State
US election crimes director resigns after Donald Trump’s attorney general authorises probes
The top federal investigator of election crimes in the US has resigned just hours after Donald Trump’s attorney general William Barr authorised probes into claims of voter fraud. Richard Pilger, director of the election crimes branch of the Department of Justice, stepped down from the post he has held since 2010 on Monday. The branch director, Richard Pilger, handed in his resignation within hours of Barr’s authorization. In an email to colleagues about Barr’s order, Pilger said, “Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications… I must regretfully resign from my role,” The New York Times reported. US Attorney General William Barr gave federal prosecutors blanket authorization Monday to open investigations into voting irregularities, as President Donald Trump repeated u...
200,000 police attached to politicians – Ex-IGP
A former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, says over 200,000 police officers were attached to political elites, a practice he termed “policing the elites against policing security spaces.” He spoke at the second edition of the National Dialogue series of the Political Leadership and Training Institute (POLA) of former governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel held in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital. “We have about 400,000 police personnel in Nigeria and 200,000 of those officers are with the political elites. What we are doing in this country is that, we are policing the elites, we are not policing security spaces and this is an issue we have to look into”, Arase added. Arase attributed the challenges facing the police to lack of political will to implement reports of many re...
Northeast elders asks President Buhari to sack service chiefs
The Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development, Monday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack his service chiefs, accusing the military of deploying massive strength during the #EndSARS protests in parts of the country, thereby leaving the zone at the mercy of Boko Haram, an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists. According to the elders, scores of civilians were killed as a result of the strategic and operational blunders, which they argued, was avoidable, had greater tact been adopted. In a statement signed by the chairman, Engr. Zana Goni, the North East elders said pro-active intelligence would have revealed this lapse to the military high command, had the service chiefs not been lethargic in their responsibilities. Consequently, the elders, for the um...
Arabic inscriptions on naira doesn’t threaten Nigeria’s secular status – central bank tells court
The Central Bank of Nigeria has vehemently opposed a suit before the Federal High Court in Lagos praying that the Arabic inscriptions on naira notes be removed. A Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, who filed the suit before Justice Mohammed Liman, contended that having Arabic inscriptions on the naira notes portrays Nigeria as an Islamic state, contrary to the country’s constitutional status of a secular state. Omirhobo, who said he does not know what the Arabic inscriptions mean, is praying the court to order the CBN to replace the Arabic inscriptions with either English language, which is the country’s official language, or any of Nigeria’s three main indigenous languages – Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo. According to the lawyer, with the Arabic inscriptions on the naira note, the CBN ha...
Ethiopia: From historic peace to the brink of war
As Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replaces his army chief on Sunday amid an escalating conflict in the northern Tigray region, here are the key developments since Abiy came to power in 2018: First leader from biggest ethnic group In February 2018, prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns after several years of anti-government protests. In April, Abiy is sworn in as premier, becoming the first leader from the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia’s largest. Ethnic divisions Oromos and the country’s second-biggest group, the Amharas, had fuelled the protest movement over perceived marginalisation at the hands of the ruling coalition, dominated by the Tigrayan group. But with the authoritarian coalition now dissolved, ethnic violence has emerged as a persistent problem under Abiy, regularly r...
Strange illness kills two in Kogi community
Two persons have been confirmed dead at a Fulani and Tiv farm settlement in Odo-Ere, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State as a result of strange illness. Others affected by the strange illness were said to be receiving treatment at some private hospitals and ECWA Hospital Egbe. A Director in the YWLGA, Reuben Oshagbemi, said the incident was first reported at a private clinic, adding that symptoms of the sickness include stooling, diarrhoea and vomiting. He however pointed out that the situation was under control. Oshagbemi explained that the Ministry of Health had been contacted, noting that the “state epidemiologists will determine the nature of the illness.” However, when our correspondent contacted the state Commissioner for Health, Saka Audu, he said his team of medical pers...
