ICPC Slams Delta Deputy Speaker With Several Charges Of Defrauding Delta State

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has slammed the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Basil Ganagana, with 10 counts of allegedly defrauding the state government.

When the hearing came up for mentioning at the Delta High Court in Asaba, however, the trial Judge, Justice Mabel Omovie, adjourned the matter to May 28 when she will rule on an application by the defendant to quash the charges.

Mr. Ganagana, who was charged along with his wife, Joan Ganagana and his brother, Thaddeus Ganagana, in case no A/ICPC/1C/2014, is alleged to have used his office to confer corrupt advantage upon his relatives, contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the ICPC Act 2000.

The charge sheet perused by SaharaReporters shows that Mr. Ganagana allegedly nominated Thaddeus [for employment], leading to his engagement as his political aide under the name of Thaddeus Ekpo while still an employee of the Delta State Ministry of Education (Basic and Secondary), thereby receiving salaries simultaneously from both organizations.

He was also alleged to have retained his wife, Joan Amaebi Ganagana under a falsified name, “Amaebi Okoro” as his legal assistant while she was still employed by the Delta State Ministry of Justice, thereby leading to her receiving salaries simultaneously from both organizations.

The Deputy Speaker is also charged with obtaining money by means of an act constituting a felony, contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 68 of ICPC Act, 2000. 

Our correspondent reliably learned that several invitations extended by the anti-graft agency to Mr. Ganagana were rebuffed, contrary to Section 28(1) (a) and punishable under Section 28(10) of the ICPC Act, 2000, under which he is being charged.

PHOTONEWS : Aggrieved Chibok Women Storm Abuja, Protest At National Assembly

Aggrieved mothers and other indigenes of Chibok, Borno State, today in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, staged a protest to demand the immediate rescue or release of the more than 200 secondary school girls abducted by suspected Boko Haram insurgents on April 14.

The protesters, most of them members of the Kibaku Development Association, Chibok, converged at Eagle Square in Nigeria’s capital. From there, they marched to the National Assembly to submit a protest letter. The women were led into the premises of the national legislature by a group of senior female police officers.

Senators Barnabas Gemade and Helen Esuene received the protesters, telling them that the Senate was considering a motion in relation to the abducted girls. The two senators assured that the content of the Senate’s resolution would be communicated to the women later today. The senators appealed to the protesters to calm down and show restraint, pledging that everything would be done to secure the release of the girls in due course.

Some of the protesting women, who were all dressed in black, seemed unimpressed by the senators’ tepid words. A number of the women betrayed their emotion and wept profusely, a few of them rolling on the ground.

Some sources in the state have told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that some of the abducted girls had been ferried across into Chad where they were being married off for 2000 naira per girl. SaharaReporters spoke to a security source in Borno State who said he could not confirm the information.

EFCC Press Release: N5.6Bn Pension Scam - Adeleke, 11 Others Now To Be Re-Arraigned May 2

An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, today postponed the re-arraignment of a former Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs. Kudirat Iyabo Adeleke and 11 others implicated in a N5.6Billion pension scam.

Justice Adegboye Gbolagunte postponed the re-arraignment till May 2, 2014 following the sudden collapse of one of the defendants, Mr. Oguntayo Banjo, who allegedly had an

asthmatic attack when the court was about taking their pleas. They were to be re-arraigned on charges bordering on conspiracy, stealing and criminal breach of trust.

The twelve defendants were originally arraigned on November 7, 2013 before Justice Bolaji Yusuf, who was later elevated to the Court of Appeal. Her elevation meant that the trial of the accused persons had to commence de novo.

Earlier, counsel to the 5th defendant, I. M Obiachuru,  presented an application before the court, objecting to the re-arraignment of his client and prayed the court to quash the charges preferred against him. However, EFCC counsel, Gbolahan Latona, said the notice of preliminary objection moved by Obiachuru was incompetent and lacked merit. He reminded the court that such an application could only come after arraignment. Justice Gbolagunte upheld his submissions and dismissed the application.

The other accused persons who are to be re- arraigned alongside Adeleke are Muili Hakeem Aderemi, former executive secretary, Oyo State Pension Board; Adeduntan Johnson; Oguntayo Banjo, former internal auditor, Oyo State Pension Board; and Kareem Rasheed.

Others are: Muili Adedamola; Adesina Jimoh Ayoade, former cashier, Oyo State Pension Board; Adebiyi Olasumbo Musendia, former administration officer, Oyo State Pension Board; Iyabo Giwa, former cashier, Oyo State Pension Board; Adewale Kehinde,  Johnson Bosede and Olujinmi Adebayo.

President Jonathan Sacks Political Adviser, Ahmed Gulak

President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, with immediate effect, presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, has said.

No reason was given for the removal of Mr. Gulak, a man well known for complementing another presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, in launching verbal attacks on critics and opponents of President Jonathan.

However, Mr. Abati, in a statement posted via his twitter handle @abati1990, quoted President Jonathan as thanking Mr. Gulak for his services to the present administration and wishing him success in his future endeavors”.

“A replacement for Alhaji Gulak will be announced in due course,” Mr. Abati said.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately ascertain why the presidential adviser was fired.

But Mr. Gulak recently got into a bitter political fight with Akwa Ibom state Governor, Godswill Akpabio, as well as the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party.

At the end of a recent party meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, Mr. Akpabio and the state executive of the party criticised Mr. Gulak’s visit “to inaugurate a sectional and unknown Support Group in favour of our dear President without bothering to pay any courtesies to the state leadership of the party.”

The party accused the politician of playing “ignoble and contemptuous role” in the affairs of the party in the state and warned him to desist from further interfering in the affairs of the PDP in Akwa Ibom.

In November 2013, Mr. Gulak threatened to resign if Mr. Jonathan failed to make himself available for the forthcoming 2015 election.

He claimed at the time that there was no alternative to Mr. Jonathan in 2015 as far as the Nigerian presidency is concerned.

A PREMIUM TIMES investigation had in 2013 listed Mr. Gulak among a growing list of Nigerian business and political elites who ran or still run secret offshore companies and accounts where they either hide their wealth to evade taxes, launder money or commit fraud.

Mr. Gulak, who dealt in the supply of fast boats, radial systems and naval communication equipment as well as military hardware to the Nigerian government, was linked to a secret shell company in the British Virgin Islands, one of the world’s most notorious tax havens.

Taking advantage of the loose laws in several jurisdictions, shell companies like Mr. Gulak’s are easy to form and owners can remain anonymous while using nominee directors as fronts and deploying the corporations to hide ill-gotten assets, launder funds, dodge litigations or evade tax.

The sacked presidential adviser declined to respond to the allegation at the time, and the Nigerian government failed to open an investigation.

DPR sanctions 18 oil marketers, suspends 7 licences

Abuja - The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sanctioned 18 oil marketers in Abuja for their involvement in unethical sales practices.

Bello-Zagi, Head of Operations of DPR, Abuja Zone  made the fact known in Abuja on Tuesday, saying the erring marketers were involved in hoarding, diversion, under-dispensing and adulteration of products.

