance visit is part of our regular function and we are coming out today to c...
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has assured of fair and equitable distribution of its 227,480 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, stressing that every strata of the society will be adequately captured in the vaccination roll out. FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, who gave the assurance on Monday at the official flagged off of the vaccination at the Asokoro District Hospital Abuja, harped on the safety of the vaccine. The minister noted that the launching was the single largest vaccination programme ever in the FCT, to herald decisive victory over the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that Abuja being the seat of the Federal Government and melting pot of the nation has been challenged by the pandemic. “The FCTA will resolutely enforce all the National Guidelines and e...
Also new to the ARIA Albums Chat this week is A Day To Remember’s You’re Welcome, at No. 9. It’s the American post-hardcore band’s second Top 10 on the ARIA Charts, having hit No. 1 with their previous album, 2016’s Bad Vibrations. The Smith Street Band return to the chart with Unplugged In Wombat State Forest, the Melbourne rock band’s third live release in 12 months. It’s new at No. 11 on the national all-albums survey, and it’s this week’s best-seller on the ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart. Veteran Australia singer and songwriter Pete Murray impacts the chart for the first time since 2017 with The Night – EP, which starts at No. 22. Rising Australian funk/hip-hop artist Genesis Owusu makes his ARIA Top 50 debut with Smiling With No Teeth, bowing at No. 27. The Canberra artist collected AR...
Every day, Australia enjoys the sunrise before most other countries. There’s a new dawn for the country’s official music charts, too, which are moving forward one day for a Friday publication. Starting From this Friday (March 19) the weekly ARIA charts will be published at 5pm, a full 24 hours earlier than usual. With the shift, Australia will be the first major market weekly charts available anywhere. “We hope this will provide more opportunities to promote the Australian market and local artists,” says a rep for ARIA, which compiles the charts. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, shari...
File Photo The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is deploying all its operational energies in enforcing the use of helmets by motorcyclists across the country, its spokesman Mr Bisi Kazeem has said. Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO) of the FRSC, said this on Monday in Abuja in an interview with newsmen. He stressed that the enforcement had reduced fatalities in the event of crash, adding that motorcyclists were vulnerable road users as most of the crashes involving them were fatal. According to him, the use of helmets reduce damage to sensitive parts of their bodies, including eyes, skull, brain and nose. “As such, the use of helmets does not only make them responsible, but saves their lives in most cases. “Currently, our records show that there is significant improvement in...
The Ekiti State government will on Monday present monetary compensation to the first batch of police brutality survivors as recommended by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Allegations of Human Rights Violations Against the Defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad and Others. The panel was set up in the state following a directive issued by the Presidency to state governments to review allegations of human rights violations against members of the public by officials of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad. This was after youths took to the street with the #EndSARS campaign to protest against police brutality as allegedly committed by operatives of the defunct SARS. The panel set up in Ekiti is led by Retired Justice Cornelius Akintayo and comprises representatives of youth groups, civil socie...
On the wall of St. Joseph’s Church hangs a black-and-white photograph with a caption remembering when the Italian parish of Seriate gave 270 people emergency “hospitality” last year – coffins of the dead from COVID-19, sometimes up to 40 at a time. The hosts were Father Mario Carminati, 65, and Marcello Crotti, 46, who opened up the church to give the deceased a dignified temporary place of rest so they would not have to wait in a warehouse for burial or cremation. “For me it was a nightmare, but I didn’t have the opportunity to think about it a lot because when you find yourself in the middle of an emergency you have to rush and act according to your instinct,” Carminati, the senior priest in Seriate, said. A year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic in northern Italy was spiralling and the provinc...