APC assesses fallout from primaries
News & Trends •
i am quite pleased with what is happening. we are ready and tomorrow we will be on our way to participate in the last legal act of making president muhammadu buhari the 2019 presidential flag bearer of the apc he said1 the all progressives congress apc has moved a step further as its governors met with president muhmmadu buhari and later with the leadership of the party to assess the fallout of the primaries conducted across the country1 they are of the conviction that the party would come out stronger after primaries across the states of the federation1 they spoke in abuja after a closed door meeting with mr adams oshiomhole the partys national chairman of the party1 they noted that the challenges that followed the partys primaries in some states were normal in a big and vibrant party like the apc1 gov. abudull azi yari of zamfara said they were in abuja to meet with the partys national chairman to find a way forward following matters arising from the partys primaries in some states1 he expressed optimism that the party would come out stronger as one family from whatever challenge it may be facing saying that it was sure of electoral victory in 20191 he added that resolutions had been made and that steps were being taken to address the situations and ensure better understanding1 we are working hard and faster to ensure that we got these things done so that we can go for the presidential national convention on saturday oct. 61 he however said that the governors were particularly concerned about inecs deadline for the conclusion of party primaries which is oct. 71 we are concerned because if we are not having candidates anywhere by oct. 7 that automatically means we are not fielding candidates for the positions he said1 gov. atiku bagudu of kebbi said that the meeting was convened by the partys national chairman adding that the governors collectively exchanged ideas and made suggestions on the way forward1 we have had the presidential direct primary and it went well. there were about thousands of party members across the state who turned out in 225 wards and they all voted in support of president muhammadu buhari as the partys candidate in the 2019 general election he said1 he noted that while the primaries went well in some states there were challenges in others because according to him it is a human process1 it is a human process and there are bound to be issues and challenges in one or two places because it is a dynamic process everything will be resolved1 the meetings were conducted as a family to boost the morale of stakeholders and find a way of getting out stronger from such quagmire1 also speaking gov.rochas okorocha of imo said party primaries normally comes with challenges especially in a democratic structure1 the apc do have some challenges in some states and we have come to soften the rough edges so we can rebuild unity in the party and ensure that aggrieved persons are settled1 we are here to look at what to do and of course you know our party believe in free fair justice and equity1 we are making sure we keep to that by giving everybody a chance to vote and be voted for he said1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the apc national leadership had suspended the imo governorship primaries indefinitely1 okorocha said the direct primary mode of election being adopted in the state would enable everyone exercise their franchise1 whichever it is in imo we are fine and we on ground1 we shall make sure everybody is in one place because we do not want to give the peoples democratic party pdp edge whatsoever because i know they are coming up with their crisis1 we will be able to resolve our own crisis as quickly as possible before the main elections he said1 okorocha added that despite individual differences members of the party in the state still believe in the re-election of president muhammadu buhari in 20191 gov. ibikunle amosun of ogun said because it was a political season and everybody was trying to get the partys ticket such challenges were expected1 i think that is just what has happened as a party you will expect that everybody wants to win we are only disagreeing to agree he said1 he added that the meeting was to resolve lingering problems that was confronting the party1 the governors had earlier in the day met with president muhammadu buhari at the presidential villa. nan1

Nobel Peace Prize: Bookies favour Trump, Kim, Moon Jae
News & Trends •
another possible laureate is nadia murad a 25-year-old yazidi woman who was kidnapped by islamic state militants in 2014 and endured three months as a sex slave before managing to escape1 the bookies odds for the nobel peace prize winner point towards the koreans or donald trump. the experts are betting on the fight against sexual violence or defenders of the press1 at 0900 gmt the annual nobel prize-giving week reaches its peak as the five-member norwegian committee ends the guessing game by announcing this years winner1 and anticipation is likely to be heightened after the postponement of this years literature prize for the first time in 70 years over a rape scandal that came to light as part of the metoo movement which took off exactly a year ago1 this year a total of 331 individuals and organisations were nominated for the prestigious peace award almost a record number. but with the list a closely guarded secret guessing who might be a contender is largely a game of chance1 among the bookmakers the choice was largely unanimous with north korean leader kim jong un and his south korean counterpart moon jae-in frontrunners for the prize for their efforts at rapprochement between the two nations1 but choosing kim may be a step too far for the norwegian committee given the uns damning verdict on north koreas long-standing and ongoing systematic widespread and gross violations of human rights1 another unexpected favourite is donald trump who at 7-1 is one of three frontrunners flagged by online bookies betsson with the odds suggesting the bombastic american president is 10 times more likely to win than figures like frances emmanuel macron or russias vladimir putin1 taking a step back from the international spotlight several nobel experts see the prize honouring those involved in the fight against sexual violence at a time when the aftershocks of the metoo movement are still making waves around the globe1 a top contender would likely be congolese gynaecologist denis mukwege better known as doctor miracle who has spent two decades helping women recover from the violence and trauma of rape in war-torn eastern democratic republic of congo1 but all speculation ends friday when the prize is unveiled in oslo1 one area yet to be honoured by the nobel committee is the campaign to protect press freedom which has been spearheaded by organisations like the committee to protect journalists cpj and reporters without borders rsf1 such an award would be a nod to the role of a free press as a pillar of democracy at a time when the profession is increasingly under threat from repression violence and the proliferation of fake news1 other potential laureates include the world food programme the un refugee agency unhcr jailed saudi blogger raif badawi and russian human rights champions like the ngo memorial and opposition newspaper novaya gazeta1 last year the prize was won by the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons ican1 the 2018 nobel season opened on monday with two immunologists james allison of the us and tasuku honjo of japan winning the medicine prize for research into how the bodys natural defences can fight cancer1 tuesdays physics prize was won by three scientists arthur ashkin of the united states gerard mourou of france and donna strickland of canada for inventing optical lasers that paved the way for advanced precision instruments used in corrective eye surgery1 and on wednesday us scientists frances arnold and george smith and british researcher gregory winter won the chemistry prize for applying the principles of evolution to develop proteins used to make everything from biofuels to medicine1 this years award season will end on monday with the economics prize1 up to three nominees can share the prize which consists of a gold medal a diploma and a cheque for nine million swedish kronor around 1 million or 867000 euros1 the award will be presented at a ceremony in oslo on december 10 the anniversary of the 1896 death of prize creator alfred nobel a swedish philanthropist and scientist1

