Nineteen people, including nine children, have been killed in an apartment fire in New York City, in what the city’s fire commissioner called one of the worst blazes in recent memory.
A fire official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the death toll Sunday to the Associated Press, and a city official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the number of children dead.
Dozens of people were injured in the Bronx fire, and at least 32 people were hospitalized. According to the fire department, about 200 firefighters responded to the scene Sunday at the Twin Park apartments, a 19-story building on East 181st Street. Photos posted online showed a rescue ladder extended up to an eighth-floor window.
Sunday’s fire comes just days after a house fire in Philadelphia left 12 people — including eight children — dead.
The 32 people were transported to five hospitals, with the majority of the victims suffering from severe smoke inhalation, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.
Firefighters “found victims on every floor and were taking them out in cardiac and respiratory arrest,” he said. “That is unprecedented in our city. We expect there to be numerous fatalities.”
Nigro compared the severity of the fire to the Happy Land social club fire, which killed 87 people in 1990 when man set fire to the building after getting into an argument with his former girlfriend and being thrown out of the club.
According to Nigro, Sunday’s fire originated in a duplex apartment spanning the second and third floors. Firefighters found the door to the apartment open, he said, which apparently allowed the fire to accelerate and spread smoke upward quickly.
The fire is not believed to be suspicious in origin, but the cause is under investigation.
The Kano State Task Force on Tourism Development Levy has banned underage children from going to hotels.
The Task Force has also banned shisha smoking in the state.
The committee also reviewed the laws regulating hotels, restaurants and event centres in the state.
The Chairman of the Committee, Baffa Babba Dan-agundi, said this after a meeting with the owners of hotels, restaurants and event centres to inform them of the new development.
The committee informed them of a new levy by the state government that will help in sanitizing their places of business for the purpose of avoiding acts of prostitution in the state.
The committee was constituted under the state tourism law.
“Part of our terms of reference is to stop underage children from entering hotels without their parents, banning of shisha smoking, swimming between men and women in the pool, lesbianism and gay practises.
“The committee will further oversee the activities of DJs at wedding ceremonies and event centres. All events centres should be closed by 11pm,” he said.
Shortly after a meeting at the Government House, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje commissioned more than 8 cars for the conduct of the committee’s assignment.
The Committee Chairman assured the governor of their total commitment in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Terhemen Anongo, a 44-year-old resident of Gboko in Benue State, has removed his testicles “to avert sexual desire”.
Anongo, who is a medical school drop-out, claimed the decision will enable him serve God properly.
Last year, he had removed one of the testicles by himself, almost losing his life in the process.
He came into limelight in March after he he personally undertook the surgery, which resulted in profuse bleeding.
The timely intervention of those who knew about his plight saved the situation as medical practitioners rallied round to give him attention.
Anongo, who dropped out from the University of Ibadan medical school over alleged ill health, had said the castration was based on his religious belief that since he was not married, he needed to serve God faithfully.
Speaking on telephone with newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday, the medical student now turned a wheel barrow pusher, said, “I went to remove the second testicle based on religious belief. I removed it on Monday. The first one had little hitches but this one having learnt from that experience, I did (remove) it very well. Somebody is always coming to dress it for me.
“I’m fine. There is no problem, I’m only waiting for when the wound will heal so I can remove the stitches.”
Today, Saturday 8th January 2022, 30 students of Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri and one teacher have arrived Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State capital following their release. They shall undergo medical screening and support while being re-united with their families.
It will be recalled that on Thursday 21 October, 2022, 30 students of the same school were released and brought to Birnin Kebbi to be reunited with their families .This is in addition to some who were earlier released to their parents.
We thank all security agencies and those who have helped in securing the release, while congratulating Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari for the success.
CAF Executive Committee has resolved to increase the prize money of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021.
The decision was taken at today’s Executive Committee meeting chaired by President, Dr Patrice Motsepe in Douala, Cameroon.
The increase is in line with CAF’s commitment to reward merit performance and enhance the status of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, and will be in effect in the upcoming edition that will kick-off at Olembe Stadium, Yaoundé on 09 January 2022.
The new TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Prize Monies:
· Winner: USD 5 million (an increase of USD 500 000) · Runner-up: USD 2.75 million (an increase of USD 250 000) · Semi-Finalists: USD 2.2 million (an increase of USD 200 000) · Quarter-Finalists: USD 1.175 million (an increase of USD 175 000)
This represents a total increase in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations prize money of USD 1.850m.
Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced Friday to life in prison, with a judge denying any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man.
Murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison under Georgia law unless prosecutors seek the death penalty, which they opted against for Arbery’s killing. For Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, the main decision was whether to grant Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, an eventual chance to earn parole.
The judge ordered both McMichaels to serve life without parole. Bryan was granted a chance of parole, but must first serve at least 30 years in prison.
Arbery’s family asked a judge to show no lenience Friday in sentencing three men.
During the sentencing hearing, Arbery’s sister recalled her brother’s humor, describing him as a positive thinker with a big personality. She told the judge her brother had dark skin “that glistened in the sunlight,” thick, curly hair and an athletic build, factors that made him a target to the men who pursued him.