According to her, licences of seven of the marketers have been suspended.

She attributed the regular occurrence of fuel scarcity in Abuja and environs to such activities.

She said that the activities of oil marketers were discovered by the DPR monitoring team between April 1 and April 28.

Bello-Zagi said that the offending marketers comprised 10 independent and seven major dealers as well as one affiliated station of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“In addition to the sanction, which is sealing of their stations, some of them who diverted or hoarded products were suspended for four months and if there is repetition of the offence they will have their licences revoked.

“Apart from that, they will also be charged the commercial value of the products; this is because the products are not supposed to go to where they were diverted to,’’ she said.

Bello-Zagi said that the agency had inaugurated a surveillance team to monitor the lifting of petroleum products from depots to their destinations in Abuja zone.

She said that the major offence of the marketers in Abuja was under-dispensing of products.

She explained that under-dispensing was the source through which the marketers cheat innocent motorists, “because they know that they cannot adjust pump price above the official price.

"We have designed mechanisms to monitor the activities and we have checks to know if they are hoarding or not, and if we catch any defaulter, they are sanctioned appropriately.”

She said that DPR was collaborating with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies to tackle the challenge of black marketers in Abuja.

According to her, on many occasion, DPR and security agencies have raided black spots where black marketers thrive to dislodge them.

Reps summon service chiefs over abducted school girls

Abuja - The House of Representatives on Tuesday summoned the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh and other Service Chiefs, over the remaining abducted school girls in Borno.

No fewer than 273 girls were abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, by suspected Boko Haram insurgents two weeks ago.

The number, 43 of girls escaped from the captors unharmed.

However, the house at the plenary urged the security agencies to expedite action in rescuing the abdicated girls.

It further urged National Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials to those whose houses and shops were destroyed during the incident.

The house also urged government to seek for foreign assistance in rescuing the girls.

This resolution emanated from a motion by Peter Gumtha (APC-Borno), which was unanimously adopted.

Gumtha said that 43 girls abducted escaped from their captors while 230 were still in captivity.

According to him, rescue effort was hindered due to the neglect of the 50km untarred  Mbala-Chibok-Damboa Road.

He said that up till this moment, the parents of the girls were yet to receive any reliable information from the security agencies about their children.

Robinson Uwak (PDP-Akwa Ibom) said that the country’s security system should be scrutinised.

He, however, attributed the security lapses to the low morale of the military who were currently engaged in fighting the insurgents.

Uwak and Nnenna Ukeje (PDP-Abia) stressed the need for Nigeria to collaborate with other countries to check the boarders with the view to rescuing the girls and to fight insurgency.

Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi (PDP-Enugu) said unless there was synergy between West African countries the situation would be helpless.

Contributing to the debate, Samson Osagie (APC-Edo) urged the government to do everything within its power to rescue the remaining girls from their abductors,

Farouk Lawan (PDP-Kano) said in spite of the presence of the military in Borno and Yobe, terrorism activities were still high.

Meanwhile, Francis Ezenwa, formerly of the APGA-Imo and Charles Odedo formerly of (APC-Anambra), defected to the ruling PDP.

Workers back Edo State Governor Oshiomhole

Abuja - The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) has commended Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, for enhancing the welfare of workers in the state.

National President of the Union Solomon Adelegan gave the commendation during a courtesy visit to the Governor in Government House Benin City.

Adelegan expressed gladness on how the governor was handling the workers’ welfare in the state.

“Five, six years ago, we knew how Benin City used to be and how you have transformed it. We are glad with the way you have been handling workers’ welfare in Edo state, not only that, the Chairman of the NLC tells us how you have been giving the union your support. The story of the NLC will not be complete without the name of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole written in capital letters,” he said.

He also appreciated the governor for appointing former General Secretary of the union as a commissioner in the state.

“For the first time in the history of this country, a former president of the NLC is assuming executive position as Governor, not only that, we took statistics state by state and the highest position given to a unionist is maybe Special Adviser, but in Edo State, a former General-Secretary is made a commissioner.”

Governor Oshiomhole charged the organized labour to remain focused to realize its objective.

“Labour movement must remain as a school to produce leaders. Government will come and go but the labour movement will forever remain”.

He congratulated Adelegan on his victory in the  union’s election last year and assured the union executives of his support.

“I remain grateful for the support so far received from the labour movement in the state. Labour remains my primary constituency and I’m proud of it.”

Madrid brush aside Bayern

Munich - Real Madrid reached their first Champions League final for 12 years with an historic 4-0 win at Bayern Munich in Tuesday's semi-final, second leg to knock the holders out.

Having won last week's first-leg 1-0 in Madrid, Real won the semi-final 5-0 on aggregate as Pep Guardiola's Bayern suffered their heaviest home defeat in European competition.

Bayern had previously never lost at home by more than two goals in Europe as the Bavarian giants saw their dreams of reaching a fourth Champions League final in five years crushed.

Real are one game away from the 'Decima' - their 10th European title - and will face either neighbours Atletico Madrid or Chelsea in the May 24 final in Lisbon.

Real centre-back Sergio Ramos produced two early bullet headers to dismiss Bayern's dreams of becoming the first team to defend the Champions League title.

World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo then made it 3-0 at the break before the Real superstar netted his 49th goal of the season with a free kick just before the final whistle.

The only downside to Real's stunning win in Germany was the loss of Xabi Alonso for the Lisbon final after he picked up his third booking of the campaign.

But there was no denying an historic night for Real, especially for coach Carlo Ancelotti who has now never lost to Bayern in eight matches, six times with former club AC Milan and twice with Madrid.- Devastating spell -

There was a minute's silence before kick-off for former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova, who died on Friday at the age of 45, and Vujadin Boskov, the former Real coach who passed away on Sunday aged 82.

The Munich crowd soon saw their dreams of a repeat of last season's treble of European, Bundesliga and German Cup titles swept away as Real floored the Bavarians in a devastating first-half spell.

Real needed just 16 minutes to take the lead at the Allianz Arena as Ramos powered home his first header from Luka Modric's corner to silence the home support.

It was the start of a miserable five minutes for Bayern as centre-back Dante was shown a yellow card for clumsily scything down Ronaldo just before Ramos struck again.

When Angel Di Maria swung in a free-kick, centre-back Pepe flicked it on for Ramos to head home his second goal in just four minutes to leave Bayern reeling.

Real then compounded Bayern's misery as Di Maria played Karim Benzema into space and the Frenchman found Bale, who accelerated away.

His pass was drilled home by Ronaldo on 34 minutes, breaking the record for most Champions League goals in a campaign, to leave the hosts 3-0 down at the break and on the ropes.

A foul by Xabi Alonso on Bayern's Bastian Schweinsteiger five minutes later earned the Spain star a yellow card, his third of the competition, to rule him out of the final.

Guardiola responded at half-time by swapping Mario Mandzukic for Javi Martinez, abandoning his 4-2-3-1 formation for a 4-2-4 system, pushing Schweinsteiger up into the attacking midfield alongside Thomas Mueller.