South Korea jails ex-president Lee Myung-bak
News & Trends •
a seoul court on friday jailed former south korean president lee myung-bak for 15 years making him the latest in a string of high-profile political and business leaders ensnared by corruption charges1 lee is the fourth former south korean president to be jailed with his successor park geun-hye imprisoned over a separate graft scandal that toppled her from power in early 2017 and fed concern over cozy ties between government and business1 lee faced charges of having accepted around 10 million in illegal funds from companies such as conglomerate samsung and his own intelligence service but he denied any wrongdoing saying the investigation was politically motivated1

NJC recommends Ajumogobia, Agbadu-Fishim for dismissal
News & Trends •
on justice ikede oye said council rejected the letter of voluntary retirement purported to be with effect from october 1 2018 submitted to it by hon. mr. justice joshua e. ikede of the delta state high court1 two judges rita n. ofili-ajumogobia of the federal high court and james t. agbadu-fishim of the national industrial court of nigeria have been recommended for dismissal by the national judicial council1 the recommendation the first of its type has been sent to president muhammadu buhari. past recommendations had always been for compulsory retirement1 rising from its 87th meeting held on wednesday the njc also directed justice joshua e. ikede of the delta state high court to refund what he earned as salary and other entitlements since october 20161 the njc said it found that justice ikede altered his age. it rejected the retirement letter the judge sent to it on october 11 njcs director of information soji oye said in a statement that the investigation of justices ofili-ajumogobia and agbadu-fishim was based on petitions written against them by the acting chairman of the economic and financial crimes commission efcc ibrahim magu1 the njc said the petitioner alleged that justice ofili-ajumogobia is a directorchief executive officer and sole signatory to nigel and colive company contrary to the code of conduct for judicial officers1 it said there was also allegation that several personalities individuals government officials and business partners lodged funds into various accounts belonging to the judge1 the njc said it was also alleged that there was an ex-parte communication between the judge and mr. godwin oblah san during the pendency of his matter before the judge1 the council said it could not consider other allegations in the petition because they are already before a court where the judge is standing trial. it left those matters for the trial to take its legal course1 oye said justice agbadu-fishim was also recommended for removal by dismissal from office sequel to the findings of the council on the allegations contained in another petition by the acting chairman of efcc alleging that the judge received various sums of money from litigants and lawyers that had cases before him and some influential nigerians under the false pretence that he was bereaved or that there was delay in the payment of his salary1 this is contrary to the code of conduct for judicial officers of the federal republic of nigeria1 in the interim the council in exercise of its disciplinary powers under paragraph 21 d of the third schedule of the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999 as amended has suspended justices r. n. ofili-ajumogobia and james t. agbadu-fishim with immediate effect pending their removal from office by the president of the federal republic of nigeria1 they were found guilty of misconduct1 this followed the findings on an allegation of falsification of age contained in a petition written by zik gbemre national co-ordinator of niger delta peace coalition. council found that the hon. judge ought to have retired since october 20161 consequently it backdated his retirement to 2016 and recommended to the government of delta state to deduct from the retirement benefits of the judge all salaries received by him from october 2016 till date and remit it to njc which pays salaries of all judicial officers in the federation1 council also decided to issue a letter of advice to hon. mr. justice k. c. nwakpa of high court of abia state to guard against unwarranted utterances in matters before him1 this was as a result of a complaint to the council by one princewill ukegbu1 it added council considered the reports of various investigation committees and dismissed the petitions written against hon. mr. justice yusuf halilu of the high court of the federal capital territory hon. mr. justice e. o. osinuga of the high court of ogun state and hon. mr. justice e. o. ononeze-madu of the high court of imo state1 the petition by wema bank against hon. mr. justice yusuf halilu of the fct high court was dismissed because the allegation of misconduct was not established1 the judges handling of the related matter did not amount to the alleged misconduct1 on the petition on allegation of inducement bias and alteration of ruling written by david olawepo efunwape against justice e. o. osinuga of high court ogun state the njc said it was found to be false1 the statement said council therefore decided to report david olawepo efunwape esq. to the legal practitioners disciplinary committee lpdc for appropriate sanctions for making false allegations against a judge1 the petition written by eugene okechukwu dibiagwu against justice e. o. ononeze madu was dismissed by the council for lack of merit. the council warned the petitioner and asked him to apologise to the judge for the false allegation of inducement1 new petitions written against 26 judicial officers from the federal and state high courts were considered by council after which it resolved to empanel four committees to investigate1 the statement said the remaining petitions were summarily dismissed for obvious and manifest lack of merit being subjudice concerning administrative matters or that such petitions were matters for appeal1 published by the nation1

