Members of the Living Faith Church in Osara Community, Adavi Local Government have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

The event occurred over the weekend when members of the church were said to be rehearsing within the church premises in preparation for Sunday service.

It was gathered that the kidnappers shot sporadically into the air to scare away residents and security personnel while whisking the victims into the forest.

The Chairman of Adavi Local Government Council, Joseph Omuya Salami, confirmed the abduction of three members of the church, through his special adviser on media and publicity, Habeeb Jamiu.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/30/kidnappers-invade-church-abduct-members-in-kogi-state/

Leicester City duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho top the list of early arrivals ahead of the World Cup 2022 qualifying matches beginning from Friday 3rd September, others already in camp include Alex Iwobi and Daniel Akpeyi.

The other players listed for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lone Stars of Liberia are expected to arrive in Lagos today, officials of the team have disclosed.

Super Eagles Media Officer, Femi Raji, told reporters that some of the players would not make it early to the camp because of club engagements at the weekend.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/30/ndidi-iheanacho-iwobi-akpeyi-arrive-as-super-eagles-camp-opens-today-in-lagos/

Nigeria’s Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been appointed by The African Union (AU) as its high representative for the Horn of Africa region.

Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat on Thursday noted that “this decision is part of the African Union’s drive to promote peace, security, stability and political dialogue all over the Horn of Africa region.”

“Specifically, the High Representative will intensify engagements with all relevant political actors and stakeholders in the region towards entrenching durable peace and stability within the Horn of Africa.”

The Chairperson of the AU Commission highly appreciated Obasanjo for accepting what the AU said was for “this strategic political assignment in the collective interest of the continental bloc.”

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/27/nigerias-ex-president-obasanjo-named-au-representative-for-horn-of-africa/

Nigeria, on Wednesday, repatriated another batch of 107 Nigerians stranded in Libya in continuation of its rescue operations to ensure no Nigerian is stranded in the country.

Kabiru Musa, Chargé d’affaires en titre of Nigeria to Libya, in a statement on Wednesday, said the 107 evacuees, mostly victims of human trafficking were expected to arrive at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Wednesday night.

Musa said that the Embassy of Nigeria in Tripoli, Libya had made it a priority to ensure no Nigerian was left stranded in Libya or subjected to inhuman treatment.

“The evacuees, mostly young men and women were either irregular migrants or victims of human trafficking, some of whom were cajoled into the dangerous journey in search of the proverbial and elusive greener pasture.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/25/fg-repatriates-another-107-stranded-nigerians-from-libya/

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has requested the British Government to grant an exemption to African players for the international window.

Britain had placed precautionary measures to confront the coronavirus outbreak, which put returnees from some countries in compulsory health isolation for a period of 10 days upon their return to England.

If the measures are enforced players travelling to some red-list countries will miss at least three matches for their clubs while in isolation.

“CAF has noted the current circumstances in place in Britain regarding the lack of sporting exemptions for players returning from several African countries after the international window next week.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/26/caf-demands-covid-19-isolation-exemption-for-african-players-in-britain/

No fewer than 36 persons have been killed by unknown gunmen while several others were injured in a fresh attack which occurred in Ahwol Ward, Naraguta community, in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria

According to reports, it was gathered that gunmen stormed the community with sophisticated weapons around 10 pm on Tuesday night and killed about 36 persons while several others who sustained injuries during the attack have been rushed to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos, the state capital.

The attackers had reportedly destroyed the bridge leading to the community thereby preventing possible access before launching the attacks.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/25/36-feared-dead-as-gunmen-attack-plateau-state-nigeria/

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says the review of the revenue allocation formula will be ready for presentation to President Muhammadu Buhari by the end of 2021.

The Chairman of the commission, Mr. Elias Mbam, made this known while addressing newsmen at the Nation’s capital Abuja.

Mbam said the review was one of the major responsibilities of the commission and was last done in 1992, which was 28 years ago.

He said that according to the constitution, the formula, which has been accepted as an act of the National Assembly, would remain in force for a period of not less than five years.