“These are the qualities that made these men assume that Ahmaud was a dangerous criminal and chase them with guns drawn. To me, those qualities reflect a young man full of life and energy who looked like me and the people I loved,” Jasmine Arbery said.
Arbery’s mother asked for the maximum sentence, saying she suffered a personal, intense loss made worse by a trial where the men’s defense was that Arbery made bad choices that led to his death.
“This wasn’t a case of mistaken identity or mistaken fact. They chose to target my son because they didn’t want him in their community. They chose to treat him differently than other people who frequently visited their community,” Wanda Cooper-Jones said. “And when they couldn’t sufficiently scare or intimidate him, they killed him.”
Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski asked the judge for life without parole for Travis and Greg McMichael and the possibility of parole for Bryan. But she said all deserved that mandatory life sentence for showing “no empathy for the trapped and terrified Ahmaud Arbery.”
Contending the McMichaels still believed they didn’t do anything wrong, Dunikoski disclosed Friday that Greg McMichael gave Bryan’s cellphone video of the shooting to an attorney, who leaked it.
“He believed it was going to exonerate him,” the prosecutor said.
For Travis McMichael, who is 35, the possibility for parole could mean hope for release from prison in his 60s, said Robert Rubin, one of his defense attorneys. He argued that Travis McMichael opened fire only after “Mr. Arbery came at him and grabbed the gun.” But Rubin also acknowledged his client’s decisions to arm himself and chase Arbery were ”reckless” and “thoughtless.”
“They are not evidence of a soul so blackened as to deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Rubin said. “This was not a planned murder. This was a fight over a gun that led to Mr. Arbery’s death.”
Greg McMichael recently turned 66, and Bryan is 52, raising the chances that they would spend the remainder of their lives in prison even if granted a chance of parole.
Greg McMichael’s lawyer, Laura Hogue, said her client has health problems and acknowledged he likely won’t ever get out of prison. But he said granting him a chance at parole would show he didn’t intend Arbery to die, never pulling his gun until his son fired his shotgun.
“Greg McMichael did not leave his home that day hoping to kill,” Hogue told the judge. “He did not view his son firing that shotgun with anything other than fear and sadness. What this jury found was this was an unintentional act.”
Bryan’s lawyer said he should get a chance at parole because he showed remorse and cooperated with police, turning over the cellphone video of the shooting to help them get to the truth.
“Mr. Bryan isn’t the one who brought a gun,” Kevin Gough said. “He was unarmed. And I think that reflects his intentions.”
The guilty verdicts against the men handed down the day before Thanksgiving prompted a victory celebration outside the Glynn County courthouse for those who saw Arbery’s death as part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.
All three men were also convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Maximum prison terms for those counts range from five to 20 years. The judge was likely to allow those additional penalties to be served simultaneously with the life sentences for murder.
The McMichaels grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to chase the 25-year-old Arbery after spotting him running in their neighborhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael firing close-range shotgun blasts into Arbery as he threw punches and grabbed for the weapon.
The killing went largely unnoticed until two months later, when the graphic video was leaked online and touched off a national outcry. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police and soon arrested all three men.
Defense attorneys have said they plan to appeal the convictions. They have 30 days after sentencing to file them.
Next month, the McMichaels and Bryan face a second trial, this time in U.S. District Court on federal hate crime charges. A judge has set jury selection to begin Feb. 7. Prosecutors will argue that the three men violated Arbery’s civil rights and targeted him because he was Black.
A mother of three, Olamide Lawal, on Friday pleaded with a Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Mapo, Ibadan, to grant her divorce on grounds that her husband, Saheed Lawal, engages her with too much sex.
In her petition, Mrs Lawal, who lives in Ibadan, also accused her husband of being a drunk.
”Lawal and I have been married for 14 years now. He is an unrepentant drunk who has no human kindness in him.
”He devotes his time to beer consumption, beating and forcing me to have sex with him. He does not provide for my children.
”I cannot stand him anymore,” she said.
She further pleaded with the court to restrain her husband from calling her mobile phone or visiting her apartment.
Mr Lawal, however, prayed the court to pacify his wife to remain with him.
”I am remorseful and turned my life around. I have stopped drinking alcohol. I am ready to start giving the children feeding money,” Mr Lawal, a fashion designer, said.
S.M. Akintayo, the president of the court, who adjourned the matter until March 1 for judgment, advised the couple to maintain peace.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, secured a total of 2220 (Two Thousand Two Hundred and Twenty) convictions across all its Commands in 2021. The figure which emerged from a review of the Commission’s performance in the outgone year, shows that the Lagos Command of the Agency recorded the most convictions-481, closely followed by the Ibadan Command with 324 convictions, while the Port Harcourt Zonal Command had 230 convictions.
The conviction secured by the Commission in 2021 is the highest by the EFCC Since inception. Before 2021, the highest record of conviction by the Commission was secured in 2019 with 1280 convictions. The 2220 record of 2021 is a 127.5 % improvement over the 2019 record.