N50K fine, jail for spraying Naira at parties
News & Trends •
reported by the nation2 mobile courts are now to summarily try those bastardising the national currency the naira the bankers committee said on thursday1 the committee said those who spray naira notes at parties risk going to jail for six months or earning a fine of n50000 after trial by mobile courts that would be deployed nationwide1 cantral bank of nigeria cbn spokesman isaac okorafor said the police and the ministry of justice would be involved in the operation adding1 if a celebrant is dancing and you spray himher you may go to jail from the party venue because the law enforcement agents will be there waiting to arrest you1 it is the duty of law enforcement agencies to catch offenders and take them to court. our collaboration with the police will intensify as we move to implement the mobile court for offenders1 admonishing nigerians on how to use cash as gift okorafor said if you want to give put the money in an envelop and give it the celebrant. lets know that anybody hawking and writing on the naira will face six months in jail or n50000 or both1 managing director of first securities discount house fsdh merchant bank mrs. handa ambah said people selling naira notes would be punished1 she said we need to let them know that this is money. the fact that you cannot spray money at parties does not mean that you cannot put money in an envelope and pass it to the celebrants1

Ex-NANS President Obasi gets continental appointment
News & Trends •
his administration as the then leader of the nigerian students body was one that regained the lost voice of nigerian students2 comrade chinonso obasi the immediate past president of the national association of nigerian students nans has been appointed the executive director of african students education support initiative asesi2 asesi is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation which mandate revolves on education good governance anticorruption accountability and rule of law2 its operational jurisdiction is within the 54 countries of africa2 according to ggbemiga asesi is a child of necessity as issues and projects that will uplift africa shall be addressed judiciously as obasi resumes officially on sept. 24 at the asesi head office gudu abuja2 obasi was the president of the national association of nigerian students nans 201720182 obasis media aide comrade samson ggbemiga disclosed this in a statement on thursday in abuja2 he carried out interventions for the betterment of nigerian students and nigerian students leaders supported masses oriented demands-call for local government autonomy by nulge2 obasi had represented nigerian students in the 2014 nigerian national conference where he fought patriotically for the removal of the bsc and hnd dichotomy in tertiary institutions2 he had also represented nigerian students in the first nigerian petroleum summit in 2018 where he also made case for the students of petroleum training institutepti effurun delta state ggbemiga said2 obasi was the 20092010 student union government sug president of akanu ibiam federal polytechnic unwana ebonyi state and was later the zonal coordinator of nans zone b south-southsouth-east2 heis a graduate of mechanical engineering production option and also a graduate of welding engineering and offshore technology of the prestigious petroleum training institute pti effurun delta state2 obasi who hails from ebonyi state was born on april 27 1987. he is married and has two children2

Trump battles ICC
News & Trends •
the draft speech says the trump administration will fight back if the international criminal court formally proceeds with opening an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by u.s. service members and intelligence professionals during the war in afghanistan2 the united states on monday will adopt an aggressive posture against the international criminal court icc in the hague threatening sanctions against its judges if they proceed with an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by americans in afghanistan2 the united states will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court bolton will say according to a draft of his speech seen by reuters2 bolton will also say that the state department will announce the closure of the palestine liberation organization plo office in washington out of concern about palestinian attempts to prompt an icc investigation of israel2 the plo office in washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment2 the united states will always stand with our friend and ally israel says boltons draft text2 president donald trumps national security adviser john bolton is to make the announcement in a midday speech to the federalist society a conservative group in washington. it will be his first major address since joining the trump white house2 if such a probe proceeds the trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the united states put sanctions on any funds they have in the u.s. financial system and prosecute them in the american court system2 we will not cooperate with the icc. we will provide no assistance to the icc. we will not join the icc. we will let the icc die on its own. after all for all intents and purposes the icc is already dead to us says boltons draft text2 in addition the united states may negotiate more binding bilateral agreements to prohibit nations from surrendering americans to the hague court says the text2 the courts aim is to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes crimes against humanity and genocide2 the united states did not ratify the rome treaty that established the international criminal court in 2002 with then-president george w. bush opposed to the court. president barack obama took some steps to cooperate with the organization2 we will consider taking steps in the u.n. security council to constrain the courts sweeping powers including to ensure that the icc does not exercise jurisdiction over americans and the nationals of our allies that have not ratified the rome statute says boltons draft text2