He, however, said that several attempts by the commission to review the formula had failed.

Mbam said: “Proposal for new Revenue Allocation Formula for the three tiers of government (Federal, State, and Local Governments) was first made by the Commission in August 2001.

“But the recommendation was withdrawn due to the compelling verdict of the Judgment of the Supreme Court on suit No. SC 28/2001 of April 5, 2002, which recognized the beneficiaries of the federation account as Federal, State, and Local Governments.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/25/nigeria-rmafc-to-submit-new-revenue-formula-to-president-buhari/

A high-level delegation led by the Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, arrived in Kano for the wedding ceremony between President Buhari‘s Son and the daughter of Nasiru Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi.

In a statement made available to newsmen by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said the delegation will arrive ahead of the president.

The high-level delegates include; the Ministers of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd), Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, and Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Hussein Adamu and the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu.

The wedding ceremony is set to hold at the palace of the bride’s father, Nasir Ado-Bayero, who rules Bichi, a town in Kano State.

The Presidential delegation will stay back after the wedding, to represent the President at the coronation of the Emir at Bichi the following day, Saturday, 21st August 2021.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/20/presidential-delegation-arrive-kano-for-buhari-sons-wedding-in-kano/

Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and PSG’s latest signing, Lionel Messi (as a Barcelona player) were excluded as UEFA revealed the names of the final nominees for the 2020/21 UEFA Player of the Year Awards.

The award winners will be announced at the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony, which will take place on Thursday 26 August at the Haliç Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey.

On the same day, UEFA will also award coaches who have had the biggest impact over the previous season with the UEFA Coach of the Year Awards for both male and female coaches.

For the men’s player award, the shortlist of three players was selected by a jury composed of 24 coaches of the national teams which participated in this summer’s UEFA EURO 2020, together with 80 coaches of the clubs which played in the group stages of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Fifty-five journalists from each of UEFA’s 55 member associations, selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, were also part of the jury.

The coaches and journalists were requested to select a shortlist of three players by allocating respectively five points, three points, and one point to each of them. The final result was based on the total number of votes cast by the coaches and the journalists. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own team.

The three players who received the most points overall following the conclusion of the voting, in alphabetical order, are:

Kevin DE BRUYNE (Belgium – Manchester City FC)

JORGINHO (Italy – Chelsea FC)

N’Golo KANTÉ (France – Chelsea FC)

The list of players who made up the rest of the top ten is available on https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/20/messi-ronaldo-excluded-as-uefa-reveals-nominees-for-2020-21-uefa-player-of-the-year-awards/

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, told the service chiefs that he is not ready to exit government as a failure.

The president also warned the service chiefs that he would not hesitate to rejig the security architecture if the desired results don’t come in quickly.

Speaking to state house correspondents after the meeting, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno stated that although the military has made some progress, the president is determined to achieve a turnaround in the fortunes of the country.

in his words, he said;

“It is evident that a lot of successes have been recorded. Large numbers of people are surrendering in the northeast as a consequence of the relentless efforts of the armed forces, intelligence, and security agencies.

“This is very, very evident. We’ve never had such large numbers of people defecting from the other side, back to the Nigerian side, mainly, as a result of many issues within the theatre, issues of infighting among the various factions of the terrorist groups.

“But the new drive of the armed forces, the police, the intelligence agencies, there’s been greatest cooperation, greater synergy intelligence sharing, as well as our partners in the regional intelligence fusion unit.

“So the president was briefed, the president is quite happy that there’s been a tremendous success, especially with the advent of the new service chiefs and inspector-general of police.

“And he’s also made it very, very clear that he’s not ready to exit government as a failure. He is not going to tolerate that he’s made changes and is ready to make further changes if he is not satisfied. He is completely determined to ensure that there’s a turnaround in the fortunes in the theatre of operations.”

The NSA added that the president has given clear directives to the service chiefs to address the killings and unrest in Plateau State.