Despite Bayern's best efforts, Real's defence held firm and then Ronaldo put the final nail in the holders' coffin with his second of the game when his free-kick shot under the Munich wall on 90 minutes.

DRC rapes in focus at UN rights review

Geneva - The Democratic Republic of Congo should do more to stop sexual violence and ensure children are not recruited as soldiers, diplomats said on Tuesday during a UN review of the country's rights record.

Diplomats gathered at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva praised DRC for its efforts to rid the country of the rampant sexual violence that has plagued it for two decades, but said more needed to be done.

Many of the 94 state representatives who took the floor expressed particular concern about a continued lack of accountability for rape and other serious crimes.

"The UK remains concerned about the lack of credible investigations leading to a culture of impunity for the worst offences," British representative Ian Duddy told the council.

Namibia's representative called for DRC to "enact specific legislation to eradicate all sexual gender-based incidents of violence and punish the perpetrators of sexual violence".

The Congolese government reported 15 352 cases of sexual violence in seven provinces last year, with data showing that armed groups committed more than half of the assaults.

The country's Justice and Human Rights Minister Wivine Mumba Matipa stressed that her country, which has been wracked by conflict and violence for nearly 20 years, was doing "everything in its power to remedy this dramatic situation".

Armed groups

"War is both a source and an aggravating factor when it comes to sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is used as a weapon to destroy our society," she told the council.

The government has gained more control in the conflict-hit areas in the east since a national army offensive, backed by a special UN brigade, forced the powerful M23 rebel group to lay down its arms last November.

But Matipa stressed that "Rome was not built overnight", calling on states to be patient.

During DRC's Universal Periodic Review, which all 193 UN countries must undergo every four years, Matipa also stressed the progress made in removing children from the ranks of the army and armed groups.

Since her country signed on to a UN action plan in October 2012, it had helped nearly 2 900 children - 365 of them girls - leave armed groups, she said.

While welcoming the country's progress in this area, many of the diplomats in Geneva said child recruitment into such groups remained a serious concern.

8-yr-old girl found unconscious in Mobile policeman’s apartment

LAGOS — Aggrieved youths, weekend, attempted to set a Mobile Policeman’s apartment on Olufowobi Street in Ikosi area of Ketu, Lagos ablaze  following the discovery of an eight-year-old missing girl in his room.

The girl identified as Amarachi, who was  unconscious, had her  hands, legs and mouth tied. She also had a deep cut on her skull when she was rescued.
It was gathered that Amarachi was last seen at about 4pm on Thursday, after going on an errand for the Mobile Policeman identified as Corporal Gbuchenge Augustine, with Force number 400823. The  Policeman lives in the same compound with parents of the girl at 1, Olufowobi Street.

But apprehension set in after her father, Mr Patrick Abakwan, returned at about 7.30pm and requested to see his daughter.
Abakwan said: “The first person I sought after when I came back was Amarachi. I was told she had gone to sleep. But when I went  inside, I did not see her. I only met her mother who was with a visitor.

“At that point, we went outside to look for her in the midst of  other children who were playing. One of them told me that olopa (policeman) sent her to buy akara (beans cake).

“One of the children even said he saw olopa carrying my daughter while she was asleep into hi s room. I peeped into Augustine’s room  and also placed my mouth on the key hole and shouted my child’s name but there was no response.

“At that point, he came out and said my child was not there. I thereafter, went round the neigbourhood in search of her. When I came back, I was told olopa left the room in anger after my wife confronted him to tell her all he knew about our missing daughter.

“They said he angrily left the compound, saying he was going to report at the station that he was being accused of kidnap.”

Girl found

“At that point, some curious residents were said to have peeped through the room, where to their amazement, they saw someone bound in both legs and hands, struggling to free herself.

“Policemen from Ketu were reportedly contacted following which the door of the mobile policeman’s   apartment was forced open only to find the girl in the pool of her blood.

“When we went inside the room with the policemen, Amarachi’s body was under the bed. Only her legs were outside and she was still struggling slowly to free herself. She could not talk.

“The policeman had twisted her neck and used an object to break her skull thinking she would die in the process but God saved her. We rushed her to Dafe Medical Hospital where they refused to admit her before taking her to the Island General Hospital.”

How I was almost killed— Girl

When visited the hospital, Amarachi was seen with a plaster on her head and a neck crest.

According to her, “he first sent me to buy him akara and later recharge card. When I came back, he asked me to wait a while. Later I heard my father calling me. I told him I was going to meet my father and collect what he bought for me from work.

“But he grabbed me and laid me on the floor, saying he would kill me if I shouted. He tied my mouth with a cloth and also tied my neck. He later brought a knife and hit me severalty on the head. That is all I remembered until I woke up and found myself in the hospital.”

Ritual purpose suspected

Residents of the area accused the fleeing Mobile policeman of being a ritualist. Their accusation followed the discovery of several children’s clothes and shoes reportedly found under his bed.

One of the residents said: “He packed into the compound four years ago. Since then, he has always been travelling every time. He has four cars.  Most nights, we usually saw him carrying a Ghana Must go into his jeep, only to return at about 4 a.m.

“He just came back from one of the trips on Thursday. We suspect he intended using the girl for ritual  because a Ghana must Go bag with which he wanted to put the butchered body was found in the room.”

Police react

Contacted, spokeswoman for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, said: “I heard about the wicked act and we have started investigation.

“I have contacted the Commander in charge of Mopol 22 which is where the complainant alleged the suspect is working. The Commander said there was no such name or identity in his squadron.

“Meanwhile, we have sent signals to other police departments and stations to ascertain if this man is actually a serving policeman. The act is inhuman and whoever did that will never go unpunished.”

More results released from APC state congresses

Abuja - More results of the Saturday's nationwide state congresses of the All Progressives Congress have been released.

In Kogi, Hadi Ametuo emerged as the chairman.

Ametuo, a former state chairman of the defunct ACN was elected by affirmation at a congress of the party held in Lokoja on Saturday.

Also elected were Linus Enenche as the Secretary while Mr Ismaila Yahaya became the Treasurer of the party.

Other officers of the party were also elected by affirmation during the congress which was witnessed by officials of the INEC.

In his acceptance speech, the newly elected chairman promised to quickly reconcile all aggrieved members of the party, describing the party as a family.

Ametuo also promised to lead the party to victory in all the elections in the state in 2015.

Similarly in Anambra, Emeka Ibe was returned unopposed as the chairman of the party in the state while Chukwuma Agufugo and Okelo Madukife were also returned as Secretary and Public Relations Officer by consensus.

The congress was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission and some officials of the party at the national level.

However, in Cross Rivers, the congress was postponed indefinitely following alleged discrepancies in some wards and local government congresses of the party.

Chairman of the State Congress Committee, Dr.Ernest Osifo, announced the postponement during a meeting with stakeholders in Calabar.

He said the party had resolved to introducel a credible electoral  procedure following alleged irregularities reported in 59 out of the 196 wards as well as in seven of the 18 local Local Government areas of Cross River.