Benue: Forum advocates coexistence among Christians, Muslims
News & Trends •
by salisu sani-idris4 ahmed welcomed the idfp team to benue and expressed hope that the visit will put an end to the crisis in the state1 alhaji ibrahim yahaya head of idfp in a statement issued on friday in abuja gave the advice when he visited the benue chapters of the christian association nigeria can and the jamaatu nasril islam jni1 yahaya said that the idfp visited the state to interact with muslims and christians leaders as well as other stakeholders on how to end the security challenges bedevilling the state1 according to him idfp activities of promoting peace and dialogue in resolving crisis were being supported by the vienna-based kaiciid dialogue centre1 responding rev. augustine leva the benue state can chairman noted that adherents of both faiths benefit from living in peace and harmony1 according to leva there is mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among muslims and christians in benue while the security challenge in the state has nothing to do with religion1 we have no problem amongst us because we have in time past collaborated and work together for peace1 the interfaith dialogue forum for peace idfp a forum of religious leaders has stressed the need for peaceful coexistence among muslims and christians in benue1 we have always received invitations from our muslim brothers during ramadan to breakfast with them we have an excellent relationship with our muslim brothers he said1 the chairman however advised the herders to embrace the reaching policy saying that its the best solution to ending the herdersfarmers clashes in the state1 on his part alhaji garba baba jni chairman in the state said there was no conflict between adherents of both religions in the state1 i have three wives two of them are idoma and one is tiv. we all are living in peace and we have no problem whatsoever1 sometime the media misinform the people and that is why we do have some misconception the chairman said1 also speaking alhaji baba ahmed the state secretary of jni handed over a written submission to the team on ways toward ending the security challenges in the state1 when we staged a protest in support of the anti-grazing bill assented by gov. samuel ortom we worked as a united force1

China replaces Russia as new U.S. villain, accused of election meddling
News & Trends •
just hours before pence spoke the us justice department indicted seven russian intelligence agents as part of a joint crackdown with britain and the netherlands on alleged hacking by moscow including against the democratic party trumps domestic rivals1 u.s. vice president mike pence on thursday accused china of aggression in areas from security to trade as he portrayed the asian power as a villain interfering in us elections1 to put it bluntly president trumps leadership is working china wants a different american president pence said in a speech at the hudson institute a conservative washington think tank1 there can be no doubt china is meddling in americas democracy1 the administrations offensive on china comes as a cloud hangs over trump with an investigation into whether his campaign colluded with russia to swing the 2016 presidential election in the republican real estate tycoons favour1 expanding on a theme first aired by president donald trump at the united nations last week pence accused china of waging an unprecedented effort to influence american public opinion ahead of critical congressional elections on november 61 but pence said as a senior career member of our intelligence community recently told me what the russians are doing pales in comparison to what china is doing across this country1 pences sharply worded address comes days before secretary of state mike pompeo is due to visit china on a trip focused on nuclear diplomacy with north korea an area on which the united states still seeks beijings cooperation1 relations between the worlds two largest economies have plummeted in recent weeks with trump slapping 200 billion in tariffs on chinese goods amid complaints over beijings trade policies1 trump has made clear that well levy even more tariffs with the possibility of substantially more than doubling that number unless a fair and reciprocal deal is made pence said1 he lashed out at china for focusing its retaliatory tariffs on states vital to the republicans electoral chances1

Senator David Umarus comeback bid collapses
News & Trends •
sen. david umarus bid for a fresh tenure suffered a major setback on thursday after he lost the all progressives congress ticket to contest the 2019 elections1 at the primary election held in minna umaru who represents niger east senatorial district polled 5870 votes to concede the ticket to his challenger alhaji sani musa who scored 39192 votes1 senator umaru 59 years old graduated from ahmadu bello university in 1980 and was called to the bar in 19811 according to the chairman of the electoral committee alhaji saidu akawu four other aspirants shuaibu gwada umar faruk usman danjijo and afiniki dauda scored 2653 1750 206 and 146 votes respectively1 akawu commended the party members for demonstrating political maturity in their conduct during the direct primary election and also praised the aspirants for their patience1 alhaji jibril imam apc chairman in niger advised party members to mobilise voters toward victory in the senate election next year1 what we have started doing is a house-to-house campaign to sensitise members of the public on the need to obtain their permanent voters cards pvcs and use it to install leaders that would improve their living standards he said1

