₦airaland Forum

https://thestreetjournal.org/nscdc-bursts-kidnap-syndicate-in-rivers-recovers-43-ammunition/

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Rivers State Command on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, said it recovered 43 ammunition after a gun duel with a kidnap syndicate, operating at Okuru – Ama waterside.

The Commandant, Michael Besong Ogar, disclosed this at the Command Headquarters in Port Harcourt, The Guardian disclosed.

He said the Anti-vandal Squad of the NSCDC engaged the suspected kidnappers in a gun duel that lasted for about 25 minutes, adding that the suspects took to theeir heels when they discovered NSCDC operatives had superior firing power.

Ogar, in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Olufemi Ayodele, said its operatives were able to recover six AK Rifle magazines, three Tavor gun magazines, 43 Tavor K2 Ammunitions, one Breech block, Some charms with animal horns, a wrist watch and an empty bag.

According to him: “ Following a sustained Intelligence on the activities of a kidnap syndicate hideout at an uncompleted building located in Okuru-Ama waterside, our men swung into action and engaged the suspects in a duel gun battle for 25minutes.

“Our men will continue to patrol the area as we enjoine the public not to relent in giving the command credible information that would lead to their arrest; you can be rest assured that the informants’ identity would be protected.”

Ogar also noted that in another development, suspects were arrested by the NSCDC operatives for illegal dealings in petroleum products, attempted vandalism of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company Pipelines, conspiracy, advance fee fraud, illegal possession of ammunition, obtaining by false pretence and other criminal offences.

The suspects are: Chibuike David, Stephen Williams, Mekalachi Okpara, James Grateman, Rachael James, Godwin Chineletam, Cameroun Eke, George Kingsley, Harrisoa Igbo, Azubuike David, Unity Onue, Bestman Philip, Progress Goodnews, Chigozie Sunday, Godbless Morris, Izuma Ezekiel, Henry Jonah, Promise Okpara, Chibuike Ezechukwu and others.

https://thestreetjournal.org/gunmen-abduct-nysc-member-7-others-within-abuja-metropolis/

Gunmen on Tuesday night of December 6, 2022, abducted a corps member, Adenike, and seven others in Extension 2 Relocation, along Arab Road, Kubwa area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Adenike, currently observing the mandatory National Youth Service, was kidnapped in her father’s home, PUNCH disclosed.

A source confirmed that Adenike is the only daughter of her parents, adding that several others went missing after the attack.

The source added that two others escaped while they were being whisked away through the hills by the kidnappers.

The source said, “Adenike, the landlord’s only daughter who’s currently doing her NYSC has been kidnapped. We’re confused now because several others are also missing.

“Seven others were kidnapped alongside Adenike. But two others, among the ten earlier, kidnapped, escaped, and are safe now.”

The gunmen attacked a residence in the Extension 2 Relocation, along Arab Road, in Kubwa, and shot two males, with one of the gunshot victims dying on the spot, as the other was rushed to the hospital.

During the attack, an eyewitness noted that the gunmen shot sporadically at Amilomania Street and later moved to Toyin Street.

He said, “We heard gunshots twice when they first stormed a house at Amilonania Street. They’re now at Toyin Street, at the last house by the hill.

“They shot a tailor, Abel, popularly known as Oshodi, and he’s lying down dead. They also shot another male, but we have taken him to the Kubwa General Hospital at Phase 4, but he was unconscious.

“The gunmen escaped through the hill.”

When contacted, the FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh didn’t take calls nor responded to text messages forwarded to her on the Tuesday night of December 6.

https://thestreetjournal.org/mogaji-arisekola-alleges-plot-by-politicians-to-silence-cjn-other-judges/

Ibadan-born businessman and pub­lisher of Ireland-based journal, The Street Journal Magazine, Mogaji Bowale Oluwole Arisekola, on Wednesday, December 7, said that there are coordinated attacks by some politicians on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, and other judicial officers, with a view to blackmailing and ridiculing them to silence for ulterior motives.

Mogaji Arisekola, in a statement, said that he read with dismay and shock, a publication alleging that the CJN was grilled by the Department of State Services (DSS), over remarks he made during a state banquet that was recently organized in Port Harcourt by Rivers state government.

He also bemoaned that it was further alleged in the report that five justices of the supreme court are calling for the resignation of Ariwoola.

Mogaji Arisekola noted that that this is yet another round of lies that have been disingenuously packaged by some individuals with unenviable pedigree to malign the character and personality of not just the CJN, but several other judicial officers that are considered to be too principled to be approached for any form of underhand dealings, especially as election cases (petitions) will soon be streaming to the tribunals (courts) for adjudication.

He stated that it will only take an undiscerning mind to believe this string of falsehood, misinformation and blackmail.

Mogaji Arisekola added that Nigerians are much wiser to fall for this criticism and disingenuous sponsorships of paid crowds who masquerade as ‘civil society organizations (CSOs)’ to help them further their inordinate ambition of gagging and fettering the Nigerian judiciary so that they could cowardly do their biddings.

He further noted that neither Ariwoola nor the honourable justices of the supreme court or other courts for that matter, are politicians, so, none of them should be dragged into politics in any form whatsoever.

In addition, he advised the rabble-rousers, whose stock in trade is character assassination via dissemination of false information, to have a rethink and engage in meaningful productive activities that will move the nation forward.

Recall that Ariwoola, on Thursday, November 24, was in Rivers state to attend the inauguration of some judiciary projects embarked upon by the incumbent governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, and made a joke about the governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde.

The CJN said tha his host (Governor Wike) was threatening to withdraw Makinde’s wife, who is from Rivers state, from Oyo state, expressing hope that Makinde would emulate Wike to replicate the good works in his state.

Ariwoola said that, “That is why we should not be scared to have the G5. These governors truly are men of integrity.

“And I am happy that my own governor is among them because he would try to imitate his friend and in-law (Wike).

“So, Governor Wike will always threaten that he will call back his sister (Makinde’s wife) if my governor fails to do well.

“That is why you see Makinde following his excellency (Wike) because my governor is afraid of his wife being withdrawn from him,” he added.

However, the national president of the Oke-Ogun Development Consultative Forum (ODCF), Barrister Ahmed Raji, on Friday, November 25, stated that the report attributed to the CJN is untrue.

Raji noted that the CJN remained non-partisan in his actions and utterances, adding the mischief makers were behind the statement ascribed to Ariwoola.

Raji, who is a notable lawyer, claimed that he also attended the event and did not hear the CJN discuss partisan politics but only joked about the closeness that existed between the two governors.

https://thestreetjournal.org/fg-to-open-second-niger-bridge-on-december-15/

The federal government has said that the second Niger bridge will open to traffic on December 15.

Jimoh Olawale, federal controller of works in Delta state, made this known on Wednesday, December 7.

Jimoh added that the bridge would be open for only 30 days.

According to him, Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, ordered the opening of the bridge, which is 95 percent complete, to ease traffic during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“As we know, during the Christmas celebration, commuters suffer hardship accessing the old Niger bridge due to traffic congestions but with this arrangement, traffic congestion on Asaba-Benin expressway will reduce,” Jimoh said.

“We have notified the state government of this arrangement and we are working with the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) to ensure a hitch-free vehicular movement.