Interestingly too, the 2220 record represents a 98.49% success rate in prosecution as the Commission lost only 34 cases during this period.
Commenting on the performance, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, commended the personnel of the Commission for their industry and dedication despite the challenges of criminal prosecution in court. He assured that the EFCC will continue to motivate all categories of staff for greater efficiency through capacity development and other incentives. #EFCC2021convictionrecord #EFCC
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the person he wants to succeed him in 2023 might be killed if he names him this time.
Buhari said this during an interview with Channels TV on Wednesday.
Asked if he has a favourite among those eyeing the presidency in 2023, Buhari said he would rather keep the name of the person to himself, saying he may be eliminated before 2023.
“I wouldn‘t (mention the name of my favourite successor) because he may be eliminated if I do. I better keep that a secret,” Buhari said.
Though the majority of those interested in Buhari’s job are yet to declare their ambition, some of those being rumoured include, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Chief Bola Tinubu, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and a host of others.
PRESIDENT BUHARI APPOINTS DR DOYIN SALAMI AS CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER
A Chief Economic Adviser to the President (CEAP) has been appointed.
He is Dr Doyin Salami, up till now Chairman of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
A 1989 doctorate degree graduate in Economics of Queen Mary College, University of London, Doyin Salami, 59, is Managing Director and Head Markets Practice at KAINOS Edge Consulting Limited, and member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Pan-Atlantic University, where he recently attained the rank of Senior Fellow/Associate Professor.
The Chief Economic Adviser to the President is expected to address all issues on the domestic economy and present views on them to the President; closely monitor national and international developments, trends and develop appropriate policy responses; develop and recommend to the President national economic policies to foster macro-economic stability, promote growth, create jobs, and eradicate poverty, among others.
Why FG hasn’t declared bandits as terrorists after court order –Malami
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), says the Federal Government is yet to officially designate bandits as terrorists because the government is following international best practices.
He said his office was in the process of gazetting a court judgement that ordered the government to declare bandits as terrorists, adding that the process would be concluded in a matter of days.
Malami spoke on Tuesday as a guest on NTA Good Morning Nigeria Show monitored by The PUNCH.
States in the North-West geopolitical zone including Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna have been ravaged with banditry in the last year. The nefarious activities of the marauders have also spilt into the North Central and other zones in the country. The bandits have killed hundreds of innocent persons, kidnapped several others including schoolchildren, with some still in their custody, while some are nursing injuries sustained during the attacks.
There has been clamour by many Nigerians including socio-political groups that bandits should be declared as terrorists like the bloodthirsty Boko Haram insurgent group.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 26, 2021, had granted an ex parte application by the Federal Government for Yan Bindiga (Hausa word for gunmen) and Yan Ta’adda (Hausa word for terrorists) to be declared as terrorists but the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has not done so over a month after.
Whereas in the case of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Malami was able to gazette the designation of IPOB as terrorists on the same day that Justice Abdu Kafarati gave the order on September 20, 2017.
Speaking on Tuesday, Malami said the Government acted swiftly in declaring IPOB and Boko Haram as terror groups because of the “threats to lives and properties they have caused in the nation.”
He said, “Government has a responsibility to act but within the context of acting, you equally expected to operate within the confines of international best practices associated with engagement and one of such best practices is that you can only use maximum force on groups, individuals that are declared terrorists and that is where the application of the Terrorism Act comes in place.
“With that in mind, Nigeria acted, first by proscribing IPOB, taking into consideration the threats to lives and properties they have caused in the nation. Boko Haram was proscribed.”
The AGF noted that the “good results” arising from outlawing IPOB and Boko Haram buoyed the Government to consider the proscription of bandits, and the use of military hardware against the marauders.
He said, “Now, we are confronted with another threat in the North-West associated with banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and in all these, these people are using weapons to attack Nigerians, kidnap them and created a situation of serious security challenge and fear in the system.
“Whatever military hardware you acquire there are limits within the context of the international convention as to how it can be used, when it can be used and against who it can be used. And that is how the idea of looking at the activities of the bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers come into being.
“Our assessment taking into consideration that they are causing a major threat to the territorial peaceful co-existence and causing a major threat to lives with weapons, the idea then came about that indeed they (bandits) have satisfied the criteria of being declared terrorists within the context of the law so that whatever military hardware at the disposal of the Federal Government can best be used against them within the context of the international convention and within the context of the law.”
On why his office has not gazetted the court order designating bandits as terrorists, the senior advocate said, “The gazetting of a court order or judgement is a process but what matters fundamentally within the context of international convention is the judicial declaration and that has been obtained; the court has declared bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers as terrorists.
“So, with or without the gazette, what gives effect to such declaration is a judicial pronouncement but the gazette is a mere formality and it has been on and I believe within a matter of days, it will be concluded.”
The Federal Government has secured clearance to deploy the Super Tucano fighter jets against bandits and terrorists in the country.