INEC insists on Oct. 7 deadline for parties primaries
News & Trends •
by emmanuel oloniruha8 the independent national electoral commission inec has reminded political parties that oct. 7 remains the deadline for conduct of primaries for all elective positions for the 2019 general elections and resolution of disputes emanating from the primaries1 the reminder is in a statement by mr solomon soyebi the inec national commissioner and chairman information and voter education committee in abuja on thursday1 soyebi stated that the resolution was made at the end of the commissions weekly meeting held on thursday in abuja1 he noted that the commission among other things considered the status of political party primaries to elect candidates into various positions for the 2019 general elections1 he said that 89 of the 91 registered political parties that gave notice of their intentions to conduct primaries as required by the electoral act 2010 as amended had commenced and were at various stages of the process1 he added that inec wishes to restate that the conduct of primaries and resolution of all disputes arising therefrom must be concluded on or before oct. 7 as earlier published in the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections1 the last day for submission of lists of sponsored candidates form cfoo2 and personal particulars form cf001 remains oct. 18 for presidential and national assembly and nov. 2 for governorship and state houses of assembly1 soyebi restated that the commission would only accept list of candidates submitted by the national chairman and the national secretary. nan1

Federal Polytechnic Nekede No.1 in Nigeria: NBTE
News & Trends •
other criteria include proportion of academic staff showing the right mix that is chief lecturer and principal lecturer down to assistant lecturer and ability of institution to introduce programme in new and emerging fields2 the federal polytechnic nekede owerri in imo is the best polytechnic in nigeria according to the national board for technical education nbte2 kazaure explained that the polytechnic emerged the best after scoring 85.08 per cent in the assessment of 112 federal state and private polytechnics in the country in the pilot ranking of nigerian polytechnics2 he said that the exercise covered 20152016 and 2062017 academic sessions2 he said that the federal polytechnic ilaro ogun came second with 73.08 per cent while kaduna polytechnic kaduna state came third with 72.31 per cent2 other polytechnics in the top 10 included the polytechnic ibadan oyo state ranked fourth with 67.69 per cent federal polytechnic bida niger fifth 65.38 per cent and auchi polytechnic auchi edo sixth with 63.85 point2 institute of management and technology imt enugu enugu state seventh with 62.31 per cent. federal polytechnic offa kwara rufus giwa polytechnic ondo state and yaba college of technology yaba lagos state were ranked eighth with 60.77 per cent2 federal polytechnic oko anambra was ranked 11th with 60.00 per cent and federal polytechnic idah kogi occupied the 12th position with 59.23 per cent2 the nbte boss also said that when disaggregated by ownership the federal polytechnic nekede also emerged the best federal polytechnic in the country followed by federal polytechnic ilaro and kaduna polytechnic2 the polytechnic ibadan imt and rufus giwa polytechnics were the highest ranked among state polytechnics while lagos city polytechnic is the highest ranked private polytechnic and the 16th in the country2 dorben polytechnic and heritage polytechnic were the second and third best private polytechnic in the country2 kazaure explained that the polytechnics were ranked based on total number of programmes with full accreditation in the last two years and percentage of programmes with full accreditation2 the executive secretary of the board dr masaudu kazaure made this known in kaduna on thursday at the end of the second regular meeting of the nbte governing board. the meeting was chaired by prof. modupe adelabu2 they were equally assessed based on capacity building of staff both within and outside nigeria teaching quality including staff student ratio and ratio of full-time to part-time staff2 other areas are availability of current campus master plan strategic plan and academic brief percentage of academic staff with relevant higher qualification and professional registration and 7030 technology-non-technology enrolment ratio.2 another consideration was the incorporation of entrepreneurship education into the institutes curriculum and fully established entrepreneurship development centre he said2 he said other issues discussed by the board borders on quality assurance accreditation resource inspection visits and proliferation of illegal technical and health institutions in the country2 he said that 191 out of the 239 programmes in 41 polytechnics visited for accreditation between june and september 2018 were granted full accreditation while 48 got interim accreditation2 he also said that 117 programmes were scrutinised for resource inspection within the same period and 94 programmes were granted interim accreditation to commence operation while 23 were denied2 four proposed private polytechnics were also visited for approval and licensing within the period under review and only one was recommended while three were asked to remedy some identified deficiencies2 the governing board also approved a memorandum of understanding with environmental health officers registration council of nigeria to reduce the burden of duplication of quality assurance visitation and accreditation activities2 the board also agreed to hold meetings with relevant stakeholders to put an end to proliferation of illegal technical institutions and unapproved private health institutions operating in the county2 the board particularly commended the effort of the kaduna state commissioner for health dr paul dogo for expressing concern to the board on illegal health institutions operating in the state he said2 kazaure added that the board equally frowned at the conversion of colleges of agriculture to polytechnics by some state governments and agreed to take necessary actions to put a stop to the development. nan fdy2