“Motorists going towards Owerri direction would divert through the access road near the old Niger bridge to the new bridge,” he added.

Olawale debunked claims that the federal government had abandoned the payment of compensation to property owners along the access road to the second Niger bridge.

He explained that the government had not taken possession of any property along the 17-kilometre Okpanam-Ibusa-Asaba-Oko bypass to the new bridge, but only served notice that their structures were within the government right-of-way.

The controller noted that the modalities for payment of compensations were being worked out, Nigerian Tribune reports.

“The federal government has appointed a consultant, Messrs C.O. Akpabor and Co. to enumerate the properties for compensation,” Jimoh said.

“Each claimant has an attorney that liaises with the consultant, so there is no need for protest, moreover, the federal government has not taken possession of the properties nor commenced construction work on the access road.

“At the moment, nobody’s structure or property has been demolished.

“The federal government verification team have visited and submitted its report to Abuja and the government will pay all compensation before work will commence on the access road,” he added.

Jimoh assured that the federal government would complete construction work on the 17km access road before May 29, 2023.

It is worth noting that Fashola, in October 2022, said that the link roads to the bridge were still under construction, adding that it would be ready for public use soon.

https://thestreetjournal.org/2023-nigerians-in-diaspora-requests-court-to-compel-inec-to-register-them-as-voters/

Nigerians living abroad have asked a federal high court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register them as voters in the 2023 general election.

Chikwe Nkemnacho and Kenneth Nkemnacho, the plaintiffs who live in the UK, instituted the case on behalf of other Nigerians in diaspora, The Cable reports.

INEC, chairman of INEC, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria are listed as first to fourth defendants, respectfully.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2119/2022 and filed before Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, the plaintiffs asked the court to order INEC and the federal government to suspend campaigning for the 2023 elections until they are included as registered voters for the polls.

Additionally, they asked the court to rule that, in accordance with sections 13, 14, 42, and 17 of the 1999 constitution, those of them who are of voting age are entitled to take part in the electoral process by registering to vote in 2023 and in all elections, regardless of their place of residence.

They further sought a court declaration that there is still sufficient time for INEC to comply with provisions of sections 13, 14 and 15 of the 1999 constitution.

They argued that unless they are allowed to vote in the 2023 elections and subsequent ones, their fundamental rights as enshrined in the 1999 constitution would be grossly violated.

The suit came up for mention during the court session on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.

The judge, thereafter, adjourned the matter till January 19, 2023, for further mention and to allow the defendants file their respective responses.

The development comes months after Zubairu Dada, minister of state for foreign affairs, said Nigerians in the diaspora will soon be able to vote from their countries of residence.

“The national assembly is working closely with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fashion a way to actualise diaspora voting. I remain very optimistic that in the not-too-distant future, it should be possible for Nigerians in the diaspora to participate in our national elections,” Dada had said.

https://thestreetjournal.org/buhari-re-appoints-edward-adamu-aishah-ahmad-as-cbn-deputy-governors-photos/

President Muhammadu Buhari has re-appointed Aishah Ahmad and Edward Lametek Adamu as deputy governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Ahmad and Adamu were first appointed as CBN deputy governors in charge of the financial system stability, and corporate services directorate respectively, in March 2018, Daily Trust reports.

President Buhari, in a letter, addressed to the senate president, Ahmad Lawan, and read during plenary on Tuesday, December 6, asked the red chamber to confirm their nominations in the “usual expeditious manner.”

As the deputy governor in charge of financial system stability, Aisha is responsible for leading the effort to promote a sound financial system in Nigeria.

In this role, Aishah will be a member of the governing board and committee of governors at the CBN and chairman of the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), a non-governmental organization offering training, consulting and research services for the financial services sector.

Aishah, before her appointment at CBN, was executive director, retail banking at Diamond Bank, with over 22 years of experience as a corporate executive and finance expert.

Her banking and investment career spans several financial institutions including NAL Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, amongst others.

Meanwhile, Adamu began his career in the Unified Public Service (UPS) in 1983 with the Bauchi state civil service.

He spent thirty-five (35) years in the UPS, twenty-five (25) of which was spent in CBN.

During his years in CBN, he worked in the Gombe state civil service from 2008 to 2010 as the senior special assistant and head, procurement management and due process office.

Adamu returned to the apex bank in 2010 and was appointed director of the strategy management department in 2012, after a selection process.

He was later deployed to the human resources department of the bank in 2016 as director, a position he held until his retirement from the services of the bank on February 14, 2018.

https://thestreetjournal.org/police-arrests-two-for-killing-8-month-pregnant-woman-stealing-her-unborn-baby-in-mexico/

A pregnant Mexican woman has died after she was cut open by two assailants who stole her unborn baby.

Rosa Isela Castro Vazquez, 20 years old, was eight months pregnant when she was kidnapped by two suspects who cut the baby out of her womb and dumped her body in Medellin del Bravo, in the Mexican state of Veracruz, Daily Mail UK disclosed.

Police arrested the alleged perpetrators after discovering a newborn baby in their possession, the attorney general’s office in the eastern state of Veracruz said in a statement.

They allegedly sliced open the victim to extract the fetus because the woman attacker was unable to have children herself, an official linked to the investigation said on condition of anonymity.

The suspects, a man, and a woman appeared before a judge on Monday, December 5, 2022, accused of kidnapping and femicide.

The victim was lured to her death through social media with a promise of clothes for her baby, relatives said, which said that it was the third case of its kind in recent years.

Rosa Isela had gone to meet a woman who had reportedly contacted her on social media to offer her baby clothes, according to her sister, whose name was not made public.

Footage of the meeting between Rosa Isela and the mysterious woman she met near the airport reportedly shows the woman arriving late and looking around nervously while talking to the victim.

Rosa Isela is then said to have got into a vehicle, never to be seen alive again. Two suspects were detained after the authorities launched an investigation.

A statement from the Attorney General of the State of Veracruz on Sunday, 4th December (2022), said: ‘The State Attorney General’s Office, headed by Veronica Hernandez Giadans, reports that officials of the Ministerial Police arrested Gonzalo “N” and Veronica ‘N’ as alleged perpetrators of the crime of disappearance committed by individuals.’

‘N’ is often used in Mexico to obfuscate a suspect’s full name due to local privacy laws.

The authorities have also reportedly recovered the baby, a girl, alive and well.

The investigation is being headed up by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Crimes of Violence against the Family, Women, Children, and Human Trafficking.

At the time of reporting, the two suspects were expected to be brought before a judge to give an initial statement.

A Texas woman in September 2022, murdered her pregnant friend and cut the fetus from the victim’s womb to try and pass it off as her own. Taylor Parker, 29, received the death sentence for the crime.

More than 3,700 women were murdered in violence-plagued Mexico in 2021, of which around 1,000 were classified as femicides, according to official figures.

https://thestreetjournal.org/naira-depreciation-increases-nigerias-foreign-debt-burden-by-n9tn/

The drop in value of naira to United States (US) dollar has increased Nigeria’s foreign debt burden by N9 trillion.

The value of naira slumped from N196.92 in June 2015 to N414.72 in June 2022.

Within the seven years under review, the naira depreciated by 52.52 percent against the US dollar.