Last year, the Federal Government took delivery of the fighter jets after many months of delay.
The attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, during an interview on Good Morning Nigeria, a breakfast show on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Tuesday, said the Federal Government secured the clearance after assuring America that it would be used according to international best practices.
He said the gazetting of the usage of the Super Tucano Jets was in progress.
According to him, ”We are also confronted with banditry in the North-West and that is why we acquired Military hardware against terrorists and bandits. They are causing major threats to lives of Nigerians. The Military hardwares will be used against them.
”The gazetting of the Super Tucano is in progress. The clearance to use the Super Tucano has also been obtained.”
Iran vows revenge unless Trump tried for Soleimani killing
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge against Donald Trump if the former US president is not tried over the killing of Qassem Soleimani, as Tehran marked two years since the commander's death.
"The aggressor and the main assassin, the then president of the United States, must face justice and retribution," Raisi said.
"It would be ok if the trial of Mr Trump, (former secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and other criminals was held in a fair court where their horrible crimes were addressed and they faced justice for their actions," he added.
"Otherwise, I will tell all US leaders that without a doubt the hand of revenge will emerge from the sleeve of the Muslim nation."
Raisi was addressing thousands at Tehran's biggest prayer hall, at Iran's main event to mark Soleimani's death anniversary during a week of commemorations.
Participants held national flags and portraits of the slain commander, state TV showed.
Raisi called Soleimani a symbol of the Iranian revolution and of "bravery and rationality".
Soleimani, former commander of the Quds' force, the foreign operations' arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed along with his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a US drone strike near Bagdad's airport on January 3, 2020.
Five days later, Iran retaliated by firing missiles at a US airbase in Ain al-Assad housing American troops in Iraq, and another near Arbil in the north.
No US troops were killed in those strikes but Washington said dozens suffered traumatic brain injuries from the blasts.
Trump said at the time he had ordered the drone strike in response to a number of attacks on US interests in Iraq, and with more expected.
Iran's foreign ministry said in a Twitter post on Friday that "the current US government bears definitive international responsibility for this crime".
JOINT STATEMENT Of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States On Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races
The People’s Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America consider the avoidance of war between Nuclear-Weapon States and the reduction of strategic risks as our foremost responsibilities.
We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. As nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, we also affirm that nuclear weapons—for as long as they continue to exist—should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war. We believe strongly that the further spread of such weapons must be prevented.
We reaffirm the importance of addressing nuclear threats and emphasize the importance of preserving and complying with our bilateral and multilateral non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control agreements and commitments. We remain committed to our Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations, including our Article VI obligation “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”
We each intend to maintain and further strengthen our national measures to prevent unauthorized or unintended use of nuclear weapons. We reiterate the validity of our previous statements on de-targeting, reaffirming that none of our nuclear weapons are targeted at each other or at any other State.
We underline our desire to work with all states to create a security environment more conducive to progress on disarmament with the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all. We intend to continue seeking bilateral and multilateral diplomatic approaches to avoid military confrontations, strengthen stability and predictability, increase mutual understanding and confidence, and prevent an arms race that would benefit none and endanger all. We are resolved to pursue constructive dialogue with mutual respect and acknowledgment of each other’s security interests and concerns.
The remains of the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, were taken to Popoyemoja Palace, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday.
His corpse was welcomed by a large crowd among whom were sympathisers who broke down in tears as the late monarch’s remains were offloaded from an ambulance.
The departed monarch’s body was wrapped in light blue cloth when he was taken inside his palace by some aides.
The Olubadan of Ibadan land passed away on Sunday morning.
He was 93 years old.
His death was confirmed by palace sources.
The Olubadan died 22 days after the death of another prominent monarch in Oyo State – the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi.
Adetunji, who was crowned the 41st Olubadan on March 4, 2016, was born on August 26, 1928 to the family of Raji Olayiwola and Suwebat Amope Adetunji in the Alusekere compound, Popoyemoja, Ibadan.
Adetunji was crowned Olubadan after the demise of Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade.
He was the first of 17 children of his parents.
He grew up learning vocational jobs until he took up fashion designing as a means of living after moving into Lagos.
While working as a fashion designer, Adetunji delved into musical record marketing until 1960 when he founded his first of three record label imprints called Baba Laje Records which housed notable fuji music acts, including Dauda Epo-Akara and Wasiu Ayinde Marshall.
Prior to his coronation as the Olubadan of Ibadan, Adetunji was the Balogun of Ibadan land.
In a statement on Sunday, Personal Assistant to the Olubadan, Adeola Oloko stated that the late monarch will be buried according to Islamic rites today.
The 41st Olubadan of Ibadanland, and Chairman, Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso 1 has joined his ancestor.
Oba Adetunji, 93 passed away in the early hours of this morning at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan.
He is survived by his wife, Olori Rashidat Ololade Adetunji, Children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He will be buried at 4.00 pm today at his Popoyemoja, Ibadan Palace according to Muslim rites. Other things follow later.
A former governorship aspirant in the 2019 election in Plateau State, Nkemi Nicholas Nshe, has been kidnapped by gunmen.