Riot in Epe after man killed at APC Primary
News & Trends •
lawal complained that the security in epe was loose because there were no police officers at the polling unit when the attack occurred2 some houses and vehicles were burnt in epe lagos east on thursday as political violence erupted following the killing of a supporter of one of the aspirants contesting to represent the all progressives congress in the house of representatives election next year2 he was shot by hoodlums who attacked a polling unit in ward 4 after voting had taken place and party members were awaiting the declaration of the result2 four persons were cleared to contest for the apc ticket to the house of representatives. they are wale raji the incumbent lanre odubote a former rep member remi adebowale and segun olulade a member of the house of assembly2 voting had ended at ward 4 when the gunmen arrived at about 4.15 pm and shot alooma a witness mr akeem lawal said2 he said the hoodlums stormed the polling unit after learning that their candidate had lost2 the person killed was identified as idris alooma said to be 30 years old2 a nan reporter who monitored the election reports that some aggrieved youth set houses and vehicles ablaze across epe community after the killing of alooma2 the divisional police officer in epe csp adeyeri sunday told nan that one of the suspects who attacked alooma had been arrested adding that his team would do everything humanly possible to arrest other suspects and bring them to book2 the direct primaries to elect the candidates for both the house of representatives and the senate were held at the 19 wards in the epe federal constituency2 senator gbenga bariyu ashafa cleared to run unopposed for the lagos east senate seat by the apc national working committee had an opponent in bayo osinowo a four-time member of the state of house of assembly2 voting started at about 345 p.m. in many of the wards in ibonwon ikosi-ejirin epe recreation centre and ogunmodede among others2 results are being awaited2

How I paid $1m ransom to Evans: Witness
News & Trends •
he said they were made to drive round anambra from awka to ozubulu also to ekwuluobia and the environs until they were asked to stop at oba2 a witness izuchukwu ezeuko on thursday told an igbosere high court in lagos how he dropped 1 million dollar ransom for the alleged kidnap kingpin chukwudumeme onwuamadike popularly known as evans2 ezeuko a manager in udujis firm made the revelation while giving evidence at the ongoing trial of evans2 the manager who was the fifth witness in the trial said he agreed to travel from lagos to the south east to drop the ransom in order to save his boss life2 evans is facing two separate charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap kidnapping and attempted murder before justice adedayo akintoye2 in the first charge evans is standing trial alongside joseph emeka ugochukwu nwachukwu and victor aduba2 in the second charge he is standing trial alongside joseph emeka linus okpara and victor aduba2 at the resumed trial of the case on thursday ezeuko narrated how he paid one million dollar ransom in two tranches of 800 000 and 200000 dollars to the kidnappers of his employer2 the witness said that on sept. 7 2015 his employer came to the factory at agbara as usual2 according to him at 5.00 p.m. he got a call that his employer who had left the factory for home was kidnapped2 however after some weeks of the alleged kidnap on oct. 10 2015 he got a call from a private number who said he should speak with his boss2 my boss then spoke to me and said if i want him alive i should go to the east to deliver money to the alleged kidnappers2 i went to festac town and met mr edwin uduji the victims brother who arranged the first 800 000 dollars for me to travel with2 on october 11 i drove to the east with the victims elder sister and in the east a voice gave us instructions on how to drop the money ezeuko said2 the ransom was to save mr. james uduji then held hostage by evans2 it was at oba that the voice asked the victims sister to come down from the vehicle with the money2 the voice directed her to an uncompleted building where she dropped the money. it was dark so we did not see the person who picked the money ezeuko told the court2 he said two weeks after the 800 000 dollar ransom was dropped and the kidnappers released his boss2 however towards the end of october his boss asked him to take another 200 000 dollars to the kidnappers because the kidnappers were still threatening his life2 ezeuko said he took the money down to east and was asked to drop it on the onitsha expressway by the voice that gave him instructions2 however during cross-examination counsel to evans mr olarewaju ajanaku asked ezeuko if he informed the police that such ransom was to be paid or gave the call logs of the person he interacted with the to the police2 the witness said he did not inform the police about the ransom before paying and did not give the call logs to the police2 however another witness sgt. kingsley harold gave evidence concerning the first charge in which evans is standing trial alongside joseph emeka ugochukwu nwachukwu and victor aduba over the kidnap of mr donatus2 harold said after evans was arrested he was asked to make a statement at the special anti-robbery squad sars office in ikeja but evans said he was not too good in writing2 he said evans however asked him to write the statement for him adding that the statement was recorded in an open office in the presence of senior police officers and other people who came to the office for other cases2 he said the statement was recorded in a conducive environment between 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm adding that the defendant was cautioned before making the statement2 however the defendant s counsel opposed the admissibility of such statement and a trial-within-trial was conducted to ascertain the admissibility of such evidence2 after listening to the arguments justice akintoye adjourned until oct. 8 for continuation of trial2