When asked about what the President is planning to do with members of Boko Haram who have surrendering, he said: “I don’t want to immediately divulge what has been decided on those plans till the president takes a firm decision.”

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/20/i-dont-want-to-exit-office-a-failure-buhari-tells-service-chiefs/

The draw for the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations took place in Yaounde, Cameroon on Tuesday evening and it left us with some mouthwatering fixtures.

The 24 teams were then divided into six groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group expected to proceed to the round of 16.

The opening game of the tournament is between the host nation Cameroon and Burkina Faso at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/17/afcon2021-groups-table-and-fixtures/

Barely 48 hours after gunmen invaded the Zamfara College of Agriculture, in Bakura Local Government Area of the state, the abductors have demanded a ransom of N350 Million.

Speaking with newsmen, the provost of the college, Alhaji Habibu Mainasara said the abductors have reached him and demanded the sum of Three Hundred and Fifty Million Naira as a ransom for the students and staff in their captivity.

“They said that the money must be paid before they can release the staff and the students they kidnapped in my school,” Habibu added.

It was gathered that a police officer and three security officials were killed during the incident that happened on Sunday night.

The state police command has however expressed shock over the recent development as they are not aware of the demand for a ransom. The spokesperson of the state command, Mohammed Shehu, said: “We are not aware of this development but we are doing our best to rescue the kidnapped victims.”

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/17/bandits-demand-n350million-ransom-for-kidnapped-zamfara-college-of-agriculture-students-staff/

The Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammed Barkindo, has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari for signing into law the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

“I wish to extend my congratulations to you on signing into law the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which marks a significant milestone for Nigeria’s oil industry and a historic achievement for your Presidency.

“With the stroke of a pen, you have inaugurated a new era for the industry following years of legislative efforts to strengthen the legal, regulatory, fiscal and governance framework of the petroleum sector.

“Indeed, the new law will enhance the Nigerian petroleum industry’s reputation, open the door to new investment and ultimately strengthen its position to meet the world’s growing demand for energy,” he said in a statement on Monday.

He added that the enactment of the legislation was timely as the investment outlook had become clouded by efforts aimed at accelerating a lower-carbon future.

According to him, the new law will help harness Nigeria’s potential to achieve its programme of raising oil production to 4 mb/d and oil reserves to 40 billion barrels, while also drawing on the country’s vast natural gas reserves to provide clean and efficient energy.

“In addition, these resources will be vital to supplying world markets with a broad portfolio of energy options and support global efforts to alleviate energy poverty as outlined in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7.

“The passage of the PIB by both houses of the National Assembly on 16 July and your act of signing it into law coincides with another significant milestone in our country’s history – the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s Membership of OPEC.

“This golden moment provides a unique opportunity to reflect upon Nigeria’s rise as a global energy supplier and partner,” he noted.

The OPEC scribe said since the 24th OPEC Conference on 12 July 1971, when Nigeria was welcomed as the 11th member country of the organisation, it had symbolised Africa’s leadership within OPEC and its pivotal support for global oil market stability.

He said the past year had been a time of enormous challenges for the world, for OPEC and for each member country.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/16/pib-will-open-doors-to-new-investments-in-nigerias-oil-industry-opec/

After about two weeks in the United Kingdom, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to return to Nigeria by 5pm today.

Buhari had travelled for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) organised Global Education Summit (GES) before undergoing a scheduled medical check-up.
Security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory have already been mobilised for the president’s return.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/13/nigerias-president-buhari-to-return-from-uk-medical-trip-today/

The African Film and Arts Foundation, in conjunction with Atlanta Reggae in the Park has announced a special screening of Cinema for the Culture featuring films from Africa and the diaspora.

The movie screening which will take place on Sunday, August 15th from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm (EST) at AfroCon Stage Piedmont Park will feature a conversation with the cast and crew from the films.

Among the films showcased will be My Friend Fela, a cutting-edge documentary of the legendary Nigerian activist and father of Afrobeats, Fela Kuti, presented from the perspective of his longtime friend Carlos Moore.