The PUNCH gathered that Nshe, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party who had served as the chairman of Shendam Local Government Area of the state at different periods in the past, was kidnapped at his residence in the council area in the early hours of Saturday.
Governor Simon Lalong hails from Shendam LGA in the Southern Zone.
Nshe’s abduction came barely 24 hours after kidnappers released a traditional ruler in the neighbouring central zone of the state, Charles Mato Dakat.
Before his release, the traditional ruler was abducted by gunmen at his palace in Gindiri community, Mangu LGA last Sunday around 1am.
He spent five days in the hands of the kidnappers who had demanded N500 million ransom.
Although troops of the Military Taskforce in charge of maintaining peace in the state, otherwise known as Operation Safe Haven, said they arrested eight persons in connection with the kidnap of the monarch, they were unable to disclose if any ransom was eventually paid to secure his freedom
However, sources in Shendam LGA confirmed the latest abduction to The PUNCH in Jos on Sunday
An associate of Nshe in Shendam, who lamented the abduction of the former council boss, told our Correspondent that the incident was causing tension in the Council area.
He said, “Please join us in praying for the release of Dr Nkemi Nshe who was forcefully kidnapped from his Shendam residence in the early hours of Saturday being the New Year day, January 1, 2022. It was in the night that the gunmen came to his house and whisked him away. They did not go with his phone.
“The incident is rather unfortunate. We don’t know where they have taken him to. But yesterday evening (Saturday), I learnt that the kidnappers called the family members through the phone number of the son and demanded N100 million ransom which they later reduced to N50 million.
“Where will they get that kind of money when people are just suffering everywhere? It baffles me why the Federal Government through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy would make Nigerians go through hard experiences by subjecting them to SIM card registration and yet, this kind of thing would be happening without the perpetrators being apprehended. What is the relevance of that registration exercise? Where are we going in this country in this kind of situation? We pray that the former council chairman be released safely because he has done nothing to warrant his abduction.”
The Spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Ubah Ogaba, when contacted said he would get back to our Correspondent after getting details on the incident.
A Nigerian national was arrested after being found in possession of fake US dollars at the Harrismith taxi rank on Thursday, Free State police said.
The suspect was arrested after two people lodged complaints against him.
On Thursday at about 13:30, a member of the public stopped a police vehicle belonging to members of Public Order Police Unit Task Team outside the Harrismith police station and told them about being allegedly defrauded by a foreign national.
"The members calmed the victim and assisted him," police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said.
Mophiring added the officers took the complainant to the Harrismith taxi rank where he pointed out the suspect.
"When seeing the police, he tried to run but the members were too fast and apprehended him. He was taken to the police station."
When they arrived at the police station, the second complainant was already there. He pointed out the suspect as the same person who also defrauded him.
The Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority (KSSQA) on Friday, shuts down two Islamiyah schools indefinitely over alleged rape of a six-year-old girl and impregnating of another.
One of the schools, Madrasatul Ulumul Deeniya wa Tahfizul Qur’an, located in Rigasa, was closed over the alleged rape of the six-year-old girl in the school premises.
The other Islamiyah school, located at Tsohon Masallacin Juma’a in Kachia, Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State was also closed following an alleged impregnating of a 12-year-old girl by a 50-year-old teacher at the school.
The Overseer of the KSSQA, Mr Idris Aliyu, who shut down the Islamiya school in Rigasa, explained that the six-year-old girl was violated within the school premises and the school authority covered it up and claimed ignorance of the incident.
Aliyu said that the information before the Ministry of Education showed that the survivor’s grandmother went to the school authority and loaded a complaint but was allegedly beaten by the students and teachers of the Islamiyah.
He said that Governor Nasir El-Rufai has ordered that the Islamiyah be shut down indefinitely until investigation is concluded and the culprit apprehended.
“The headmaster of the school would be held responsible for the act until all persons in the school were profiled and the perpetrator identified by the survivor and prosecuted,” he said.
“The individuals responsible for the violence against the grandmother, especially the headmaster, will also be prosecuted.”
“This is in line with the state government’s responsibility in protecting the vulnerable population in the state,” he said.
The head-teacher of the school, Malam Kabir Abdullahi, denied the allegation, saying “it is not a rape.
“What we gathered is that an unidentified boy injured the girl in her private part with a stick,” he alleged.
Abdullahi said that the case was already being investigated by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Rigasa, ASP Abubakar Bauranya.
The DPO confirmed receiving the case and equally aligned with the narrative of the headteacher of the Islamiyah school.
But the grandmother of the survivor, Hajiya Batul Gambo insisted that her grandchild was violated and had been confirmed by Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital Tudun Wada, Kaduna.
A medical report signed by Dr A Raji confirmed Gambo’s claim that the six-year-old was raped.
Raji’s report attributed the bleeding to “virginal bruising of the labia minora, bilaterally periurethral bruising, heamatoma of the clitoris and laceration of the hymen.”