He said the postponement of the  congress would  enable the committee to address grey areas in the affected wards and council areas and ensure that the rescheduled state congress was transparent.

He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also expressed concern over the irregularities and warned against the consequences of going ahead with the exercise without addressing the grey areas.

Uncertainty over electricity workers’ fate as 6-month contract expires

There is now a high sense of uncertainty over the fate of the remaining electricity workers inherited from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, by successor companies, as their six months contracts expire this week.

The workers’ contracts were drawn to assist the new owners of the successor companies assess staff performances to help them determine the quality and quantity of staff required to run their respective operations.

The implication of the contract expiration gives liberty to the core investors to decide who stays and who leaves and on what terms.

Since the disbandment of the Transition Committees appointed by the National Council on Privatisation, NCP, for the successor companies, the core investors have constituted their owns managements and boards to take decisions for their operations.

Of the 18 successor companies, only Afam Power Station and the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company still have Transition Committees, which were appointed in February.

This is because of the late conclusion of the assets sale on account of delays in the payment of the mandatory fees by the core investors to enable them acquire the assets.

During the committees’ appointment, the Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, had noted that the tenure of the committee could be between one and six months before they can gain full management controls.

With the assumption of management control and expiration of the workers contracts, the core investors can now hire and fire and right-size their respective companies as they deemed fit.

Labour threatens

However, workers unions in the power sector vow to resist any attempt by the new asset owners to disengage the workers without proper negotiations.

Rather than being disengaged, the unions are instead calling for increase in wages to enhance their new status as private sector workers.

Although there are no official comments from the BPE as its spokesman, Mr. Chigbue Anichebe refused to respond to calls or text messages.

‘No grounds

for negotiations’

But a top management officer of the Bureau, who spoke in confidence, maintained that the workers have no grounds for fresh negotiations.

He said: “By now, the core investors must have concluded their post-privatisation due diligence, and done their cost benefit analysis.

“So they are now in a better position to determine what staff they need to do what.”

In his opinion, the successor companies need more of technical staff, especially in the areas of engineering and marketing, and less of administrative staff.

He said: “Generation, distribution and transmission are highly technical, and there is no way, for instance, that you can have more administrative staff in an oil company than engineers.

“The reverse is the case with the power companies, where a non-technical unit of one DISCO has about 72 workers and 20 of them are drivers. The question is what are they all doing in just one unit?”

He argued that there is no way there will not be more job losses in the current power work force, noting that after the concessioning of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, the workforce nose-dived from over 10,000 workers to about 4,000.

On the unions’ insistence that the workers be retained, the BPE source queried: “Retain all for what? After paying over $300 million to acquire these assets and paying as much as N10 million every month as interest on bank loans (not the principal), the unions can no longer dictate terms and condition.”

683 sentenced to death in Egypt

Minya - An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 682 other alleged Islamists to death, a lawyer and prosecutor said.

The same court also reversed 492 death sentences out of 529 it passed in March, commuting most of those to life in prison.

The defendants sentenced on Monday were accused of involvement in the murder and attempted murder of policemen in the southern Minya province on August 14, the day police killed hundreds of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi's supporters in clashes in Cairo.

Several female relatives waiting outside the courtroom fainted on hearing news of the verdict.

50 Cent Insults Kanye West –"Yeezus Is Not Hip Hop"

50 Cent returns to his recent beef-bug as he blasts Kanye West's 'Yeezus' album as "non-hip hop and full of sh*t".  Fiddy has not only pissed off Rick Ross and Sean 'Diddy' Combs by insinuating they were gay lovers on Twitter, but he's now obviously taking this Kanye rivalry to a whole new level.

50 Cent and Kanye West's rivalry was pretty friendly for years — dating back to Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007, when they released their albums (Late Registration and Curtis, respectively) on the same day. They betted each other who's album could be number one. Kanye won the friendly competition — placing 50's album at number two.

Now, 50 is insulting Kanye's recent music work telling everyone, he's not a fan.

"He's obviously a talent within our culture and is one of the driving forces of it, but some of that sh*t is weird to me," 50 said. "It sounds scrambled… radio is going to play dance music, EDM – you got a lot of stuff happening in music culture that’s influencing a lot of R&B music to that tempo. It doesn't feel like hip-hop to me, it feels like a fusion of something else, like a weird combination of dance music sounds and stuff," he added.

Before we hail stones on 50, let's remember Drake also slammed the album in an interview with Rolling Stone in February saying, "There were some real questionable bars on there. Like that 'Swaghili' line? C"Kanye's the reason why I'm here. I love everything about that guy." He also later blasted the mag for posting his comments and made peace with Kanye.

So unless Kanye gets upset with 50's remarks, there maybe no feud at all or do you guys think 50 Cent went out of line?

By the way, 50's next album, "Animal Ambition," will be out on June 2.

Help find Borno schoolgirls, Nigerian youths beg Obama

Some Nigerian youths have solicited for the help of the United States government in securing the release of the abducted 190 pupils of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

Dozens of Nigerian youths made the appeal on Thursday, during a Twitter chat with the White House Senior Director for African Affairs, Grant Harris.

The online chat, which held between 2pm and 3pm Nigerian time, was part of the President Barack Obama administration’s Young African Leaders Initiative programme.

The Twitter chat which had youths from different countries in sub-Saharan Africa participating, was focused on the US foreign policy towards the region.

But  the majority of Nigerians who participated in the online conversation drew the attention of the senior White House official to the fact that the Federal Government has yet to find the missing schoolgirls.

A youth, Nnamdi Umunna, based in Owerri, Imo State, in a tweet to Harris, lamented that all is not well with Nigeria.

Umunna said the thought that the girls are reportedly being held in the thick Sambisa forest is disturbing.

Umunna said, “I woke up this morning (Thursday) and my first thought was about the girls being held in the Sambisa forest. We need the Federal Government to bring back our girls.

“But how can the US government also help in bringing back these girls? Today’s chat won’t be interesting and memorable if the US government cannot help ensure the release of these girls .Some of them would have participated in this online discussion.”

Also, Olalekan Akinde, a business development officer, asked Harris to appeal to President Obama on behalf of Nigerian youths to render necessary assistance to the Federal Government in the search for the girls.

He said, “President Barack Obama should please help the Nigerian government in searching for the abducted girls. They should assist in bringing back our girls and unmasking the sponsors of Boko Haram.

“We need Obama’s attention in Nigeria because people that have been killed are more than those killed in 9/11 terrorist attacks.”

For Abuja-based Chinedu Onah, a US-sponsored counter terrorism initiative in the Sahel region will go a long way in curtailing the activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria.

“No form of development can take place in an environment fraught with violence. What is the US government counterterrorism initiative for the Sahel doing? It will help Nigeria address terrorism,” he said.

Another participant, Emmanuel Ajah,  said in the light of increased activities of insurgents in Nigeria, the US government should strengthen its collaboration with Nigeria.

“What efforts is the US government putting in place towards resolving the conflicts in the northern part of Nigeria and the Boko Haram insurgency?” Ajah asked.