The monthly average exchange rates of the naira (naira per unit of foreign currency) for 2015 document obtained from the website of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showes that the one dollar was N196.92 for inter-bank foreign exchange market.

The exchange rate for one dollar as of June 30, 2022, was N414.72, according to the figure provided by the CBN.

Nigeria’s total external debt rose from $10.32 billion as of June 30, 2015, to $40.06 billion as of June 30, 2022.

This showed that there was an increase of 288.18 percent in seven years, according to the external debt stock reports by the Debt Management Office (DMO).

A breakdown showed that in 2015, states had $3.27 billion external debt while the federal government had $7.05 billion.

By 2022, states’ external debt had risen to $4.56 billion, while the federal government’s external debt was $35.5 billion.

The debts include loans from multilateral sources such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund (lMF), including those from bilateral sources such as China, France, Japan, Germany and India, The Punch reports.

They also include debts commercial sources, which include Eurobonds and Diaspora bonds.

If the CBN average exchange rate for June 2015 was used to weigh the country’s current $40.06 billion foreign debt, Nigeria’s external debt in naira terms would have been N7.89 trillion.

However, with the exchange rate of N414.72 as of June 30 this year, the total external debt in naira terms was N16.61 trillion, showing a difference of N8.72 trillion.

By implication, it will cost Nigeria N8.72 trillion in naira terms if the country decides to pay back the $40.06 billion external debt in 2022.

If this same debt was incurred in 2015, Nigeria would have spent N9 trillion less, given the then exchange rate of N196.92 per dollar.

The managing director/chief executive officer of Cowry Asset Management Limited, Johnson Chukwu, while reacting to this development, said that high external debt would impose a huge debt service on the economy.

Johnson said that, “This will impose a huge debt service on the economy, particularly at a period when we have low revenue from oil sales.

“If the revenue from oil sales does not improve, then the government will be struggling to meet that debt service obligation to foreign lenders.”

However, he noted that Nigeria could service its foreign debt at the current level, but a constant increase in debt without a corresponding increase in foreign currency earnings could put the country in a difficult position.

In a bid to manage the value of naira, the CBN introduced a number of policies such as stopping 41 items from accessing forex at the official market, offering N5 for every $1 of funds remitted to Nigeria through Internal Money Transfer Organisations (IMTOs), banning the supply of forex to Bureau de Change, among others.

However, these policies have not been able to guarantee naira stability.

The World Bank had said that it is not in agreement with the CBN on how it attempts to achieve price stabilisation of the naira, adding that the local currency should be allowed to respond to real pressures, and not be bottled up by the CBN.

The IMF recently said that the long-term rate of the depreciation of the naira equated to a loss of 10.6 per cent of its value annually since 1973.

According to the IMF, this rate was 1.5 times higher than the long-term rate of the currencies of other emerging markets and developing economies at 7.2 percent, and sub-Saharan Africa at seven percent over the same time period.

Meanwhile, financial experts, during a recent workshop on tax expenditure organised by the ECOWAS in Abuja, advised that Nigeria and other West African countries should move away from reliance on foreign assistance to finance developmental projects in the region.

According to them, over-dependence on financial aid and external loans might affect long-term prosperity for the entire region.

The Special Advisor to the Director (Custom Union and Taxation in ECOWAS), Gbenga Falana, while emphasizing that the debt profile of most of the countries in the sub-region was mounting, stressed the need for West African countries to look inwardly and finance local projects through effective domestic resource mobilization.

https://thestreetjournal.org/senate-exonerates-finance-minister-from-allegations-of-n424bn-budget-padding/

The senate committee on appropriations, on Monday, December 5, cleared the minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, of the alleged insertion of projects amounting to N424 billion in the 2023 budget proposal of some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

Ahmed was summoned by the lawmakers after the heads of the affected MDAs could not provide the explanations for the insertions in their projects.

Most of the heads of these MDAs expressed ignorance about the allocations, and said that the finance minister was in a better position to explain.

Ahmed, while speaking before the lawmakers on Monday, told the panel that the allocations which some MDAs claimed to be unaware of, were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), before the 2023 budget presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari in October.

The minister said that, “All the proposed budgetary sums like the N206 billion in the ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, N8.6billion in the ministry of defence budget and N195.4 billion in the estimates for the ministry of power, etc, were all captured before the budget presentation by President Buhari.

“Most of these funds are bilateral or multilateral loans captured in the budget of agencies selected for projects execution for the sole purpose of transparency.
“The totality of such loans captured in the proposed budget of the relevant agencies is N1.771 trillion.

“If the heads of the affected MDAs had carried out thorough scrutiny of their budgetary proposals, we wouldn’t be talking about the issue of insertion or budget padding at all.

“It is the realization of this that made the minister of defence, Bashir Magashi, to apologise after feigning ignorance of the N8.6 billion in his ministry’s budget during interface with the senate committee on defence,” she added.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Barau Jibrin, said that the clarifications made by the minister were “well understood by all the committee members.”

He also commended her for “ensuring transparency with capturing of such loans or grants in the budget,” according to Daily Trust.

https://thestreetjournal.org/4-nigerians-arrested-in-uk-sweden-over-cyber-fraud-theft-commited-on-us-soil/

Four Nigerians have been arrested in the United Kingdom (UK) and Sweden for allegedly committing cyber fraud and theft of public money in the United States (US).

This was made known in a press release by the US Department of Justice on Monday, December 5, 2022, adding that each defendant risks at least a 20-year imprisonment if found guilty.

The defendants – Akinola Taylor, Olayemi Adafin, Olakunle Oyenbanjo and Kazeem Olanrewaju Runsewe were also indicted for aggravated identity theft and their crime was transnational in nature, Vanguard reports.

The statement said, “The United States (US) Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of four indictments charging Akinola Taylor (Nigeria), Olayemi Adafin (United Kingdom), Olakunle Oyebanjo (Nigeria), and Kazeem Olanrewaju Runsewe (Nigeria), with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, filing false claims with the United States, theft of public money or property, and aggravated identity theft.

“Taylor, Adafin, and Runsewe were each arrested on November 30, 2022, and Oyebanjo was arrested on December 1, 2022. Taylor, Adafin, and Oyebanjo were apprehended in London, United Kingdom, and Runswewe was apprehended in Malmo, Sweden. Each will face extradition proceedings. In conjunction with the arrests, foreign authorities conducted searches of the residences of Taylor and Runsewe.”

“If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud count, as well as additional penalties for the remaining counts. The indictments also notify the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit assets which are alleged to be traceable to the proceeds of the offence.

It continued, “According to the indictments, Taylor and Runsewe obtained unauthorised access to United States businesses’ computer servers, participated in stealing from those servers the personally identifying information of United States residents and used that information to file false and fraudulent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, United States Individual Income Tax Returns (“Form(s) 1040”) seeking income tax refunds with the IRS.

“Adafin and Oyebanjo assisted in the collection fraud proceeds directed to prepaid debit cards in their possession or to addresses or bank accounts they controlled or to which they had access and transferred a share of the fraud proceeds to other conspirators.

“One of the places that Taylor and Runsewe had obtained unauthorized access to computer servers was the xDedic Marketplace, a website that operated for years and was used to sell access to compromised computers worldwide and personally identifiable information of U.S. residents. The xDedic administrators strategically maintained servers all over the world to facilitate the operation of the website.