Commenting on the rape and impregnation of the 12-year-old girl in Kachia, Aliyu said that the survivor was six months pregnant.
He said that the school was equally closed as directed by EL-Rufai, stressing that the safety of the pupils cannot be guaranteed.
He explained that the Commissioner of Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Baba and the Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Halima Lawal would work closely with the police to investigate and ensure justice is done.
“Meanwhile, the two schools will remain closed until investigations are concluded and the culprit prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he said.
Chinese footballers will need to undergo the painful process of having tattoos removed or risk being snubbed by the national team following a new order banning the body work.
The General Administration of Sport (GAS) have gone a step further than they did in 2018 when players were forced to cover up tattoos to continue playing.
In their latest move GAS have outlawed tattoos altogether and want any player with pre-existing tattoos to get them removed in order to 'set a good example' for Chinese society.
'The national team and the U23 national team athletes are strictly prohibited from having new tattoos, and those who already have tattoos are advised to remove them themselves,' the GAS statement said.
'If there are special circumstances agreed by the team, (players) must cover up the tattoos during training and matches.'
China has previous in wading into the appearance of its players with a women's football match in 2018 called off after players were told they were prohibited from playing with dyed hair.
'Athletes are not allowed to dye their hair, grow long hair [for boys], wear weird hairstyles, or wear any accessories,' rules of the Fujian Provincial Department of Education, reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), stated at the time.
'Otherwise, they will be disqualified from the competition.'
Tattoos have been treated with disdain in China but their popularity has increased among young adults, and many footballers.
Zhang Linpeng of Guangzhou FC is one such player known throughout Chinese football for his extensive ink.
But new rules look set to prove problematic for younger players with any fresh tattoos likely to result in expulsion from the national team.
Players in the national team have previously been seen playing with tape covering any visible tattoo areas.
The GAS went on to add that China's national teams, throughout age groups, should organise 'ideological and political education activities' that would 'strengthen the patriotic education' of its players.
The statement is headed 'Suggestions for strengthening the management of football players'.
It is anticipated that the Chinese FA will be charged with setting out disciplinary requirements for future national team call-ups.
Three drug traffickers wearing uniforms of security agencies to escape scrutiny have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with over 427 kilograms of illicit drugs in Borno state and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
While Yakubu Kotri, impersonating as a military personnel was arrested on Wednesday, 29th December driving a gulf car loaded with Cannabis Sativa weighing 208 kilograms on his way to Bama, Borno state, another suspect, Salisu Mohammed who adorned the uniform of another security agency to traffic Tramadol to Bama was also nabbed by narcotic officers on patrol on the route same day.
Although the pictures of the arrest of Yakubu Kotri in uniform have been trending on social media since Wednesday, the Agency wishes to disclaim such because the suspect has not been confirmed to be a serving military personnel.
In the same vein, another impersonator, Dada Adekunle was on Wednesday arrested along with his 60-year-old accomplice, Usman Isa, in Abaji area of FCT with 15.843kg Cannabis, while 20kg of the same drug was seized from Alfred Aminu who was intercepted at Gwagwalada same day.
Meanwhile, in Plateau a commercial DAF truck with registration number GME 874 YX, coming from Onitsha, Anambra State to Mubi, Adamawa State was intercepted on Tuesday 28th Dec along Jos-Bauchi Road. Upon search, 7.8kg of 225mg Tramadol was recovered. Also on Tuesday in Yauri area of Bauchi state, operatives arrested one Shaft'atu Abubakar with 174 kilograms of cannabis and 2.1kg Diazepam, while a suspected bandit, Usman Sani was arrested in Dan-Anacha town, Gasol LGA, Taraba with two pistols and ammunition.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended officers and men of Borno, FCT, Plateau and Taraba state commands for their vigilance. He said the arrest of the fake security agents should serve as a warning to drug traffickers who want to wear uniforms of security agencies as a cover to escape scrutiny, adding that they would not go undetected.
I thank Almighty Allah for my speedy recovery from COVID-19. My prayers and deepest respect are for all of you, who prayed, called or texted expressing your concerns for me. May all of our countrymen and women still afflicted with the virus fight this scourge with all their might and get well soon.
Police from the Department of Technology Crimes in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, have cracked down on a Nigerian suspect who was active in crimes on social media.
The operation took place on December 26, 2021, with the coordination of the Prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. With the permission of General Santibandit Neth Savoeun, National Police Commissioner.
Lt. Gen. Chea Pov, director of the Anti-Technology Crime Department, who led the crackdown, confirmed that the operation was carried out in collaboration with law enforcement forces. Phnom Penh Municipal Police cracked down on the suspect named as Chukwueke Felix Chibueze, male, 47 years old, a Nigerian, living in Phnom Penh.
The lieutenant colonel added that the suspect set up fake Facebook accounts, pretending to be in love and befriend the victims by telling them that he lives abroad, has a package to send, and have a lot of materials like US dollars and some gold and created a series of incidents for the victims to pay continuously.
On December 28, 2021, Chibueze was remanded in custody. At the same time, the authorities would like to remind those who always use social media to be very careful to avoid being cheated.