Insurance firm AIG sues Kardashians bodyguard
News & Trends •
two years after kim kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in paris her insurance company aig is suing her former bodyguard and his security firm in the united states for 6.1 million2 the lawsuit was filed on wednesday in delaware by aig which accuses pascal duvier and the company he worked for protectsecurity of breach of contract2 celebrity website tmz which first reported the suit says duvier left the luxury residence where kardashian had been staying during paris fashion week in october 2016 and followed two of her sisters to a nearby club2 as a result kardashian was left without security. the lawsuit also accuses duvier of failing to plug a number of breaches at the property that allowed the masked gunmen to enter tmz reported2 five men tied her up gagged her and locked her in a bathroom before making off with jewels worth 10.6 million including a diamond ring gifted by rapper husband kanye west which she had flaunted on instagram2 aig is seeking the 6.1 million that it paid kardashian after the robbery holding the bodyguard and firm negligent tmz said2 duvier no longer works for the mother of three2 french justice charged 11 suspects in connection with what was the largest robbery of an individual in france for 20 years. only one piece a diamond-encrusted cross has been recovered2 the suspected ringleader aomar ait khedache told investigators he had struggled to find a buyer for kardashians 18.88-carat ring complaining it was too recognizable and that he had given it to an unidentified third party2

Tunisian Jaziri stuns Zverev World No.5
News & Trends •
german second seed alexander zverev suffered an early exit at the china open as he went down 7-64 2-6 6-4 to tunisias malek jaziri on thursday3 the world number five appeared to have righted the ship after losing the opener in a tiebreak but paid the price for failing to convert his opportunities3 jaziri 34 executed an audacious tweener to win a point at 2-5 down in the second set and although zverev still levelled he went onto claim his third victory over a top five opponent this season3 up next for the world number 61 is a first tour meeting with nikoloz basilashvili. the georgian ranked 34 in the world overcame spains fernando verdasco 7-63 6-43 italys fabio fognini thumped andrey rublev 6-4 6-3 and will take on world number 45 marton fucsovics for the first time3 hungarian fucsovics beat surprise french open semi-finalist marco cecchinato of italy 6-4 6-23 its going to be a tough match because he fucsovics is great he played really well today fognini currently ranked 11th in the race for the atp world tour finals said3 top seed juan martin del potro who has already clinched his place in next months season-ending tournament in london will meet serbias filip krajinovic on friday3 briton kyle edmund takes on dusan lajovic in another last-eight clash3

Ex-rap mogul Marion Suge Knight jailed 28 years
News & Trends •
as part of his agreement with prosecutors to plead no contest the legal equivalent of guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter all other charges in the case were dropped. two separate criminal cases in which he was charged with robbery and making criminal threats were also dismissed3 former rap mogul marion suge knight was sentenced in a los angeles courtroom on thursday to 28 years in prison for manslaughter in the death of a man he ran over with his pickup truck outside a hamburger stand in 20153 he admitted then to using a deadly and dangerous weapon on jan. 29 2015 when he ran down two men with his pickup truck in an altercation outside tams burgers that spilled over from a quarrel on the nearby set of a tv commercial for the film straight outta compton3 carter later died of his injuries. the second man cle bone sloan was left with a badly mangled left foot and head injuries. knight who was out on bail in a robbery case at the time fled the scene but was later arrested3 knight had previously contended that he accidentally struck the two men with his vehicle while trying to flee what he thought was an ambush attempt3 had knight been convicted of murder and attempted murder as originally charged he faced a life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 25 years3 the sentence appeared to forestall any chance of a future recording business comeback for knight 53 known as much for repeated run-ins with the law as for his career as a hip-hop executive promoting the likes of snoop dogg dr. dre and tupac shakur during the 1990s3 judge ronald coen said knight had earned the equivalent of 4.2 years credit for time served in pretrial detention. he also is eligible to shave another 15 percent or 4.2 years off his term for good behaviour while in prison meaning he could end up serving nearly 20 years before release3 seated beside his lawyer and wearing an orange jail uniform and horned-rimmed glasses the burly bald ex-college football player showed no visible emotion as sentence was pronounced. he did not address the court3 knight previously served more than half of a nine-year term for violating the probation he received in 1995 for an assault on two aspiring rappers at a hollywood recording studio3 the probation violation stemmed from a scuffle involving knight at a las vegas hotel in september 1996 hours before shakur was shot to death while riding in a car with knight on the las vegas strip. knight was slightly wounded in the attack3 knight was later named by police as a suspect in the shooting death of rival rap artist christopher wallace known as notorious b.i.g. but was never charged. both rap murders remain unsolved3 in 2002 the year after his release from prison a federal racketeering probe of knight and his record label was closed with the company pleading guilty to misdemeanour tax charges. the onetime college football star and gangsta rap pioneer eventually lost control of his label in bankruptcy proceedings3