But while addressing the questions and concerns raised by the Nigerian participants, Harris said the US government is in a “working” relationship with the Federal Government to end the Boko Haram menace.

He reiterated White House’s advice that the Federal Government should embrace a holistic approach towards ending insurgency in northern Nigeria.

“We are working with Nigeria to counter the Boko Haram. But there is a need for a holistic approach – security measures and also development across the country. Leaders must make it clear that attacks on civilians are unacceptable. Violators must be held accountable and violence must end,” Harris tweeted.

Harris, who said he was delighted to answer questions based on US policy as it affects sub-Saharan Africa, explained that the US government is committed to strengthening democratic governance, and enhancing peace and security across Africa.

“The voices of young leaders are vital – we are listening and want to support. We will focus on investing in the next generation of leaders. Thanks to all for the work you do everyday to change your countries and communities for the better,” Harris added.

Meanwhile, as the search for the abducted girls entered the 10th day on Thursday, more Nigerians lent their voice to the on-going online campaign demanding that the security agencies ensure their prompt release.

A blogger, Blossom Nnodim, said the case of the missing girls should spur the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress to unite and brainstorm on ways of locating the abductees.

“It is neither about the struggle for supremacy between APC and PDP nor is it about political affiliations, we just want to bring back these girls. At the table of looting, PDP and APC are unified. I encourage them to take this unity a step forward in an effort to find these girls,” Nnodim tweeted.

Political Blogger, Japheth Omojuwa, asked President Goodluck Jonathan to  show much “dedication and desperation” in the search for the schoolgirls.

“If only our human President would show as much dedication and desperation to bring back our girls as he is showing to rule us till 2019! If only we had a government. A government that values every human life,” Omojuwa lamented on Twitter.

$250m Abacha loot: FG seeks World Bank’s help

The Federal Government is currently reaching out to the World Bank to assist it in the repatriation of €185m (about $250m) allegedly stolen by the late   dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, investigation by The PUNCH has revealed.

A Liechtenstein court had in 2012 ordered the confiscation of the money recovered from companies linked to the Abacha family.

Since then, the Federal Government had been fighting to recover the money without success.

A competent Presidency source confided in our correspondent on Thursday that the government decided to approach the World Bank for help when it became obvious that the Abacha family would not let go of the money.

He explained that after the government won a case instituted on the looted fund, the family of the late dictator filed an appeal at the European Court of Human Rights.

Our source said the government felt that the appeal was unnecessary and therefore applied to the State of Liechtenstein for the release of the money.

He said, “After the Federal Government won the case, the Abacha family appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.

“As a government, we felt that was not necessary and we made our position known to the State of Liechtenstein.

“They agreed with us but again asked us to bring sovereign guarantee which we also believe is unnecessary.

“That was why we approached the World Bank.”

The source, who did not want to be named, added that government suspected that the State of Liechtenstein was only interested in ensuring that when repatriated, the looted fund would be put to good use.

He expressed the belief that with the intervention of the World Bank, the money would soon be released to Nigeria.

“What the World Bank is doing is just to interface. In a very short period, the money will be released. “They   are only trying to ensure that the money did not go through a recycle of loot. That means they want us to put it into good use,” he added.

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had last October accused the State of Liechtenstein of using legal challenges as a pretext to cling on to the stolen money.

She had said, “We feel that the Liechtenstein people have been stalling for 14 years. They are just looking for excuses and I think this is where international civil society should mount pressure on these people.

“We’re asking, Why have they been keeping our money all this time? Fronting companies for Abacha family are trying to delay things and the Liechtenstein are hiding behind that.”

A Liechtenstein government spokesman was also at the time quoted as saying that the country was making efforts to return the money, but a complaint in the European Court of Human Rights brought by companies affected was still pending.

The Leichtenstein spokesman said one of the reasons the cases had dragged for so long was that Nigeria refused the examination of witnesses in its courts, as part of the procedure.

“We are looking at the possibility of returning the money ahead of schedule whilst still covering liability risks,” he had said.

It will be recalled that less than a week after President Goodluck Jonathan honoured the late Head of State with an award for “his contributions to the nation,” the United States ordered a freeze on $458m in assets stolen by him and his accomplices.

The Justice Department was quoted as saying that the corruption proceeds – stashed away in bank accounts in Britain, France and Jersey – were frozen at Washington’s request with the help of local authorities.

Abacha died in office in 1998, but his surviving relatives still include some of the richest and most influential figures in Nigeria.

According to a civil forfeiture complaint unsealed in the US District Court in Washington, the department wants to recover more than $550m in connection with the action.

“This is the largest civil forfeiture action to recover the proceeds of foreign official corruption ever brought by the department,” said Mythili Raman, the acting assistant attorney general.

“Gen. Abacha was one of the most notorious kleptocrats in memory, who embezzled billions from the people of Nigeria, while millions lived in poverty,” she added.

Hoodlums attack Baraje’s house, vandalise 14 cars. HUH 14 cars in a garage? *Lips sealed*

The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ambrose Aisabor, on Friday said hoodlums  attacked the residence of a former acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Kawu Baraje at Baboko, Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

He stated at a media briefing in Ilorin on Friday that the hoodlums shot three people and vandalised 14 vehicles and also destroyed properties.

He added that the injured victims were recuperating at an undisclosed hospital.

Our correspondent gathered that Baraje who is now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress was not at the premises during the attack.

The CP stated that the police had arrested the leader of the gang.

The police boss added that the confessional statement of the unnamed gang leader led to the arrest of 14 other suspects.

Aisabor said, “On Wednesday, we got a distress call from Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje at Baboko quarters that hoodlums were attacking and destroying property in the premises.

“So two patrol teams were dispatched to the scene, but before the policemen got there the hoodlums had fled.

“Three people were shot and are now recovering at the hospital; 14 vehicles among other property were destroyed. The building was also riddled with bullets. In fact bullet holes are still conspicuous on the premises.

“Items recovered from them include one dane gun, one axe, one hammer, one scrapper, two criminal charms, two raps of weed suspected to be cannabis sativa, one pack of rizzler, two palm slippers, two packet of matches, one playing ludo and seeds, two Nigerian voter’s card bearing Salihu Dauda and one vigilante grand ID card bearing Dauda Salihu.”

The CP also said 13 suspects were arrested for setting ablaze a perceived insane person about 4.30pm on Wednesday at ‘D Division’ of the state police in Ilorin.

Abducted schoolgirls: SERAP seeks UN intervention

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the United Nations to “urgently intervene to secure the safe release of 230 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, who were abducted by members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.”

The organization wants the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) of the UN Security Council, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide “international assistance and support to the Nigerian authorities to secure the release of the children and to ensure that they are back to school.”

In a statement yesterday, signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organization said that, “continuing abduction of these innocent children is having negative impact on their well-being and long-term education. We are urging these bodies to move swiftly to support efforts to protect schools, teachers, and students from deliberate attack in the North-East of the country.

