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Ondo governor assigns portfolios to new commissioners
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has assigned portfolios to the four new commissioners sworn in on Monday. Richard Olatunde, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure on Monday, said the governor urged the commissioners to commence their duties immediately. “The commissioners and their portfolios are as follows: Mr Charles Titiloye, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; and Mr Wale Akinterinwa, Commissioner for Finance. “Others are, Mr Donald Ojogo, Commissioner for Information and Orientation; and Raimi Aminu, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure,” he said. Olatunde said the governor wished them well in the discharge of their duties. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are lo...
Fleeing Ibadan kidnap kingpin arrested in Ogun
A notorious kidnap kingpin, Usman Hassan, who escaped from Oyo State after killing one of his gang’s victims, has been arrested in Ogun State. Usman and his accomplices had earlier been arrested in Oyo State after they had kidnapped a farm owner at Solalu village, collected ransom and subsequently killed him He sneaked into Ogun State for cover and proceeded to recruit other Fulani men into a fresh kidnap ring, which he formed in the State. It was learnt detectives from Ogun State Police Command stormed his hideout in Imala area and arrested him when they got the information about his activity from those he had tried to recruit into his kidnapping enterprise. The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed this in a statement, explained Usman had told detectives he con...
Kaduna abduction: Group urges government not to negotiate with bandits
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...
Police redeploys DPO in Zamfara for ‘conniving’ with bandits – spokesman
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 ...
Minister: Asari Dokubo’s Biafra declaration is a joke by an attention-seeker
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...
Official: Three teachers kidnapped in Kaduna school attack
Three teachers were kidnapped in the attack Monday morning by bandits on a primary school in Kaduna State. According to the state government, two pupils initially declared missing after the attack have been found. The state goverment had earlier on Monday announced the attack on the primary school in Rema, about 150 kilometres from the state capital, but said it was awaiting details on the incident. In an update he provided later, the state’s Commissioner of Internal Security and Homeland Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said only three teachers were kidnapped in the attack. He said this was according to the report provided by the school authorities and as gathered by security operatives and the state government. According to Mr Aruwan at a press conference in Kaduna, after the state government com...
#EndSARS: Ekiti compensates first batch of police brutality survivors
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...
Gombe to pay retirees outstanding gratuity, releases N775 million
Gombe State government is set to commence the payment of another tranche of outstanding gratuity to retired civil servants in the state. A statement by director-general, media and public affairs, to the state government, Ismaila Misili, noted that this followed the release of N775 million by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for the payment of the retirees’ benefits. He said sequel to the governor’s directives, the committee set up by the governor to verify and ascertain the correctness of outstanding gratuity owed state retirees has concluded arrangements to commence the payment and therefore requests retired state civil servants from January to December 2015, to come forward for verification and collection of their entitlements. “The exercise, according to the chairman of the committee and...
ICPC drops forgery charges against ex-presidential aide
File Photo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has amended the corruption and certificate forgery charges it filed against an ex-presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla. The amendment, coming less than two months after Obono-Obla and his co-defendants were arraigned by the commission, reduced the number of counts from 10 to five. The amended charges filed at the High Court of the FCT, in Apo, Abuja, on March 4 and seen by newsmen on Sunday, also revealed that the anti-corruption agency has backtracked on its allegations of certificate forgery sensationally levelled against Obono-Obla in 2019. Obono-Obla, a former special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecutions, was suspended by the President as the chairman of the Special Presidential Inv...
Anambra governor resolves airport land matter
The social media was agog recently that some purported women from Umueri in Anambra-East local government area protested half naked at the construction site of the International Cargo Airport over what they termed forceful land-grabbing by government to build the airport. Reports also had it that the said protesting women from Umueri had accused the state government of encroaching into areas the community didn’t release to them. But the traditional ruler of Umueri His Royal Majesty Igwe Sir Ben Izuchukwu Emeka stated unequivocally that such reports were malicious and economical with the truth because nobody protested naked and that his subjects were not known for such amoral behaviour. Igwe Emeka stated that Umueri was grateful to the government and people of Anambra state that the Interna...
Véron Mosengo-Omba appointed CAF general secretary
FIFA has confirmed that Véron Mosengo-Omba will leave his role as Chief Officer of the FIFA member associations (MAs) division with immediate effect to take on the position of CAF General Secretary. Mr Mosengo-Omba initially joined FIFA in 2016 as Director MAs with responsibility for Africa and the Caribbean, and subsequently spent the past two years supporting all FIFA 211 MAs to implement the FIFA Forward development programme, as well as managing relationships with all FIFA MAs and continental confederations in his role as Chief Officer of the division. A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr Mosengo-Omba was particularly involved in supporting the 54 African MAs in their FIFA Forward projects, in the development of youth and women’s football throughout the continent, and i...
Repairs: Federal government announces partial closure of Falomo bridge
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukayode Popoola, has announced a six weeks partial closure of the Falomo Bridge in Victoria Island from Sunday for repairs. Popoola in a statement on Friday night appealed for understanding of road users promising that traffic regulatory and law enforcement agencies have been deployed to minimise gridlock “The Federal Government will be embarking on rehabilitation of Falomo Bridge for a period of six weeks starting from Sunday 14th March 2021. “This will require partial closure of one lane at a time. “The motoring public are advised to please cooperate with the traffic law enforcement agents, while the federal government will try its best to minimise the inconveniences this may cause,” he said. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to...