Misau, Gamawapick BauchiPDP senatorial tickets
News & Trends •
by mohammed ahmed kaigama2 senators suleiman gamawa and isa misau who defected to the peoples democratic party pdp recently have picked the partys senatorial tickets unopposed mr wilson iorshe the chairman of the election panel has said2 iorshe announced this in bauchion wednesday saying malam garba dahiru also scored 382 votes to fly the partys flag in bauchi south senatorial district defeating former director-general of federal radio corporation of nigeriafrcn malam ladan salihu who got 372 votes2 he also said senators gamawa and misau would represent bauchi north and bauchi central senatorial districts respectively2 the panel therefore affirmed their nominations as the senatorial candidates of pdp in the next general election he said2 the chairmansaid the election was conducted in the three senatorial districts peacefully and that only 20 invalid votes were recorded during the exercise2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the two serving senators suleiman gamawa and isa misau defected from the apc to the pdp recently2

Ogun APC produces 2 governorship candidates
News & Trends •
he added that the exercise was conducted through the open secret ballot system in accordance with the party guidelines on direct primaries2 two governorship candidates have emerged in the ogun state chapter of the all progressives congress apc following two parallel primaries held on wednesday2 the two groups claimed they held the authentic primary as ordered by the nwc2 muhammad ndabawa who led the nwc electoral committee members declared that abiodun who hails from ogun east senatorial district scored 102305 votes from the 236 wards across the 20 local governments to emerge the candidate2 according to ndabawa jimi lawal scored 51153 votes abimbola ashiru 29764 senator gbenga kaka 17771 abayomi hunye 9110 votes and adekunle akinlade 23 443 votes2 ndabawa said that the declaration of abiodun as winner is subject to ratification by the national working committee of the party2 he also said he was not aware of the exercise that produced akinlade2 our committee is the authentic body constituted by the nwc to conduct and supervise governorship primary in the state in line with the party guidelines and constitution ndabawa said2 the chairman of the party in the state chief derin adebiyi who announced the alternative results at the party secretariat in abeokuta also claimed that the direct primaries were conducted across the 236 wards of the state2 while the state chairman of the party chief derin adebiyi declared the house of representatives member adekunle akinlade as the winner the electoral panel sent by the national working committee declared oil mogul prince dapo abiodun the winner2 according to him six aspirants contested for the governorship position including mr jimi lawal mr abayomi hounye and the former state commissioner for commerce and industry mr bimbo ashiru2 others are a former deputy governor of the state sen. adegbenga kaka the chairman of the corporate affairs commission chief dapo abiodun and akinlade who is representing ipokiaegbado-south federal constituency at the house of representatives2 a breakdown of the result announced by adebiyi on local government basis shows that akinlade won in all the 20 council areas of the state. scoring a total of 190987 votes2 mr. jimi lawal came second with a total of 5 046 votes while abiodun came third with 3 648 votes2 ashiru scored 898 kaka 833 and and hounye 208 votes to emerge fourth fifth and sixth2 adebiyi said that the primaries were supervised by the independent national electoral commission inec and security agencies2 the chairman who described the national electoral committee of the party as being compromised said the committee was not in town to conduct the primaries2 he explained that the committee had continued to postpone the exercise which was originally scheduled to hold on saturday2 adebiyi said the party leadership is vested with the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of the party in the state2

APC governorship primary result sparks protest in Ebonyi
News & Trends •
by douglas okoro3 addressing the protesters the state apc chairman pastor eze nwachukwu appealed to the aggrieved party faithful to remain calm as their matter would be looked into2 members of the apc in ebonyi numbering about 500 besieged the states party secretariat in abakaliki chanting various songs in condemnation of the primary election2 the protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as say no to fake lists prof. odoh is our choice in ebonyi we dont want fake delegates from ikwo and ezza south on prof. we stand among others2 the protesters alleged that the delegate lists from ikwo and ezza council areas were doctored2 the protesters were supporters of prof. bernard odoh who came second in the contest with a total of 519 votes as against 785 votes garnered by sen. sonni ogbuoji who was elected the flag-bearer2 the aggrieved apc members led by mr samchi mgbada alleged that the delegates list from the aforesaid council areas were manipulated to favour a particular candidate2 prof. odoh had earlier at a press conference rejected the outcome of the primary election alleging fowl play in the entire process2 protest erupted in abakaliki the ebonyi state capital on wednesday following the outcome of all progressives congress apc governorship primary held on sunday2 meanwhile ogbuoji at a press briefing at his campaign office in abakaliki dismissed odohs position on the outcome of the poll alleging that he endorsed the delegates list which emanated from the national secretariat of the party2 at that point we had a challenge before us. we now asked that the national legal adviser of the party be reached for him to explain to us why we have certified true copies that were not the same2 but he insisted that the list from abuja was the valid copy as far as they were concerned. at that point it would be openly said that they denied knowledge of the one in the state isnt it2 at that point odoh who was seated at the front row raised his hand and said that this exercise cannot afford to be in futility2 and so the national body that has come must be allowed to do their job that we are wasting our time here that we should allow them to do their job ogbuoji said2 meanwhile a senatorial aspirant for ebonyi central zone chief enyi enyi has threatened to resist the contentious delegates list should the electoral committee attempt to use it for senatorial primary election2 he alleged that the delegate lists used by the electoral committee did not emanate from the congresses of may this year2