It should be noted that the arrest of the above suspects is not the first crackdown in Cambodia. Most of them are Nigerians who are always cheating on technology, swindling money from Cambodians, which can sometimes end in suicide for the victims.
The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China.
President Daniel Ortega’s government broke off relations with Taiwan this month, saying it would recognize only the mainland government.
Before departing, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua.
But Ortega’s government said late Sunday that any such donation would be invalid and that the building in an upscale Managua neighborhood belongs to China.
The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that the attempted donation was a “manuever and subterfuge to take what doesn’t belong to them.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Relations Ministry condemned the “gravely illegal actions of the Ortega regime,” saying the Nicaraguan government had violated standard procedures by giving Taiwanese diplomats just two weeks to get out of the country.
It said Taiwan “also condemns the arbitrary obstruction by the Nicaraguan government of the symbolic sale of its property to the Nicaraguan Catholic church.”
Msgr. Carlos Avilés, Vicar of the Archdiocese of Managua, told the La Prensa newspaper that a Taiwanese diplomat had offered the church the property, saying, “I told him there was no problem, but the transfer was still in the legal process.”
The Central American country said in early December it would officially recognise only China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.
“There is only one China,” the Nicaraguan Government said in a statement announcing the change. “The People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.”
The move increased Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation on the international stage, even as the island has stepped up official exchanges with countries such as Lithuania and Slovakia, which do not formally recognize Taiwan as a country. Now, Taiwan has 14 formal diplomatic allies remaining.
China has been poaching Taiwan’s diplomatic allies over the past few years, reducing the number of countries that recognize the democratic island as a sovereign nation. China is against Taiwan representing itself in global forums or in diplomacy. The Solomon Islands chose to recognize China in 2019, cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan depicts itself as a defender of democracy, while Ortega was reelected in November in what the White House called a “pantomime election.”
“The arbitrary imprisonment of nearly 40 opposition figures since May, including seven potential presidential candidates, and the blocking of political parties from participation rigged the outcome well before election day,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement in November.
Nicaragua established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in the 1990s, when President Violeta Chamorro assumed power after defeating Ortega’s Sandinista movement at the polls. Ortega, who was elected back to to power in 2007, had maintained ties with Taipei until now.
Zulum to Social-Media Promoters: Please, stop comparing my work with other Governors
Governor Zulum appealed to anyone who genuinely supports him not to insult any leader on the basis of whatever is being achieved in Borno State.
“While I am enormously grateful for all the support and promotions, I have in recent days, received messages forwarded to me, in which our work-in-progress in Borno State is being compared with some States, and in some cases, with insults. The fact is that, I feel extremely uncomfortable any time I am being negatively compared with any Governor, especially if anyone of those making the comparisons fall in any of the social media groups associated with us. I consider such comparisons unhealthy.
Moreover, we are not in competition. The truth is that all of the 36 States have their peculiarities and priorities, depending on developmental plans and the needs of societies. In Borno’s case, we have to be desperate in our recovery efforts because we have been faced with 12 years of war, resulting to thousands of deaths and displacement of about two million people with humanitarian needs. From the World Bank’s Recovery and Peace-Building Assessment report on the northeast, Borno lost 956,453 private houses, representing 30 % of the total number of houses in across the state, to insurgent destructions.
Also, 665 municipal buildings comprising ministries, LGA buildings, prisons, police stations and electric offices were destroyed in Borno. 5,335 classrooms and other school buildings were destroyed in 512 primary schools, 38 secondary schools and two tertiary institutions in the State. 201 health centres, mostly primary healthcare clinics, dispensaries and some General Hospitals were all destroyed.
The insurgents also destroyed 726 power substations and distribution lines just like they destroyed 1,630 water sources including motorized boreholes, hand pumps, solar powered boreholes and facilities for piped water schemes, and more. So, our developmental aggression in Borno is not driven by competition, but our realities of unquantifiable challenges. All States have different needs hence leaders respond differently and with different strategies. We in Borno needed to act fast given our peculiarity of needs but this should not be a basis for negative comparison”.
The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory said it has arrested four suspects and impounded 21 cars over illegal car races and other similar offenses in Abuja yesterday.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, DSP Josephine Adeh made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja. Adeh said the suspects were arrested and the cars impounded under the enforcement of Regulation 228 of the Road traffic act on the prohibition of illegal car races and other similar offenses.
The Public Relations Officer said the enforcement team, led by the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT, Babaji Sunday arrested and impounded the cars on Sunday.
The PPRO said the suspects were arrested around Muhammadu Buhari way, by Nicon Insurance Area where they converged for business as usual.
The Police Command in the FCT had earlier ordered full enforcement of the prohibition of all kinds of car and speed races in the territory.
The CP directed all the Divisional Police Officers and their supervisory Area Commanders to ensure full enforcement of the prohibition in their Respective Area of Responsibility.
The order followed public outcry on the menace of recklessness, the risk to lives, and damages to personal property as well as critical national infrastructure caused by car and speed races.