“The xDedic Marketplace was taken down as part of coordinated, global enforcement operations led by the FBI (Tampa Division) the IRS-CI (Tampa Field Office) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.”

https://thestreetjournal.org/n576m-fraud-efcc-launches-manhunt-for-kanos-apc-senatorial-candidate-abdulkareem-zaura-over-failure-to-show-up-in-court/

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said it is on the hunt for the Kano central senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulkareem Abdulsalam Zaura, over a case bothering on fraud.

Zaura (popularly known as A.A. Zaura) was accused of defrauding a Kuwaiti national of $1.3million and was billed for arraignment after the Court of Appeal quashed the earlier discharge and acquittal judgment of the court and ordered his retrial, Daily Trust disclosed.

His re-arraignment earlier billed for October 14, October 31, and November 10, 2022, could not go ahead following his absence in court with his lawyer arguing that his client does not have to appear before the court because of an appeal before the Supreme Court against the appellate court judgment.

However, the arraignment fixed for Monday, December 5, 2022, could not go ahead due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice Muhammad Yunusa, who is said to be attending another national assignment.

EFCC counsel, Ahmad Rogha said Zaura, who was also absent on the same Monday, was supposed to report himself to the commission following the court’s decision at the last sitting and the Supreme Court decision on November 25, 2022, dismissing Zaura’s motion to stall his arraignment.

“We are looking for Zaura and he would be arrested as soon as we found him. Ordinarily, he was supposed to be in our custody and the court has affirmed that but I can assure you he would be arrested and brought to court for the next adjourned date 30th January, 2023″, Rogha said.

Ibrahim Waru, counsel to Zaura said the EFCC does not possess any legal authority to arrest his client.

When asked why Zaura refused to appear for arraignment, Waru said there was no need for him to appear since the court was not sitting.

At the last sitting, the trial judge ordered EFCC to produce the accused person for arraignment on the allegation of fraud against a Kuwaiti national.

Justice Yunusa had overruled Zaura’s application that challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case and other addresses bothering on whether the accused must appear in person to take a plea.

Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned to January 30, 2023, for the arraignment of the defendant.

https://thestreetjournal.org/ndlea-arA 60-year-old woman and an expectant mother were among those arrested during interdiction operations

A 60-year-old woman and an expectant mother were among those arrested during interdiction operations in which 5,527.15kg of methamphetamine and cannabis Sativa, as well as 132,090 tablets of tramadol and 2,000 bottles of codeine, were recovered by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) across five states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in the past week.

The spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, December 5, 2022.

According to The Nation, Babafemi, in NDLEA’s statement, said the 60-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Ibinosun Sandra Esther, was arrested in Ibadan, Oyo State in a follow-up operation following the seizure of 5.5kg Loud variant of cannabis imported into the country from South Africa.

Babafemi said the consignment, which she claimed was sent to her by her daughter was concealed in two giant speakers as part of a consolidated cargo that arrived at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos on board an Airpeace Airline flight.

“In Abuja, operatives stormed the warehouse of a notorious drug lord and an ex-convict, Ibrahim Momoh, alias Ibrahim Bendel who escaped from prison custody to return to his criminal trade and recovered 81 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1,278kgs. Though the fleeing drug dealer is still at large and is wanted by the Agency, his warehouse keeper, 55-year-old Ghanaian, Richard Forson Gordon, was arrested.

“In Rivers state, operatives on Saturday 3rd December 2022, arrested a 29-year-old pregnant woman, Kate Ibinabo with 34.4kgs cannabis Sativa in Okrika area of the state,” the statement said.

https://thestreetjournal.org/oyetola-set-many-traps-for-my-administration-for-loosing-at-polls-adeleke/

The governor of Osun state, Ademola Adeleke, has alleged that his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola, set many traps for his administration.

Adeleke made this known at a thanksgiving service at Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Oke Gada in Ede region of the state, on Sunday, December 4, This Day reports.

The governor, while speaking, said that, “We passed through tough days before we reached where we’re at today.

“I can’t but constantly praise God, my brothers, my sisters, my political associates, my friends and the great people of Osun state.

“That massive support accounted for my decisions as the state governor a week ago.

“That was why I issued those executive orders to dismantle all illegalities and clean up the mess I inherited.

“Oyetola set many traps for my administration because he lost at the polls, but we are removing all the evil structures they put in place.

“I have used the first one week to take charge and set the tone for good governance, and I can continue the great work now.

“I am still shaking up the system, but I will get to unveil and commence my agenda soon,” he added.

Adeleke further noted that he will continue to thank God for being behind him, especially in the face of gang-ups against him.

The governor said that, “I can’t thank God and the people enough for the support against many gang-ups and the resolute campaign of calumny from within and outside the party.

“I reassure you that all my actions will continue to be in the best interest of the state.

“I promise to serve the good people of Osun state, and restore good governance to Osun state,” he added.

https://thestreetjournal.org/court-orders-arrest-of-army-chief-faruk-yahaya/

A high court sitting in Minna, Niger state, has issued a warrant of arrest for Faruk Yahaya, chief of army staff (COAS), for contempt.

A warrant of arrest was also issued against Olugbenga Olabanji, commandant of the training and doctrine command, Minna, over the same offence.

The order was issued in respect of a suit marked NSHC/225/2019, The Cable disclosed.

The suit is between Adamu Makama and 42 others versus the executive governor of Niger state and seven others.

The motion for the issuance of the warrants was moved by Mohammed Liman, counsel to the plaintiffs/applicants.

Liman had prayed the court to send the army chief and commandant to the correctional centre for disobeying an order made on October 12, 2022.

Ruling on the application, Halima Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, said: “An order is made committing the Nigerian army chief of staff, General Farouk Yahaya and the commander training and doctrine command (TRADOC) Minna i.e 6th &7th respondents into the custody of the correctional centre for contempt of the order of this honourable court made on the 12/10/2022.”

The judge added that “they shall remain in the custody of the correctional centre until they purge themselves of the contempt”.

The case has been adjourned to December 8, 2022, for continuation.

On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, a federal high court in Abuja sentenced Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police, to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.

Mobolaji Olajuwon, the presiding judge, issued the ruling on the same Tuesday, following a suit filed by Patrick Okoli, a former police officer who claims he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian police force.

Similarly, an FCT high court ordered the remand of Abdulrasheed Bawa, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for contempt.

However, the order was later set aside.

https://thestreetjournal.org/fire-guts-kano-market-destroys-150-shops/

Fire, on Monday, November 28, 2022, destroyed no fewer than 150 shops at the Kachako Central Market, in the Takai Local Government Area of Kano State.

The spokesperson for the state Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, who confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, said the incident occurred in the afternoon around 1.13 pm, PUNCH disclosed.

Abdullahi said, “We received a distress call at the Takai Fire Station at around 1.13pm from the Local Government Security Service Unit and we immediately sent our rescue team to the scene around 1.21pm to prevent the inferno from spreading to the other shops. The dimension of the market premises is about 2,000 fit by 1,500 fit. We were able to successfully save about 800 shelters from the fire.”