The Dancehall Queen, a vibrant film that tells the story of Marcia, a single parent who finds a creative way to get her family out of danger while turning her enemies against each other will also be featured.

Other films include The Story of Lover’s Rock, The Apollo, and Machel Montano: The Journey of a Soca King.

This event will be happening as part of the African Film and Arts Foundation’s signature event Cinema for the Culture. Cinema for the Culture aims to demystify the African continent by bringing positive, relatable images to the big screen every month.

The event will form part of an Afro-diasporic Convention, otherwise known as Afro-Con which is a three-day event featuring leading black voices in business, technology, politics, health, gaming, education, and agriculture.

There used to be a perception that Africa has contributed very little to the development of film art. However, the last few decades have seen the production of African films with rich content which are creatively responsive to the African social reality and oral storytelling traditions.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/11/african-film-and-arts-foundation-set-to-screen-movies-from-africa-diaspora/

Health authorities in Guinea have confirmed a case of Marburg virus disease in the southern Gueckedou district. This is the first case of the disease identified in the country, and in West Africa.

Marburg is a highly infectious disease that causes haemorrhagic fever. It is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola and was detected less than two months after Guinea declared an end to an Ebola outbreak.

A field laboratory in Gueckedou as well as Guinea’s national haemorrhagic fever laboratory which tested samples from a now-deceased patient confirmed the Marburg virus. Additional analysis by the Institut Pasteur in Senegal confirmed the result.

A medical team had been dispatched to probe the deteriorating condition of the patient who sought treatment at a local clinic in Koundou area in Gueckedou.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa said “We applaud the alertness and the quick investigative action by Guinea’s health workers. The potential for the Marburg virus to spread far and wide means we need to stop it in its tracks”

“We are working with the health authorities to implement a swift response that builds on Guinea’s past experience and expertise in managing Ebola, which is transmitted in a similar way.”

Contact-tracing efforts are underway to find the people who may have been in contact with the patient. As the disease is appearing for the first time in the country, health authorities are launching public awareness and community mobilisation to raise consciousness and spur support to help curb widespread infection.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/10/first-ever-case-of-marburg-virus-disease-confirmed-in-guinea/

34-year-old Lionel Messi is set to sign a two-year deal worth £25m per year after tax with Paris Saint-Germain. Messi was set to sign a new five-year contract at Barcelona but the club was unable to complete the deal. Now, he will have the option to extend the deal with PSG by a third-year and will receive a £25m signing-on fee.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner had two other options after leaving Barcelona last week, but has chosen to move to the French club on a deal worth £25m per year after tax, plus bonuses.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/10/lionel-messi-agrees-to-join-psg-on-two-year-contract-after-leaving-barcelona/

A Switzerland national has been abducted by gunmen in Ogun State, South-West Nigeria.

The Nigerian Police Force, on Sunday, said the man was abducted on Saturday after gunmen opened fire on his police escort on a road linking Ibese and Itori communities in the state.

Ogun State Police Spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the Swiss national and another victim kidnapped alongside were part of a small group visiting a cattle-breeding facility in the area.

Oyeyemi confirmed that the police and the vigilantes are on the trail of the kidnappers.

“The victims were coming from their farm when the kidnappers ambushed them, and the police escort there engaged them in a gun battle.

“Two of them were gunned down in the process while they made way with the expatriate and one other person.

“The police could not engage them further because of those already held hostage, but by the grace of God, we shall get them all. Our men together with the vigilante are currently on their trail.

“We also got an AK-47 loaded with 9 rounds of ammunition from them,” Oyeyemi stated.

Details of the abduction and whether the abductors have contacted authorities with ransom demands are still sketchy, but the Swiss Embassy says it is in contact with Nigerian authorities for clarification.

Heavy-armed criminal gangs, also called ‘bandits’, sometimes kidnap foreigners in Nigeria, mostly in the northwest and central regions of the country. This year, these criminal gangs have primarily targeted schools and universities to carry out mass kidnappings.