“In particular, we urge the UN Security Council’s Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) on Children and Armed Conflict to take strong action including referring members of the Boko Haram and their backers to the International Criminal Court. Accountability for attacks on school children and education-including prosecuting perpetrators-is critical to deterring perpetration of crimes under international law,” the group also said.

The group said that, “The International Criminal Court has explicit jurisdiction over intentional attacks against school children and buildings dedicated to education in both international and internal armed conflicts.”

The group said that, “The abduction of the children is also an attack on their right to education, and calls for a strong international effort. Making students, teachers, and schools genuinely expose to non-state armed groups like Boko Haram requires governments, opposition groups, NGOs, and inter-governmental organizations to implement strong measures that are enforced by rigorous monitoring, preventive interventions, rapid response to violations, and accountability for violators of domestic and international law.”

“The attack against children is leading to dramatic decreases in school attendance rates. When attendance remains low over the long term there are negative knock-on effects on the economy and on key development indices such as measures of maternal and child health,” the organization said.

“Under international human rights law, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights both of which Nigeria has ratified, states are obligated to make primary education compulsory and available free to all, and secondary education available and accessible. They must work to progressively improve regular attendance at schools and to reduce drop-out rates for both boys and girls. In order to ensure the right to education, states have an obligation to prevent and respond to attacks by non-state armed groups like Boko Haram so that the schools function and children receive an education. Attacks on students, teachers, and schools will violate various provisions of domestic criminal law,” the group also said.

According to the group, “The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its two additional protocols and customary international law is also binding on parties to the conflict in the North-East of the country. Under international humanitarian law, schools and educational institutions are civilian objects that are protected from deliberate attack unless and only for such time as they are being used by belligerent forces for a military purpose. International humanitarian law also forbids acts or threats of violence with the primary purpose of spreading terror among the civilian population.”

“We urge the Nigerian government to specifically criminalize attacks on students and teachers and prohibit the use of schools for military purposes. We also call on the UN bodies to provide assistance in tracking attacks on schools, teachers, and students, and to help devise an effective response. We believe that while the government is in the best position to monitor attacks, it has so far not demonstrated the will or capacity to do so,” the group also said.

Police recover 2-yr-old boy’s severed head in Ibadan

ABEOKUTA — SECURITY agents in Ogun State are living up to their billing as they have arrested at least eight people whose crimes border on murder, kidnap and human rituals.
Olusegun-Kehinde,-suspected kidnapper

The state police command yesterday said it had  recovered the head of a two year-old boy which was severed by a suspected ritualist at Ofada in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.

Also, the Police said they had arrested four suspects in connection with the killing of a suspected person of unsound mind known as Kazeem Akindele,  at Kugba area, Abeokuta for allegedly attempting to kidnap a 19-year-old lady.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement said the severed head of the boy was recovered in Ibadan.
The boy, whose mother was raped by the suspected ritualist identified as Mamodu Bashir Ibrahim, was beheaded last Thursday when his mother, who had him strapped on her back, went to ease herself in a bush.

Adejobi had said detectives attached to the Department of Criminal Investigation, Eleweran,  Abeokuta arrested the suspect who fled the scene immediately he perpetrated the act.

He  said: “The suspect took the investigation team to Mokola area of Ibadan, Oyo State where the head was recovered in a bag in the bush, Tuesday.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, Mr Ikemefuna Okoye, has, however, directed the detectives to intensify efforts to uncover the buyers and those who engage in such dirty deals in our society.”

4 suspected killers of kidnapper arrested
Speaking on the killing of the suspected kidnapper, Adejobi said: “The deceased was attacked by the suspects and other angry youths in the area who are at large  currently. The Commissioner of Police had ordered the arrest of the fleeing suspects who embarked on that jungle justice that led to the death of the mad man.

“The suspects arrested include Fausat Ogunbiyi, Mariam Yahaya, Blessing Joseph  and Nurudeen Adebayo. These suspects will be charged to court as soon as the command concludes its investigation.”

…another nabbed for kidnapping 9-month-old boy
Also, men of the National Security & Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Ogun State, yesterday, said it had arrested a 32-year-old man, Olusegun Kehinde, for allegedly kidnapping a nine-month-old boy.

The Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC in the state, Olanrewaju Kareem, in a statement said the incident happened, Wednesday, at 1, Elegbede House, Ore-meji Street, Ijeun-Titun area of Abeokuta.
Kareem further said the  suspect during interrogation claimed to be a farmer who was just passing by.

He said: “Men of the corps on patrol of PHCN facilities within Abeokuta arrested the suspect  as a result of alarm raised by the child’s mother, Mrs Olanike Ogundeyi, when she saw her nine month-old baby, Malik Ogundeyi, with the suspect.

“According to Mrs Olanike Ogundeyi, the child was kidnapped when he strayed away while the mother was busy washing. She explained further that she left the baby in the passage while she left to pour used water at the backyard.

“The suspect claimed he lives at Okanlawon’s compound, Oke-Ijeun, Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State during interrogation.”

Two ritualists caught with human parts
Meantime, two persons suspected to be ritualists were, Wednesday, caught with a human skull and other body parts at Idiroko in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Nemesis caught up with the suspects, who narrowly escaped death as the irate mob attempted to lynch them before the intervention of policemen.
An eye witness told Vanguard that the suspects were caught  in a place  near Iko Gateway Grammar School and were subsequently  mobbed by the people of the area.

According to the source, one of the suspects was caught with a  bag that contained human parts. He later led the people to their den where some scary things were uncovered.
“Some of the things we saw were coffin, decomposed human skull, pictures and human hair, among others.
“The people wanted to  roast them but they were rescued by the policemen who arrested and took them to their police station at Idi-Iroko.”

Dangote, Iweala join TIME’s 100 most influential people

ALIKO Dangote and Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Nigeria’s Finance Minister were, Wednesday, named among the100 most influential persons on earth by TIME Magazine.

Bill Gate, Microsoft Founder and Co-Chair, Bill and Melinda Gate wrote a tribute in honour of Dangote in commemoration of his listing by the Time magazine.

Gate dwelled extensively on the philanthropic gestures of the President of the Dangote Group in the areas of health especially polio eradication and job creation efforts.

While Gate was lavish in his praises of timely response of Dangote to the need for an health alliance by the private sector, Buno a lead singer of U2 and a co-founder of One and (RED) wrote the tribute for Dr Iweala.

Gates, described him as a man who does good in addition to doing well. Wrote he: “… his business activities drive economic growth across the continent. That’s impressive, but I know him best as a leader constantly in search of ways to bridge the gap between private business and public health. It’s for that reason he helped create the Nigeria Private Sector Health Alliance. And it’s for that reason he is an advocate for agricultural research and malaria control.”

Aliko was classified in the titans category which boasts of eminent world personalities like Hillary Clinton, former USA Secretary of State, Jeff Bezoz, Tony Fadell, Janet Yellen among others. Those in the pioneers category include: Jason Collins, Natalie Massenet, Mary Jo White, Edward Snowden, among others. Barbara Brown Taylor, Robin Wright, John Green, Kerry Washington were in the artists category among others, while Jerry Brown, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, John Kerry and Angela Merkel were among those in the Leaders Category. In the Icons category were Pope Francis, Alice Waters, Marina Abramovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carl Icahn, among many others.

Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world assembled by the American news magazine TIME. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now an annual event. Although appearing on the list is often seen as an honor, TIME makes it clear that entrants are recognized for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions.

Aliko had earlier been listed as the 64th most powerful person in the world by the credible Forbes Magazine. Aliko was born on the 10th of April 1957 in the ancient city of Kano, Nigeria. He owns the Dangote Group, which has interests in commodities, cement, petrochemicals, fertilizer among many others. The company operates in Nigeria and 14 other countries in Africa , As of March 2014, he had an estimated net worth of $25 billion

Dangote is ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 23rd richest person in the world and the richest man in Africa. He surpassed Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi  in 2013 by over $2.6 billion to become the world’s richest black man.

On the 14 November 2011, Dangote was awarded Nigeria’s second highest honour, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, by the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. He has also been awarded the highest national award in two other African countries: The Republic of Benin and Kenya. He also remains the single largest private sector investor in South Africa.

Dangote reportedly added $9.2 billion to his personal wealth in 2013, according to the Bloomberg Index, now making him the 30th richest person in the world in their ranking, in addition to being the richest person in Africa.

He debuted on Forbes billionaires list in 2008 with a $3.3 billion fortune. Over the last 6 years, he has added $21.7 billion to his net worth thanks largely to the incredible success of his crown jewel, the publicly-listed Dangote Cement  which has a market cap of $24 billion and has operations in 14   African countries.

FG rakes in N23bn monthly revenue from power generation, says Dagogo-Jack

ABUJA — The Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power, PTFP, Mr. Beks Dagogo‑Jack, has said the government was earning over N23 billion on monthly basis as revenue from power generation in the country.

Mr. Dagogo‑Jack, who said this at a roundtable meeting for chief executives organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, in Abuja, added that the amount earned from the sector would have been enough to settle the claims of labour within 15 months after privatisation.

Nigeria’s power generation stood below 3,800 megawatts, until Tuesday this week when the government announced it had picked up, hitting 4,105.90 megawatts.

He stated that the total revenuethat came into government coffers from the privatisation of the successor companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria was about N416 billiion, adding that 90 per cent of the money was used to pay labour as severance benefit.

He said: “As we speak today our monthly invoice profile in the market at 4,000MW is in the order of N23 billion. This means that what we paid labour can be seen as a 15-month cost.

“By this, I am underlining the power of political will and wisdom.

“So when we realise that on a monthly basis our invoice at the current energy level is in the order of N23 billion, it means that in about 12 to 13 months, the market would have returned that amount of money.

“Therefore, there is no need to stay and fight labour over that amount of money when there is darkness in the country.”

Dagogo‑Jack stressed the electricity reform process happened because of the quality of political will that was behind it.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF, Mr. Uche Orji, stated that the fund was set to invest the $200m earmarked to it by the Federal Government to improve gas‑to‑power infrastructure in Nigeria.

According to him, We've just finished some of the agreements terms on how to receive the money and hopefully we will start deploying it within the next couple of months.

Nigeria has the capacity to generate enough power today but there isn't adequate gas. Now to improve this we can invest in pipelines, gas processing, captive power plants and many others.
On why the meeting was called, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr. Ernest Nwapa, said the programme provided a platform for agencies of government to share their success stories from Nigerian content implementation over the last four years.

Insurgency: Jonathan, govs, heads of secuirty agencies, religious leaders meet

An expanded meeting of the National Security Council is underway at the Presidential Villa with President Goodluck Jonathan, state governors, heads of the various security agencies and para-military organizations in attendance.

The meeting which began at about 12:10 pm also had in attendance, the President of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Nigeria and the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar and the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

The expanded National Security Council meeting was summoned by President Jonathan following the bombing in Nyanya, Abuja and the abduction of over one hundred female students from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno.

The governors of Rivers, Jigawa, Lagos, Edo, and Ogun were represented by their deputies except for Lagos state which had no representative at the meeting at the time of this report.    

Governors in attendance are:
Willie Obiano (Anambra)
Theodore Orji (Abia)
Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara)
Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa)
Gabriel Suswam (Benue)
Martins Elechi (Ebonyi)
Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara)
Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta)
Murtala Nyako (Adamawa)
Kashim Shettima (Borno)
Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto)
Ramalan Yero (Kaduna )
Garba Umar (Taraba)
Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti)
Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa)
Seidu Dakingari (Kebbi)
Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom)
Babangida Aliyu (Niger)
Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo)
Lyel Imoke (Cross River)
Isa Yuguda (Bauchi)
Ibrahim Shema (Katsina)
Ibrahim Dankwanbo(Gombe)
Sullivan Chime (Enugu)

Ministers in attendance at the meeting are: Abba Moro of  Interior; Gen. Aliyu Gusau Defence; Abduljelil Adesiyan Police Affairs, Viola Onwuleri,  Foreign Affairs, Akinwunmi Adeshina Agriculture and the  Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke.

The Security chiefs in attendance are; the Chiefs of Army, Navy and  Airforce, as well as the Inspector General of Police, the Comptrollers General of Customs and  Immigration, Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Commandant General of the  Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp. 

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor , President of the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Sultan of Sokoto, the President of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs were also in the meeting.

Youth unemployment gave rise to terrorism, kidnapping in Nigeria, says Uduaghan

DELTA State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has attributed the spate of terrorism and other violent crimes in the country including kidnapping largely to the problem of youth unemployment, which he said, had been neglected over the years.

The governor who made the remark while speaking at the launching of the State’s Micro Insurance Scheme (DMIS) in Asaba, yesterday noted that the problem might not be solved overnight because lack of employment over the years created a pool of youths who are being recruited for insurgency and other nefarious activities.

His words, “over the years, we have ignored poverty. We have not paid attention to the people at the lower rung of the society. The youths have become a pool of people being recruited to become kidnappers, armed robbers, terrorists and assassins. It is not a problem we can solve in one day, but we can start from somewhere.

“The terrorism we are having in Nigeria today is as a result of poverty, we have neglected poverty for so long and in Delta State, we are committed to this micro-credit scheme which has helped us to empower our youths and remove them from this pool of poor persons”, he said.

Uduaghan described the insurance scheme as the first of its kind in the country observed that many farmers and beneficiaries of the micro-credit scheme incurred incalculable losses as a result of the flood which ravaged Delta State in 2012 because their business were not insured, noting that his administration devised micro-credit scheme which has empowered a lot of Deltans and has made them to be employers of labour, pointing out that the the insurance scheme was therefore put in place to forestall such experiences in the future.

Clashes break out in eastern Ukraine

Clashes broke out between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, as Russia called for new talks to solve the crisis.

Up to five pro-Russian militants were killed during a raid in the eastern town of Sloviansk, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said Thursday.

One government soldier was injured during the operation to disband three checkpoints, the ministry said.