Abdullahi explained that it was suspected that the fire was caused by smokers as the day was a market day.

He, therefore, cautioned members of the public to avoid any act that could lead to outbreak of fire especially now that the harmattan season had set in.

https://thestreetjournal.org/south-african-police-arrests-two-nigerians-for-cybercrime-offence/

The Police in Gauteng, South Africa have arrested two suspects said to be Nigerian nationals who allegedly scammed and robbed online buyer after placing adverts on social media about a car on sale.

South African Police in a statement on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, said the duo was arrested in Hammanskraal on Monday, November 28, 2022.

“Following a case that was reported to the police, the suspects’ activities online were monitored. One of their victims had reported that he saw an advertisement for a vehicle in the area of Dilopye, Hammanskraal and made contact with the seller,” the statement read.

“Both the buyer and the seller met and the transaction was made of R80 000. The alleged seller fled the scene with the victim’s cash and the vehicle that has just been purchased, leaving the victim stranded.

“The same group of suspects allegedly placed another advertisement for the same vehicle and the victim noticed it and informed the Investigating Officer.

“The suspects were then traced and arrested as they were about to scam and rob another unsuspecting victim.”

https://thestreetjournal.org/ndlea-seal-hotels-eatery-houses-belonging-to-arrested-abia-drug-kingpin-photos/

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has sealed off two hotels, one eatery, and two houses linked to Onyeaghalachi Stephen, a wanted drug kingpin in Abia State.

Onyeaghalachi was arrested on Saturday, November 26, 2022, over his involvement in supplying illicit drugs together with his brother, Eze Stephen, in the southeast and south-south of Nigeria.

In a statement on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesman, said Onyeaghalachi and Eze Stephen, identified as his elder brother, have been on the agency’s wanted list for nine years, The Cable reports.

Babafemi said the agency carried out simultaneous overnight operations to arrest the duo in separate locations, but Eze narrowly escaped.

Babafemi said during the raid, cocaine and cannabis were recovered, adding that the agency sealed off two hotels, one eatery, and two houses linked to the brothers.

“One of two brothers who serve as major sources of illicit drug supplies in the south-east and south-south parts of the country, Onyeaghalachi Stephen Nwagwugwu, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA after nine years of being on his trail,” the statement reads.

“Eze Stephen, the elder brother, who is also wanted, narrowly escaped during the overnight operation carried out simultaneously in their two locations: Umuahia and Ntigha Okpuola communities in Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Abia state.

“Investigations show the two notorious brothers began a career in the illicit drug business in the late 90s when they started as pocket dealers before they later established smoking joints/bunks in their community, Ntigha Okpuola, and subsequently grew to become barons; owning hotels, houses in choice areas of Abia, Rivers and Imo states, with exotic cars in their homes.

“The NDLEA has been on their trail since 2013 when they organized a mob attack on some of the agency’s operatives who attempted to apprehend them during a raid.

“At least, one of the officers attacked then is still bedridden to date. The two drug lords equally own armed militia guarding their houses and drug stores, where they deal in assorted illicit substances like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine (mpuru-miri), loud/Arizona, and all sorts.

“A fresh bid to bring the duo to book and end their criminal trade was launched four months ago, leading to a simultaneous raid operation on their locations on Saturday, 26th November 2022.

“While the younger brother, Onyeaghalachi Stephen Nwagwugwu, who lives in Umuahia, the Abia state capital, was successfully arrested, the elder brother, Eze Kaleb Stephen, narrowly escaped when his Ntigha Okpuola community home was stormed by operatives backed by men of the Nigerian Army.”

The NDLEA said one Eberechi Kingsley Monday linked to the brothers was also arrested during the raid.

“During the raid, quantities of cocaine and variants of cannabis were recovered from the two houses, while the agency has so far sealed two hotels, one eatery, and two mansions linked to them, and recovered three exotic vehicles from their homes, as efforts are ongoing to trace more of their bank accounts and properties,” the statement reads.

“The identified hotels include Jahlove Hotel, Mbawsi, Isiala Ngwa North LGA; Noicyhl Luxury Hotel, Aba-Port Harcourt expressway, Aba; and Royal Cruise Fast Food, Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, all in Abia State.”

https://thestreetjournal.org/sacked-osun-lg-chairmen-councillors-to-continue-in-office-despite-courts-verdict/

The Osun state house of assembly, on Wednesday, November 30, said that since the judgment nullifying the October 15 local government elections in the state had been appealed, the elected officials should be allowed to continue in office.

The resolution was contained in a statement released by the press secretary to the speaker of the assembly, Kunle Alabi, on Wednesday, November 30, The Punch reports.

The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) had, through its executive secretary, Adedapo Adejumo, withdrawn certificates of return issued to the elected officials of all local government areas in the state, and disclosed plan not to appeal the ruling of a federal high court in Osogbo that sacked them.

However, the assembly said tha it arrived at the resolution that the sacked council officials should remain in office during a plenary on Wednesday, after its speaker, Timothy Owoeye, briefed members on the outcome of a private meeting held with the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

Owoeye, while briefing members of the assembly on the outcome of the meeting with Adeleke, also stated that there was a mutual understanding that the house would henceforth be carried along on matters that concerns the legislature.

The statement partly reads, “On the issue of LG administration, Owoeye informed the plenary of a notice of appeal against the decision of a federal high court judgment served on the seventh assembly.

“The house thereby resolves that the issue of local government administration should be left to the court of law, ordering a status quo on all local government administration pending the exhaustion on all legal means.

“This is the Osun state house of assembly, anything we are doing has to be to the development and progress of this state, we have not done anything wrong.

“As an institution, we scan whatever we disseminate because as far as the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is concerned, we are performing legislative duties and our functions as legislators.

“When Aregbesola took over the mantle of leadership in 2010, the PDP-controlled local government was still in place and the status quo remained.

“Nobody dissolved the local government until all legal processes were completed.”

Recall that a federal high court sitting in Osogbo, on November 25, nullified the state’s local government election conducted by OSIEC.
OSIEC, on October 15, conducted the election across the 30 local government areas (LGAs) in the state amid low voter turnout.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the seats in the 30 LGAs unopposed.

Prior to the election, Segun Oladitan, chairman of OSIEC, announced that only one political party signified intention to contest in the election.

He, however, did not mention the name of the political party that signified interest at the time.

The ballot paper used for voting didn’t have the logo of any political party, and only reflected ‘Yes or No.’

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently approached the court to stop OSIEC from nullifying the election.

Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, the presiding judge, held that the election was held in contravention of sections 29 and 32 of the electoral act, 2022.

Ayo-Emmanuel also ordered the immediate removal of all chairmen and councillors in every LGA of the state.

https://thestreetjournal.org/terrorists-invade-dpos-residence-kill-mother-brother-in-katsina/

Terrorists on Monday, November 28, 2022, invaded the family house of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Dutsi Division, Katsina State Police Command, and killed his mother and younger brother.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, who confirmed the development, said the details were still sketchy.

Isah said, “The incident is true but we don’t have details yet. Our officers have already gone there but I cannot say more than this for now.”

The DPO, whose name could not be mentioned for security reasons, was on duty when the terrorists stormed his family house and killed the victims, PUNCH disclosed.