Traders burn 10-year-old boy for ‘stealing’ food
A 10-year-old boy, Ifeanyi, was on Saturday thrown into a fire for allegedly stealing a small measure of uncooked rice in a market at Inikiri Benard village, Effium community, in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Newsmen gathered that the lad’s mother was late, while his father was mentally-challenged. A community source said, “The boy was thrown into a fire by two traders who accused him of stealing rice from a shop at the market to cook for himself and his father.” The Chairman of Human Rights Defenders, Ebonyi State chapter, Mr Sam Nweke, condemned the inhuman act meted out to the kid. He said, “HURIDE got a call from one Mr George Etamesor, on the grave abuse of this poor boy. This was because he was caught trying to steal some rice in their village market. They tied h...
#EndSARS: 15 policemen arrested protester in Lagos – sister
No fewer than 15 armed policemen arrested a promoter of the #EndSARS protest, Eromosele Adene, after invading his apartment on Adeleke Street, in the Allen area of Ikeja, Lagos State, on Saturday. PUNCH Metro gathered that a protest had been slated to hold at the Allen Junction in Ikeja when the policemen besieged Eromosele’s house and whisked him away. His sister, Florence, who spoke to newsmen on Sunday, said one of the policemen deceived her by claiming that he had a parcel to deliver to their father around 7am on Saturday. “When I met them, they told me that they were actually looking for my brother and instructed me to take them to our house, but I refused. They said they did a business with him and sent money to his Zenith Bank’s account but the commodity was not delivered. I told th...
Zamfara commission boss slumps, dies
The chairman, Zamfara State Local Government Service Commission, Dr. Malami Aliyu Yandoto, slumped and died on Sunday immediately after the wedding ceremony of former Governor Ahmed Sani Yarima’s daughter. The wedding ceremony took place at Yarima’s resident in Sokoto and immediately after the wedding, the guests were invited to Sokoto Government House for a luncheon. Malami, who was in the company of other guests, rushed to the Government House for the luncheon, and immediately he arrived at the venue, he slumped on the spot. He was rushed to the hospital in Sokoto where he gave up the ghost. Aged 57, Malami Yandoto was born in Tsafe town in 1962. He attended Township Primary School, Tsafe from 1969 to 1976, Government Teachers College, Tsafe, from 1976-81, and went to Ahmadu Bello Univer...
Ohanaeze, South-East governors meet Governor Wike
Some Governors of the South-East and apex socio-cultural organization of the Igbo, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, are in a crucial meeting with Governor Nyesom Wike in Government House, Port Harcourt on Sunday. Though the agenda of the meeting could not be immediately ascertained, newsmen report that it may not be unconnected with the recent issues concerning the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and Wike’s stand on the issue. Also at the meeting were selected leaders of the Igbo community in Rivers State. Some prominent names at the meeting include Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and his Abia State counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu as well as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo. Also at the meeting which just ended was prominent Igbo politician and chieftain...
One dead, four injured in Osun auto accident
One person was reported dead in a vehicle accident along Osogbo-Ikirun road on Saturday. It was gathered that the Mercedes Benz C-Class vehicle somersaulted after it hits the road median on high speed leading to the death of the driver instantly. The car, with registration number KRD 809 GK, according to an eye witness, Habib Ajani, had five occupants at the time of the incident around 4:20 pm as four-person sustained various degrees of injury. Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Osun State Sector, Agnes Ogungbemi, said the accident occurred as a result of over speeding. She said one person died on the sport, while four others sustained various degrees of injury and were taken to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, while the deceased bod...
Enugu: Yellow fever cause of ‘strange deaths’ in communities
The Enugu State Government has confirmed that Yellow Fever is the cause of deaths from a reported strange illness in Ette Uno and Umuopu communities of Enugu Ezike town in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state. A statement by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi, stated that the disease was confirmed “through verifiable diagnostic tests”. Dr. Obi explained that “Yellow Fever is not a new disease but one of public health importance internationally and in Nigeria” adding that “It is one of the diseases controlled for in the Nigerian set of routine and mass immunizable diseases.” According to him “a suspected case is anyone with a sudden onset of fever who develops jaundice (yellowness of the eyes) within 14 days it is verifiable by diagnostic tests”. The ...