Since December, over a thousand students and pupils have been abducted. Most of them were released after their parents and guidance reportedly raised millions as ransom. Besides the bandits terrorizing parts of Nigeria, for the past 12 years, there has also been an Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria.

Nigeria recorded 11 COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24-hours, driven by the spread of the Delta variant in the country.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which made this known via its verified website on Tuesday, said 444 additional coronavirus cases were also recorded as of Aug. 2, 2021.

The new infections indicated an increase from the 407 cases announced a day earlier.

COVID-19 cases have been increasing in Nigeria since the discovery of the Delta strain in June, raising fears of renewed pressure on the health system.

NCDC noted that the 11 new deaths recorded on Monday brought the total number of fatalities in the country to 2,160, including deaths in Lagos State reported on July 31 2021.

The public health agency also said that the new figures for confirmed cases had also raised the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 174,759 as of Aug. 2, 2021.

Apart from Lagos with 275, the highest daily figure of infections, Rivers ranked second with 63 cases, followed by Akwa Ibom with 62 reported cases, Gombe had 22, while Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) registered eight and four cases respectively.

Edo recorded three and Imo had two infections, while Kano, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Jigawa and Ebonyi registered one each, respectively.

The NCDC added that six states – Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Kaduna and Bauchi – reported no cases.

It said that 32 people had recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres in the country on Monday, adding that total recoveries recorded nationwide stood at 165,037 as the multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continued to coordinate national response activities.

The health agency said that the country’s active cases were over 7, 000, having tested more than 2.5 million samples for the virus, out of the country’s roughly 200 million population.

Meanwhile, the agency has put the country’s COVID-19 average test positivity rate at six per cent, saying that the increase in cases across states demonstrated that its surveillance system was working.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/03/covid-19-nigeria-registers-11-additional-deaths-in-24-hours/

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it made total revenue of ₦2.129 trillion from the sales of petroleum products between March 2020 and March 2021.

The corporation disclosed this in its Monthly Financial and Operation Reports (MFOR) released on Sunday in Abuja.

It said the sales were made by its downstream subsidiary, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC).

According to the report, PPMC records ₦234.63 billion revenue from the sale of white products in March 2021.

This, it said, represented a 24.7 per cent increase from the ₦188.15 billion sales recorded in February.

In terms of volume, the report noted that the value translates to 1.75 billion litres of white products sold and distributed by PPMC in March 2021, compared to 1.4 billion litres in February.

This volume, it said, was made up of 1.782 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), petrol, and 0.45 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), otherwise known as diesel.

Total sale of white products for the period of March 2020 to March 2021 stood at 17.374 billion litres and PMS accounted for 17.265 billion litres or 99.37 per cent.

It revealed that for the period of March 2020 to March 2021, a total of 2,911.62bcf of gas was produced representing an average daily production of 7,409.60mmscfd during the period.

According to the report, it implies that 63.18 per cent of the average daily gas produced was commercialised while the balance of 36.82 per cent was re-injected, used as upstream fuel gas or flared.

The report also revealed that the corporation recorded 70 vandalised points across its pipeline network in the period under review,

This, it said, represented a 29.63 per cent increase from the 54 points recorded in the previous month.

The March 2021MFOR is the 68th edition of the report.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/02/nnpc-earns-n2-129trn-from-product-sales-in-one-year/

Six people died within two days after contracting COVID-19 in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, a government official said at the weekend.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement on his Facebook account giving the state’s COVID-19 update for July 30 and July 31, said that the deaths increased the state’s COVID-19 related mortality to 384.

According to him, 4,437 tests were conducted on the reported dates, out of which 519 new COVID-19 infections were confirmed.

Abayomi said the new infections increased the state’s total COVID-19 infections to 63,872.

He said that there are 2,783 active cases of COVID-19 currently being managed under the state’s Home-Based Care programs while the number of patients receiving treatment at the state’s isolation facilities had increased from 128 to 136 persons.