SPECIAL Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, Sunday said that presidential aides testing positive to COVID-19 and on self-isolation, confirmed that they are human and not immune to happenings around them.
Chief Adesina stated this when he appeared on Sunday Politics on Channels Television.
Recall that an online newspaper, Premium Times had at the weekend in an exclusive story, named those affected as the permanent secretary in the State House, Tijani Umar; the President’s Aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant media and publicity, Garba Shehu.
The online newspaper said their results were confirmed positive during the week.
The report quoted Shehu as saying: “I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19. I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.
“But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay. Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating, and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill.”
Asked to comment on the development Adesina said: “Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings it can also happen to presidential aides. The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us to be immune to certain things.
‘If there is a virus that is ravaging society. Well, it can touch anybody. So Mallam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive but he said it’s mild. And I believe that by now, because it’s happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he had not beaten it already. There is no cause for alarm.”
Asked how he was holding up since he had contact with Shehu, the Presidential Spokesman said: “Well, I also believe God for the best. If it happens, I’ll recover. So that’s it.”
Asked how many Of the President’s aides in the State House have been infected, Adesina said: “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the Presidential doctor or anybody in the medical side, they will tell you, I wouldn’t know because, it is a private thing. If it happens to anybody it is between that person and possibly the doctor. It’s not going to be general knowledge. So I may not be able to say.”
Asked if the President was isolating seeing that, he had been exposed to those infected, Adesina said: “Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine, he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule. But if anybody close to him test positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he test negative. So, Mr. President, is following his normal schedule and routine.”
This is to announce the release of Mr. Dada Ifasooto who was secretly arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) on 16th July, 2021 on the allegation that he is a native doctor who prepares charms for Chief Sunday Igboho.
Mr. Dada Ifasooto’s whereabouts was unknown for months until one of the released detainees from SSS custody informed our office that he is in the custody of the Secret Service in an underground locker.
The strange allegations against Mr. Dada Ifasooto and his incarceration defies logical and legal thoughts and underpins the ill-motivated persecution of Chief Sunday Igboho and his associates. Amongst other things, it exposes the straw-clutching antics of the State Security Service in this matter even as it underscores the ridiculous and unlawful length the agency is willing to go.
Mr. Dada Ifasaato, the latest victim of the overreaching arms of the DSS although having regained his freedom after months of deprivation and the sufferance of the indignity of his detention, have the trauma of his experience to contend with for a life time.
I rejoice with Christians in Nigeria as they join fellow believers all over the world to celebrate this season.
It is a special period that brings peoples of the world together with one purpose; to celebrate togetherness, joy, peace, and above all, to share love with one another through exchange of goodwill and gifts.
For the second Christmas running, the world will not be able to celebrate as we used to in years past.
The COVID-19 pandemic, with its attendant debilitating impact, has remained with mankind, mutating and leaving in its wake devastating consequences on the economy, social interaction, and curtailing certain freedoms.
The silver lining, however, is that humanity has been able to rise up with one voice and purpose, to confront the foisted conditions.
I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our dear citizens to embrace vaccination, which is the best scientifically known bulwark against the pandemic.
Recent events have shown that vaccination greatly reduces the effects of the virus on the human body.
I will also urge those that have taken the two doses to go ahead and take the booster as advised by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC).
I commend the efforts of members of the PSC under the headship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as they continue to chart a roadmap out of the pandemic and associated issues.
On security, despite the remarkable successes generally recorded, we still have some challenges.
Our courageous security forces, bolstered by the necessary support from this administration, daily confront the wicked ones amongst us, who continue to threaten the peace of the land.
Recently, during the meeting with fellow Heads of State of the ECOWAS, I discussed the need to intensify efforts to jointly confront this menace causing instability in our sub-region.
I am confident that with the renewed commitment and empowerment of our committed security personnel, all these issues which inflict pain and trauma on us will soon be history.
Let us utilize the opportunity that this festive period brings to encourage ourselves so that the machinations of the wicked ones in our midst will find no place to thrive.
Christmas is a season when hope is rekindled. Hope, Peace, Joy, Love are the recurring themes of this time.
It is in the midst of hardship that the true test of a nation emerges.
I urge Nigerians to invoke the indomitable spirit in us and see the present order of things as a phase that will also pass, just like other unsavory situations in the nation’s history.
This government will not abandon the promises made to Nigerians for a better lease of life.
The diversification of the economy embarked upon is yielding fruits.
We shall continue to create opportunities for our teeming youths to ventilate their tremendous energy.
As we felicitate with family, friends, colleagues, associates, let us spare moments to reach out to the less privileged.
Let us also pray and give words of encouragement to our gallant security personnel fulfilling their oaths to keep us safe.
I assure my compatriots that this administration remains resolute at ensuring that the standard of living of the average Nigerian is elevated.
Foreign Affairs › Fire Guts New York City Apartment Building. 19 Killed, 32 Hospitalized (video) by HonNL(op): 9:48pm On Jan 09, 2022