Earlier, pro-Russian militia said that at least one man was killed and another severely wounded when gunmen attacked a checkpoint outside the town.

Video footage from the region showed armoured personnel carriers advancing over burning barricades.

Reporters say military helicopters were seen circling over Sloviansk, which has been the epicentre of a pro-Russian uprising in the region.

In the nearby town of Artemivsk, government troops fought off an attack on an army base.

One Ukrainian soldier was wounded while the attackers suffered “serious losses”, Ukrainian interim President Oleksandr Turchynov told Parliament.

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry said that the attackers, numbered around 100, were armed with automatic rifles and grenade launchers.

In the southern city of Mariupol pro-Russian protesters reportedly retook the city administration after a botched attempt by government forces to storm the building.

Reports also say that the Russian flag was back up on the administration’s roof and law enforcement agents were negotiating with the occupants.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said earlier that the building had been retaken in an operation carried out by “civilian activists”.

Pro-Russian militants have seized numerous buildings in the mainly Russian-speaking industrial region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said  on Wednesday that all sides should sit down for more talks.

“The latest offer by the Russian President (Vladimir Putin) has been supported and I believe that it will materialise in practice soon,” Lavrov told students in Moscow.

The minister reiterated Moscow’s position that the West had aided the overthrow of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and is sponsoring the current western-leaning government in Kiev.

The EU and the U.S. accused Russia of backing the separatists in eastern Ukraine.

U.S. President Barack Obama warned of another round of sanctions against Russia.

“We have been consistently preparing for the prospect we are going to have to engage in further sanctions. Those are teed up,” Obama said during a visit to the Japanese capital Tokyo.

Chris Brown Weeps As Jail Time Extends To June *not good*

Chris Brown was heartbroken yesterday when the judge postponed his trial until June. Meaning the Fine China star will have to rot in jail till then before knowing if he'll be sentenced for four more years or not.

Brown who was jailed last month after getting booted from rehab was flown to D.C (for more than 5 days) and  promptly jailed as he awaited trial in his assault case.

The trial which was to kick off yesterday was postponed until June after Brown's request for freedom (bail) was denied. This kindda mean Brown will soon be flown back to L.A. where he'll remain in jail until June. It looks like he'll be flown back to D.C. on Con air - a trip way worse than economy.

If Brown is convicted in D.C. the judge in the Rihanna case could violate his probation and sentence Brown to four years in PRISON.

Ooppss Chris, we feel your regrets

STRANGE “Jesus Not Coming Back By The Looks Of It” Admits Vatican

A SPOKESPERSON for the Vatican has officially announced today that the second coming of Jesus, the only son of the God, may not happen now after all, but urged followers to still continue with their faith, regardless of the news.

Cardinal Giorgio Salvadore told WWN that this years 1,981st anniversary is to be the Vatican’s last in regards to waiting for the Lord to return to Earth.

“We just feel Jesus is not coming back by the looks of it.” he said. “It’s been ages like. He’s probably flat out doing other really good things for people somewhere else.”

Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus promised his disciples that he would come again in chapter John 14:1-3 of the bible: “There are many homes up where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with Me where I am. If this weren’t so, I would tell you plainly”

The Vatican defended Jesus’ broken promise, claiming “he was probably drinking wine” at the time when he made the comments.

“Having the ability to turn water into wine had its ups and its downs.” added Cardinal Salvadore. “We all make promises we can’t keep when we’re drunk. Jesus was no different.”

The church said it will now focus attentions on rebuilding its reputation around the world, but will keep an optimistic mind for the savior’s second coming.

Panic in Ogun, Lagos over rumoured B’Haram invasion

There was anxiety in Ogun and Lagos states on Wednesday after news filtered in that suspected Boko Haram members had taken over the Sagamu area of Ogun State and were heading for Lagos.

A copy of the message received by our correspondent read, “Breaking news, if you are on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway going towards Ibadan, please turn back. Eighteen suspected Boko Haram members with AK47 rifles are on the highway now displaying their skills.

“Nine policemen and 11 civilians have been confirmed dead by the gunmen while trying to stop them from shooting. Please rebroadcast to save a life. May God help us in Nigeria.”

It was learnt that upon receiving the information, the various security agency deployed their personnel in the affected areas.

It was learnt that policemen from Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states visited Sagamu and the Lagos-Ibadan Expresway with helicopters, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as the National Emergency Management Agency rushed to the scene, hoping to save some lives.

On getting to the scene, however, there was no sign of any terrorist attack.

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Umar Manko, said there was indeed a confrontation in the area, but it had nothing to do with terrorists.

 “In the morning, a truck laden with wheat around Fidiwo Village in Ogun State broke down. Some hoodlums wanted to seize the opportunity to steal some of the goods and there was a confrontation. There was no terrorist attack,” he said.

Manko urged members of the public not to spread fear by broadcasting false messages.

“We cannot police social media, all we can do is to correct wrong impression, but we want to urge members of the public not to spread falsehood.”

Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the Nigerian Army, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps were able to move the broken down vehicle from the scene.

“Probably the rumour mongers took in the presence of police and other security agencies who were at the point to clear the obstruction between Fidiwo and Ogunmakin in Obafemi Owode Local Government and decided that there was something wrong. We urge the public to disregard the rumour.”

The spokesman, NEMA, South-West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, told our correspondent that the military Joint Task Force had also been deployed in Ogere as another rumour had it that 20 policemen were also killed in the area.

He said it was unfortunate that people had seized the opportunity of the security situation in the country to evoke fear in the minds of people.

“Included in the response team on the false alert are military JTF, the State Security Service, FRSC, NSCDC, police from Ogun, Lagos and Oyo  states with the deployment of police aerial chopper. They all carried out searches and surveillance in different ways.

“The JTF is presently manning the Ogere end of the expressway when another rumour had it that about 20 policemen were killed.”

The false alarm caused gridlock as many motorists were said to have turned back towards Lagos.

Policemen at Kara, a border area between Lagos and Ogun states, were also said to have mounted a temporary roadblock as part of efforts to forestall entry of Boko Haram members

A senior police officer said, “We did not want to take any chances. We checked vehicles, especially trucks entering into Lagos.

“There was traffic congestion, but after we had confirmed that there was no cause for alarm, we allowed vehicles to move freely.”

Meanwhile in Abuja, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said the Federal Government felt the pains of Abuja residents who are compelled to endure traffic jam as a result of security checks along some major roads in the Federal Capital Territory.

He appealed to those affected to appreciate the challenges the country is passing through and urged them to make sacrifices.

“We understand the pains our citizens are going through, we have indeed tried to find out from security services how we are going to manage this road blocks.”

In a related development, The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Oyo State Police Command also dispelled the rumour of Boko Haram attack and urged residents  to desist from spreading false information.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor, said, “The story that 18 suspected Boko Haram members operated on the highway with AK47 rifles, killing nine  policemen and 11 civilians is untrue.

“There was an occurrence of a lone auto accident involving a trailer loaded with bags of wheat. FRSC officials, policemen   and other security officers were only at the scene to control traffic and clear the gridlock,” she said.