56,127 of the infected people had recovered in communities, while 4,399 had recovered in the state’s COVID-19 isolation centres.

Also, the total number of COVID-19 tests conducted in the state since the inception of the pandemic stood at 607,803.

Earlier, Abayomi, said that the state was currently under severe stress and strain of COVID-19 third wave with the emergence of between 100 and 300 new cases daily.

He said that isolation facilities were filled up and being overstretched necessitating the creation of more spaces to accommodate patients.

He advised that the elbow greeting should be adhered to as COVID-19 was a contact contagion.

Abayomi stressed that COVID-19 safety protocols should be strictly adhered to as the practice of handshaking still poses a high risk for transmission of the virus.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/02/six-die-of-covid-19-in-2-days-in-lagos-nigeria/

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has suspended the embattled Head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, DCP Abba Kyari.

The decision of the commission follows the recommendation by the Inspector General of Police for Kyari to be suspended pending the time investigations into allegations of corruption by the US’ Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) are concluded.

Kyari was listed as accomplice to a criminal activity by a notorious cyber-criminal, Hushpuppi. Hushpuppi has pleaded guilty to charges of cyber fraud and links were established with the senior Police officer. Kyari had initially denied involvement in the allegations as he quickly released a statement, which he has now deleted. In the statement, he claimed he was only a middleman between Hushpuppi and his tailor.

The PSC in a statement on Sunday by the Head of its Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani said it has suspended Kyari from the powers and functions of his office.

In the statement, the PSC said that “Abba Kyari’s suspension took effect from Saturday, July 31st 2021 and would subsist pending the outcome of the investigation in respect of his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States .

“The Commission has also directed the Inspector General of Police to furnish it with information on further development on the matter for necessary further action.

The Commission’s decision which was conveyed in a letter with reference, PSC/POL/D/153/vol/V/138 to the Inspector General of Police today, Sunday, August 1st, 2021, was signed by Hon. Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Honourable Commissioner 1 in the Commission for the Commission’s Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police who is currently on leave.”

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/02/hushpuppi-psc-follows-igps-recommendation-suspends-abba-kyari/

Following a recommendation by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, the Police Service Commission (PSC) on Sunday suspended a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head, Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, Abba Kyari.

Kyari was suspended over his indictment by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation for alleged involvement in a $1.1m internet fraud perpetrated by Abass Ramon, aka Hushpuppi, and six other co-conspirators.

Baba had earlier on Sunday, recommended the “immediate suspension” of Kyari from the Nigeria Police Force.

The police commission, in a statement titled: ‘FBI indictment: PSC suspends DCP Abba Kyari, directs IGP to furnish it with information on further developments,’ said Kyari’s suspension took effect on Saturday, July 31, 2021.

The statement, which also directs IGP to furnish the PSC with information on further developments’, was signed by the commission’s Head, Press, and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani.

The statement read, “The Police Service Commission has suspended Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head, Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force from the exercise of the Powers and functions of his office.

“Abba Kyari’s suspension took effect from Saturday, July 31st, 2021, and would subsist pending the outcome of the investigation in respect of his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States.

“The Commission has also directed the Inspector General of Police to furnish it with information on further development on the matter for necessary further action.

“The Commission’s decision which was conveyed in a letter with reference, PSC/POL/D/153/vol/V/138 to the Inspector General of Police today, Sunday, August 1st, 2021, was signed by Hon. Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Honourable Commissioner 1 in the Commission for the Commission’s Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police who is currently on leave.”

The FBI criminal complaint lodged at the United States District Court in California had listed Hushpuppi and Kyari among six suspects indicted in a $1.1m international conspiracy to defraud a Qatari businessman.

Also implicated in the scam are AbdulRahman Juma (Abdul); Vincent Kelly Chibuzo (Kelly); Rukayat Motunrayo Fashola (Morayo); and Bolatito Tawakalitu Agbabiaka (Bolamide).