A source in the area said the corpses of the two victims were buried according to Islamic rites on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.

Meanwhile, policemen in the state arrested a 20-year-old man, Murtala Amme, who was accused of belonging to the camp of a wanted terrorist, Kamilu Buzaru.

The police said members of the camp were responsible for terrorising communities in Danmusa Local Government Area of the state.

The policemen attached to the Kankara Division also confirmed the arrest of a 35-year-old man, Ibrahim Dayyabu, who was alleged to be on his way to supply a brand new Honda motorcycle to terrorists inside a forest.

Isah added “In the course of investigation, Dayyabu confessed to belong to the camp of notorious terrorist known as Mani Doro and has brought over seven motorcycles for the terrorists. Investigation into his case is ongoing.”

https://thestreetjournal.org/2023-apc-breaks-fundraising-record-as-nigerians-donate-over-n190m-to-support-tinubus-presidential-bid-in-less-than-two-minutes/


The All Progressives Congress (APC) has broken a fundraising record in the annals of politics in the country.

The APC presidential campaign council, on Tuesday, November 29, unveiled a crowdfunding app for the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

The ruling party, in less than two minutes, also raised over N190 million.

Considering that no individual can donate more than N50 million to a political party, this is a big boost for the ruling party.

This demonstrates that Nigerians believe in the ability of the APC presidential candidate and his running mate to make Nigeria better.

Recall that some south east businessmen recently donated the sum of N1 billion to support the presidential bid of Tinubu.

While the Labour Party (LP) celebrated raising N10 million in 24 hours, the APC, which the opposition claims Nigerians are sick of, was able to raise 192 million in a matter of minutes.

It is obvious that the APC has been accepted by Nigerians ahead of the 2023 general elections, and of a truth, Nigerians have taken affirmative actions which has dwarfed the voices of other political parties.

https://thestreetjournal.org/2023-i-dont-mind-kneeling-down-to-beg-wike-makinde-others-to-support-atiku-akwa-ibom-gov-udom-emmanuel/


The governor of Akwa Ibom state, Udom Emmanuel, on Monday, November 28, said that he does not mind kneeling down to appeal to the five aggrieved governors under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to support the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Emmanuel, who is the chairman of the PDP presidential campaign council, also noted that the main opposition party will resolve its internal crisis before the 2023 elections.

The group of the five aggrieved governors, popularly known as G5, include Nyesom Wike, who is the governor of Rivers state, Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom, Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state, and Seyi Makinde of Oyo state.

The governors are calling for equity, fairness and justice in the PDP, specifically insisting that the party’s national chairman, Iyorcha Ayu, who is from the north, must step down to pave the way for someone from the south to succeed him, since the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hails from the same region.

Emmanuel, while speaking on Monday, expressed optimism that the internal wrangling within PDP will be over soon, The Cable reports.

The governor said that, “We are trying to take the right step after making some mistakes, and we are making progress.

“We’ll resolve all issues. We can’t afford to go into 2023 without unity because every vote matters.

“Every single person is important in politics, not to talk of when you’re talking about very big men (G5 members).

“I don’t mind kneeling down to beg the aggrieved governors in a bid to get them to support our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

“Small men like us will go and prostrate before them. We’re in this election to win in all states. I don’t think anybody will get to this point and be doing permutation.

“The governors are unhappy but you cannot take away the fact that they are still members of PDP.

“Even spoons and plates hit themselves and create a lot of noise in the kitchen but that doesn’t mean they’re broken.

“For the fact that people are unhappy in PDP is inevitable because we are talking about the largest party in Africa.

“I must also confess as a party, we’ve made mistakes, and as individuals, we’ve made mistakes.

“But these mistakes, I can assure you, will not break us. We are trying to come back, review and then reappraise and see how we can move forward, and I can assure you, we’ll do that,” he added.

https://thestreetjournal.org/court-sentences-igp-usman-baba-to-three-months-in-prison-for-contempt

A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police (IGP), to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.

The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice M. O. Olajuwon, on Tuesday, November 29, held that the IGP should be detained in custody for a period of three months, until he obeys an order it made on October 21, 2011, according to The Vanguard.

“If at the end of the three months, the IGP still refuses to purge his contempt, he shall be given another jail term,” Justice Olajuwon said.

The ruling came on the heels of a suit that was filed by a police officer, Patrick Okoli, who was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

Justice Olajuwon noted that though the Police Service Commission (PSC), recommended Okoli’s reinstatement into the police, a decision that was affirmed by the court, the IGP refused to comply with the order.

The court also ordered the payment of N10 million to the applicant, as damages for the unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional denial of his rights and privileges as a senior officer of the NPF from 1993 till date.

https://thestreetjournal.org/nigerian-hospitals-recruit-retired-nurses-as-last-resort-amidst-massive-brain-drain/

Many hospitals in the country have been forced to recruit retired nurses on contract to bolster their work-force due to the massive migration of medical workers to foreign countries.

A nurse, simply identified as Mrs. Turaki, who has been in the profession for over 15 years, said that decrease in number of health personnel has only gotten worse at the tertiary hospital where she works in Bauchi state.

Turaki complained about the many things wrong with the health sector in the country including shortage of staff, poor working conditions, inadequate equipment and a heavy workload.

She noted that seven amongst her friends at the hospital have left the shores of the country for greener pastures.

Turaki, while speaking, said that, “I’m not enjoying the job again. This was not what I longed to see before joining the profession.

“I thought it’s meant to get better but things are getting worse. There has been shortage of staff and equipments, also the remuneration is nothing to write home about.”

The nurse now runs longer shifts and attends to more patients, adding that she is meant to care for four patients, or at most 10.

Turaki said that whenever she arrives at work, she has to decide which of the 50 patients on the queue needs urgent care or minor surgeries, The Punch reports.

She said that, “In a day, I attend to at least 20 patients and if I’m on the triaging table, I must attend to about 50 patients daily.

“I will triage them one after the other to know the department to refer them to.

“I have to go through their folders and check if they are new cases or they are emergency cases,” she added.

For minor surgeries, between 10 and 15 patients, Turaki noted that she usually attend to them one after the other, working hand in hand with the doctors.

“In my clinic, we work from 8 am to 4 pm but if you’re on duty, once you close by 4 pm, you remain on duty from that 4 pm till 8 am the next day,” she said.

As a result of the gruelling workload and lack of working tools, Turaki thinks the world is on her shoulders.

Turaki said that, “There was a patient who required an emergency tracheotomy but the equipment was not available.

“We referred the patient to another hospital in Jos, which was the closest but before getting there, he died.”

The nurse noted that for all her troubles, she earns N210,000 on a monthly basis.

Turaki said that, “I’m on CONHESS 12, which is grade level 13 in the civil service, and I earn N210,000 monthly.

“Meanwhile, our colleagues who have travelled abroad earn up to N1 million per month,” she added.

Similarly, another nurse based in Ondo state, Mrs. Ameh, feels overwhelmed and undervalued doing what she loves to do the most.

Ameh said that, “I enjoy my nursing job but I am overwhelmed. We are only two nurses in the clinic.

“We get easily exhausted because we attend to more than 40 patients a day, sometimes 70 patients a day.

“This is what we face every day. The work that should have been done by four people is being done by two people.