Hushpuppi had pleaded guilty to the fraud.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/08/02/nigeria-police-commission-suspends-abba-kyari/

African female referees are about to reach a new landmark in world football as they look to make history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics quarterfinal fixture between Team Great Britain and Australia.

The match to be held on Friday will see a team of five African referees in charge of proceedings in different areas of the game.

In what’s a new high for referees on the continent, the quintuple of Rwandan, Salma Rhadia Mukansanga, Kenya’s Mary Njoroge, Malawi’s Bernadettar Kwimbira, Nigeria’s Patience Ndidi Madu and Mauritian, Maria Packuita Cynquela will all be in charge of a high profile game in an international tournament.

Kwimbira, 39, has officiated twice in the ongoing Olympics as she was at the centre in the matches between Great Britain and Chile, and the Netherlands against China.

She stands out as one of the best female referees in African football, alongside South Africa’s Akhona Makalima and Ethiopia’s Lydia Tafese Abebe.

Abebe was at the last FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and officiated in the opening game of the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN) held in Cameroon.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/29/african-referees-make-history-at-tokyo-olympics/

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has scheduled a mop-up Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for 18,000 candidates for August 6 in selected locations in Nigeria.

JAMB’s Head, Media and Publicity, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a statement on Thursday, said no candidate, whose result had been duly released, would be rescheduled for another examination.

The statement read, “Following a detailed investigation and careful analysis of the highly-successful 2021 UTME, and with due consultation (resulting in gracious concession) with NECO, concerning the timetable of the council’s ongoing SSCE, JAMB has scheduled a mop-up UTME for Aug. 6, 2021, in some selected locations across the nation.

“No fewer than 18,000 candidates slated for the examination are being notified through both text messages on their designated phone numbers and their JAMB profiles.

“In addition, the candidates can check using their registration number on http://www.jamb.gov.ng/2021mopup.”

Rescheduled categories include candidates who were unable to be scheduled for examinations in the initial round due to their inability to obtain the mandatory NINs or profile codes before the registration deadline. As a result, these candidates were required to purchase Bank Drafts (instead of the usual PINs) after the scheduled examination period, and they were then registered.

Also on the list are a few candidates who encountered peculiar biometric verification problems, or who failed biometric verification on the examination date (and were recaptured) but were not allowed to partake in the examination.

The statement noted that adequate screening arrangements had been made to reverify such claims and any candidate found to be involved in any form of impersonation would be identified for prosecution.

It also listed candidates who were unable to sit for the UTME, owing to the clash of timetables of the examination and the ongoing NABTEB examinations, and whose particulars had been verified and supplied directly to JAMB by NABTEB.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/29/18000-to-write-utme-mop-up-exams-jamb/

The current season of Big Brother Naija reality TV show saw the introduction of a new twist known as “Wildcard”.

At the second launch show of the ‘Shine Ya Eye’ edition on Sunday, Biggie said there ought to be 20 housemates like last season, but 22 were ushered into the house, which includes the wildcards.

These wildcards are two fake housemates that are to be identified by their colleagues, in order to get them evicted during the eviction show next Sunday. However, if the housemates fail to figure out who the wildcards are;

They will remain in the house and become eligible to compete for the N90million grand prize.
They will be given exclusive power to nominate next Monday.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/29/shine-ya-eye-bbnaija-2021-wildcards-revealed/

Skin We Are In is a landmark South African book for children (and grown-ups) on the subject of skin colour. Published in 2018, it was co-authored by an artist and a scientist, both South African luminaries – the author Sindiwe Magona and the anthropologist and palaeobiologist Nina Jablonski. Here they talk about how – and why – the book came about.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/29/the-story-of-an-african-childrens-book-that-explains-the-science-of-skin-colour/

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to set up teller points in designated branches for the sale of Foreign Exchange (forex) to Nigerians.

The directive is sequel to CBN’s decision to discontinue the sale of forex to Nigerians through the Bureaux de Change operators.

The directive was contained in a letter to the DMBs by Haruna Mustafa, Director, Bank Supervision Department of the apex bank, on Thursday in Abuja.