“If I see the opportunity to leave Nigeria today, I won’t wait, I will leave the country immediately because the work is overwhelming.

“If I have the means to go, I will go. I think about it every day,” she added.

Thousands of nurses like Turaki and Ameh are frustrated on the job due to the increasingly difficult working conditions.

According to the president of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Michael Nnachi, at least 57,000 nurses left the country between 2017 and 2022 in a bid to earn practise abroad and earn better pay.

Despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) code of practice, which states that member states should discourage active recruitment of health professionals from developing countries facing critical shortages of health workers, the latest data from the nursing and midwifery council shows that there is a big rise in the number of Nigerian-trained nurses who join the list.

The nursing and midwifery council noted that almost half of the foreigners last year were aged 30 or under, and a similar number were in their 40s.

Only five percent were 41 and above, compared to 14 percent of the people who joined from the United Kingdom.

The NMC, which is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK, said that many are settling in and around London.

However, NMC data does show that medical professionals are moving to all corners of the UK and England.

According to the NMC data, 7,256 trained nurses in Nigeria relocated to the UK between March 2021 and March 2022.

Nnachi confirmed that the migration of nurses to other countries leaves the burden of care on the few available medical workers.

With an estimated population of over 200 million persons in Nigeria, there is one nurse per 1,660 people in the country, according to Nnachi.

Nnachi said that, “The concern is that care has to be qualitative but as nurses are leaving, there is such an increase in the workload that if I tell you that it is one nurse to 60 or 80 patients, it might be modest.

“But if you’re looking at the statistics and population of Nigeria, the nurse-patient ratio is one to 1,660 patients,” he added.

To save the situation, the managements of hospitals in Nigeria have decided to call back retired nurses.

Some of them believe that retired nurses still have much to offer despite their age.

Though some hospitals denied resorting to such a scheme, the recruited nurses are speaking out in anger.

After a fulfilling nursing career that spanned 35 years, Abimbola Johnson (not real name) took a bow from a federal hospital in Lagos state in 2019.

Johnson retired as an assistant director of nursing services in one of the general hospitals in Lagos.

The civil service rule in Nigeria mandates civil servants to retire either after serving for 35 years or attaining the age of 60.

The former was the basis for Johnson’s retirement as she was 58 years old at that time, however, her retirement phase was short-lived and she found herself back at work two years later.

Johnson, who is now 61 years old, said that she was recruited again as staff shortage hit the critical workforce and the pressure on hospitals escalated.

Johnson, who is currently working in the health service as a contract worker, noted that her grade level was stepped down by a rank.

She said that many of her colleagues are also back to work, all in a bid to salvage the health sector from collapse.

Johnson stated that, “I have seen colleagues who have renewed their contract up to four times, some of them have even passed age 65.

“We see them and we know ourselves. Even in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Idi-araba, we have some of our good old hands who are back there as contract nurses because of the mass exodus of nurses.”

The veteran nurse noted that she would have felt uncomfortable staying at home when she still had something to offer.

Johnson said that, “The ability is still there to work. Why would I stay indoors when I still have something to offer?

“My two-year contract ends this December but if I wish to continue, all I have to do is re-apply and renew my contract for another two years.”

Another retired nurse, who wished to remain anonymous, said that even though she is contributing her quota to healthcare delivery in the country, she is saddened by the overstretched health system.

She said that she retired from service in 2022 at age 59 as a GL 16 officer but she was recruited almost immediately as a contract nurse on GL 15.

She noted that,“Even as a retired nurse, when I begin to look at my gratuity, I am not happy.

“I look at my counterparts that work with Shell and NNPC, and I know what their gratuities are.”

The xhairman of NANNM, Lagos state council, Olurotimi Awojide, while speaking on the development, said that, “The government needs to review the salary of nurses and that is one of the reasons young nurses are leaving the country.

“We should declare an emergency in the healthcare sector. The workload is enormous and we are overstretched in taking care of patients.

“It is meant to be one nurse to four patients but because of our peculiarity in Nigeria, we still accepted one nurse to eight patients but now, you will see one nurse taking care of more than 15 patients.

“This is not allowing us to provide the expected professional care to patients.

“Nurses are graduating and leaving immediately after their final year exams because the working conditions are not encouraging.

“More nurses will still leave as it is a very serious situation. Almost everybody is planning to go abroad,” he lamented.

A nursing advocate, Bunmi Lawal, said yhT though nurses constitute the largest healthcare workforce, little attention is paid to addressing the push factors.

Lawal stated that, “We know that in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), more than five nurses leave for the US, UK and Saudi Arabia weekly.

“Our hazard allowance is nothing to write home about despite battling COVID-19, Lassa fever and other deadly diseases.

“You have a situation where one nurse will run the night shift in some of our general hospitals.

“In hospitals like the National Hospital, Abuja, two nurses run the night shift, no matter the workload. We are left with fewer hands, and the quality of care is poor.

“The government needs to address the issue of remuneration and specialty in the profession, and improve the equipment in the hospitals. Some hospitals still take delivery on the floor,’’ she noted.

Recall that a leaked memo from the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta showed that over seven staff collapsed during surgeries in one month due to exhaustion in September 2022.

The memo written and signed by the theatre manager, A.G Fagoyinbo, and dated August 29, 2022, was titled ‘Request to reduce the number of elective surgeries: Two patients per specialty per day.’

The memo reads, “The situation is such that only one peri-operative nurse works in the suite instead of three peri-operative nurses, same with other surgical staff (members).

“The excess workload has resulted in serious burn-out and extreme tiredness.”

The medical advisory committee chairman at LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, said that medical directors are also in pain as the brain drain digs deeper into the nursing profession.

“We are already down to about 30 per cent since about one year now that it got worse,” Fabamwo said.

“At the state government level, stakeholders have examined the issues and decided to expand the capacity of the school of nursing in Igando to produce more nurses.

“Some of them are still young and not up to 60 years and some who are 60 are still capable of working.

“In the last month or two, we have six applications from retired nurses who want to join us,’’ he added.

He noted that the hospital had sought the consent of its governing board in recruiting single qualified nurses for specific areas.

Such nurses will be required to acquire their second qualification within two years of recruitment, according to Fabamwo.

https://thestreetjournal.org/canada-the-new-study-destination-for-nigerian-students-as-visa-applications-jump-to-record-high/

Canada is the new destination for Nigerian students who wish to further their education outside their country.

This is a surprising detour from the age-long tradition of Britain serving as the first option to study for most of their African colonial masters.

According to one of the students who just got admission to the University of Toronto, the British government and citizens are becoming hostile to foreigners recently.

The student noted that the British government and the Citizens do not appreciate students who contributed a lot to the economy of Great Britain.

He added that all that they portray in their media outlets is that the foreign students are the source of their problems.

Meanwhile, Canadian authorities have announced several benefits for international students travelling to the country for studies last month (October), including the temporary removal of the 20-hour per week work limit.

This means that, for international students, there is no longer a limit to the number of hours you can work when you have a study permit with off-campus work authorization while classes are in session.

The decision comes as Canadian employers face unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining workers during this period of economic recovery and growth.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship announced, “From November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule“

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), international students can work up to 20 hours per week.

The IRCC, in a statement, further noted that international students can work more than a job to make up these hours as long as they continue to meet the conditions of their study permit.

The statement reads, “From November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023, you can work more than 20 hours per week off campus while class is in session if you are a study permit holder and are studying at a DLI full-time (or part-time during your final academic session), or have been approved for a study permit but haven’t arrived in Canada yet.

“In addition, you must meet all these requirements; You must ensure your application is received for this study permit (including extensions) on or before October 7, 2022.

“You must have an off-campus work authorization on your study permit.

“You must be either in Canada or coming to Canada by December 31, 2023.

“You can ask to have these conditions added if you’re eligible to work off campus. There’s no fee to add these conditions to your permit.”

In addition, the recent IRCC announcement included a slew of benefits for international students;

1. Canada has acknowledged that the number of international students with study permits will increase to approximately 753,000 between 2022 and 2023, implying that there will be more opportunities for students seeking to study in the country.

2. Canada also intends to expand the Student Direct Stream (SDS), which allows candidates from a variety of countries to obtain study permits in a timely manner. The SDS is a fast-track route for candidates from 14 countries to obtain a study permit.

3. To address the country’s labour shortage, Canada intends to encourage international students to apply for permanent residency (PR).

4. To assist international students in tracking their applications, Canada’s immigration department has committed to publishing monthly data on backlogs.

5. Furthermore, as previously stated, Canada has enacted a temporary measure allowing foreign nationals who have already applied for a study permit to work off campus for more than 20 hours per week.

https://thestreetjournal.org/police-arrests-two-kidnappers-for-killing-farmer-after-collecting-n1-5m-ransom-in-ekiti-video/

Two notorious kidnappers have confessed to killing a farmer, Segun Adams, in Ekiti State after collecting N1.5m ransom.

The culprits, Ojo Jubril and Job Mathew kidnapped the victim on his farm at Kajola, a farmstead in Ado Ekiti.

The duo was arrested during an expanded forest combing operation undertaken by operatives of the State Police Command and other security networks in the state.

Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr. Sunday Ayemoni, said the kidnappers were involved in kidnapping, murder, conspiracy, and armed robbery.

“On November 23, 2022, at about 3:30 pm, while the command operatives were on a rescue operation inside Ijan – Ekiti, Gbonyin Local Government Area’s forest, they arrested two notorious kidnappers namely; Ojo Jubril and Job Matthew,” he stated.

“Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed that they kidnapped one Adams Segun, 55 years, in his Kajola Farm settlement, Ijan-Ekiti on November 16th, 2022.

“The suspects confessed to various kidnappings in Ekiti State and mentioned one Daniel Matthew, Busuyi Popoola, and Daniel, second name unknown as their accomplices.

“They confessed further that they were responsible for the killing of one Adams Segun, one of their kidnap victims.”

Ayemoni said exhibits such as one cut-to-size single barrel and expended cartridge, were recovered from the arrested suspects who were arrested in Ekiti state.

The kidnappers confessed that they collected N1.5m ransom and later killed Adams because he recognized one of them.

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https://thestreetjournal.org/fg-advises-nigerians-travelling-to-us-european-countries-amidst-security-concerns/

The Federal Government (FG) on Monday, November 28, 2022, issued travel advice to Nigerian travellers in the United States (US) and Europe over what it observed as the increasing loss of personal valuables to robbers in highbrow areas of cities in the countries.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, gave the advice in his opening remarks at the 5th edition of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Scorecard briefing featuring his Agriculture and Rural Development counterpart. Dr Mohammed Abubakar, in Abuja, Nigerian Tribune disclosed.

He pointed out that the government was in possession of Information that Nigerians were having their personal belongings including international passports and money stolen from them.

Mohammed said the government had therefore considered it necessary to request travellers to be cautious.

The government spokesman stated: “Before today’s presentation, please permit me to quickly make an announcement. It has come to the attention of the government that Nigerian travellers to the United States (US) and some countries in Europe are having their belongings, especially money and international passports, stolen at an increasingly high rate.

“The most recent victims of this are travellers to the UK, most of whom were dispossessed of their belongings at high-brow shops, particularly in the high street of Oxford.

“We have therefore decided to advise Nigerians travelling to Europe and the United States (US) to take extra precautions to avoid being dispossessed of their belongings.

“This is not your typical travel advisory. Issuing such is the prerogative of our embassies/high commissions as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is merely a piece of advice to Nigerians who may be visiting the affected parts of the world.”

https://thestreetjournal.org/2023-appeal-court-reinstates-ladi-adebutu-as-ogun-pdp-governorship-candidate-sets-aside-judgement-ordering-a-rerun/

A court of appeal in Ibadan, Oyo state, has reinstated Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state.

The court also set aside a judgment which ordered PDP to conduct fresh primary to elect its governorship candidate in the state.

In addition, the presiding judge, Folashade Ojo, on Monday, November 28, reinstated all other candidates of the PDP in Ogun state by setting aside the judgment of an Abeokuta federal high court, which nullified all the primary elections conducted by the party.

A federal high court, in Abeokuta, on September 27, directed the state executive committee of the PDP to conduct fresh primary within 14 days.

However, Ojo, while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by the PDP, overturned the ruling of the high court, The Cable reports.

She noted that only the national working committee (NWC) of the PDP has the power to conduct primary elections.

Recall that two factions of PDP had conducted parallel primaries that produced Adebutu and Segun Sowunmi as candidates of the party for the 2023 governorship election.

The primary that produced Sowunmi, which held at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abeokuta, the state capital, was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC).

However, the primary that produced Adebutu, a former member of the house of representatives, took place at the Olusegun Obasanjo presidential library in the state capital.

https://thestreetjournal.org/india-police-arrests-two-nigerians-for-duping-women-using-73-fake-instagram-accounts-photos/

Police in India have busted a cyber fraud gang and arrested two Nigerian nationals for allegedly duping women through 73 fake profiles on Instagram.

The suspects identified as 29-year-old Rawlings Oshuor and 28-year-old Yao Theophile, were arrested in Delhi by cybercrime sleuths from Vadodara, Gujarat at the weekend.

During interrogation, the duo revealed that they have duped many people across India.

“We confiscated their mobile phones and checked the contents. They had made 73 different Instagram accounts to dupe people, especially women. Interestingly, names of all the accounts started with Alex,” said Hardik Makadia, Assistant Commissioner of Police (cybercrime).

The police said that they used to download photos and videos of some good-looking man called Alex and post those pictures on the bogus Instagram ids.

“They send friend requests to women from these bogus IDs and befriend them. Many unsuspecting users see the photos on these Instagram accounts and fall for them thinking they are genuine,” Makadia said.

The accused then starts sharing sob stories of his family or telling the victims that his wife has died.

When the victim develops an emotional relationship, the accused would then take the next step and start talking about gifts.

“They would tell the women that they were sending expensive gifts from abroad and asked the victims to pay for the customs or excise duty. Some women fell for the trick and paid the money,” Makadia added.

The victims transferred money online following which the duo used to cut off all contact.

They had targeted a woman in Vadodara who later filed a complaint with the cybercrime police station.

“We tracked down the duo from Delhi from where they have been running this racket. We have seized 25 mobile phones too,” Makadia said.