“Further to the Monetary Policy Committee briefing of July 27, all DMBs are hereby reminded to set up teller points at designated branches across the country.

“This is to fulfil legitimate FX requests for Personal Travel Allowance, Business Travel Allowance, tuition fees, medical payments and SMEs transactions, among others.

“In this regard, DMBs are also required to adequately publicise the locations of the designated branches and make necessary arrangements to sell FX to customers in cash and/or electronically in compliance with extant regulations,” he said.

Mustafa further advised DMBs to ensure that no customer was turned back or refused FX provided that documentation and all other requirements are satisfied.

“Equally, undue delays, rationing and/or diversion of FX is strongly discouraged whilst DMBs are required to establish electronic application and alert systems to update customers on the status of their FX requests,” he added.

He explained that a toll-free line had been set up at the CBN for bank customers to escalate unresolved complaints related to their FX requests.

Mustafa said that the CBN would continue to closely monitor banks’ conduct and compliance with the directive in order to ensure an efficient FX market for all legitimate users.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/29/nigerias-commercial-banks-directed-to-sell-forex-directly-to-customers/

A random cow was seen walking on third mainland bridge at about 9pm on Wednesday, 28th July, 2021.

The footage below shows a cow moving along the inward mainland (outward island) lane of Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, Nigeria. This was captured at about 9pm on Wednesday, 28th July, 2021.

Eyewitnesses say they had no idea where it came from, and no herder was in sight to curtail the cow. However, to avoid a collision, motorists steered off the cow’s way to make room for it.

WATCH: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/29/stray-cow-spotted-on-third-mainland-bridge-lagos/

The Kaduna State government has suspended the resumption of schools across local governments of the state until further notice.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai while addressing the stakeholders’ meeting explained that the government took the decision due to the ongoing aggressive military operation against bandits in most parts of the state.

The meeting had in attendance the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), as well as professional and community-based associations that the operation was aimed at flushing the bandits out from their hideouts.

Governor El-Rufai emphasized that the government was committed to protecting vulnerable children from being attacked by fleeing bandits who were already feeling the superior firepower of the military.

He also disclosed that the military has deployed more troops to the state for the operation and warned the residents to be vigilant and mindful of unknown faces in their midst, saying fleeing bandits might infiltrate their communities

In his remarks, NMA Chairman in Kaduna, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, asked the Federal Government of Nigeria to license the use of firearms for profiled citizens.

He stated that this was necessary to enable the people to protect themselves from being attacked by bandits since the security forces cannot be everywhere.

Sokomba believes licensing of firearms for citizens has become expedient due to the constant kidnapping of many people, including health workers.

A gender-based activist, Asma Mirza, who was also present at the meeting, stressed the need to deploy technology to the various flashpoints, including the forests and highways.

Kidnapping and banditry have become fast-growing organized crimes in Kaduna and some parts of the northwest region thereby posing a major security threat for the people.

Amid tension in which farmers have been forced to abandon their farms, some secondary schools and a tertiary institution were attacked by bandits recently in Kaduna.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/29/governor-el-rufai-suspends-school-resumption-indefinitely-in-kaduna-nigeria/

The Central Bank of Nigeria has ended the sales of forex to Bureau De Change operators, saying the parallel market has become a conduit for illicit forex flows and fraud.

The bank said it will no longer grant applications for BDC licences in the country.

The CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, said Tuesday in a live TV broadcast that henceforth, weekly sales of foreign exchange by the CBN will go directly to commercial banks.

“We are concerned that BDCs have allowed themselves to be used for graft,” Emefiele said.

He said several international bodies, including some embassies and donor agencies, have been complicit in illegal forex transactions that have hindered the flow of foreign exchange into Nigeria.

He said the organisations have chosen to channel forex through the black market than use the official Investors and Exporters (I&E) window, called Nafex.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/27/nigerias-central-bank-bans-sales-of-forex-to-bdcs/