By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will not engage the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in argument on petitions before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal because they are sub-judice.

Mr Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, said this in a statement released in Abuja.

Okoye was responding to PDPs allegation that INEC refused to release election materials used for the conduct of the Feb. 23, presidential poll to it as ordered by the presidential election petitions tribunal.

He said the commission was aware that there were petitions pending before the tribunal where the petitioners had filed their cases and the respondents had responded to the petitions.

He said that as one of the respondents in the petition filed by the PDP and its presidential candidate, the commission had responded to the said petition.

The commission is aware that very senior lawyers are representing the petitioners and the respondents in relation to the said petitions.

The commission is a Iaw-abiding institution and will not argue or canvass in the media, petitions that are sub-judice, and where the presidential election petitions tribunal is firmly seized of the issues.

The lawyers representing the petitioners are seized of the state of the law and the course to take if they truly believe that the commission is in disobedience of the orders of the presidential election petitions tribunal.

The commission is a Iaw-abiding institution and will continue to accord the requisite respect to judicial institutions and obey the orders of courts, he stated.

PDPs National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan had on Monday, accused INEC of refusing the party access to election materials used for the Feb. 23, presidential poll as ordered by the Court of Appeal.

Ologbondiyan said the continued refusal of INEC to release the electoral materials to the party and its legal team was completely provocative, standing in the way of justice and working against the will of the people.

He said that it also showed that the commission was working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency to frustrate the PDP and its candidate.

According to him, INEC and the APC were apprehensive that the materials used in the poll would show at the tribunal that the PDP and its Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar, clearly won the election.

The partys national publicity secretary said the materials included forms EC8D and EC40G covering the nation, in addition to the report of the smart card readers.

According to Ologbondiyan the party had been reliably informed about how some persons in APC and INEC had boasted that they would never allow the materials and documents to be released to PDPs legal team.

This is the reason the APC and INEC manufactured a groundless claim that the form EC8D, EC40G and the reports of the card readers were not specifically captured in the order of the court, he said.

According to him, the court was unequivocal in its order that all materials used for the election be made available to the partys legal team.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Court of Appeal, among other orders, directed INEC to release and allow our legal team to inspect, scan, forensically audit and make copies of forms EC4OA, EC8A, EC8AVP, EC8B, EC8C, EC8E and all other electoral forms.

These include but not limited to ballot papers and voters registers and materials used for the conduct of the presidential election, held across Nigeria on the 23rd of February, 2019, for the purpose of instituting and maintaining an election petition, he added.

Ologbondiyan said that the alleged refusal of INEC to release the materials was deliberate disobedience to the orders of the court for which the management of INEC should be charged for contempt. (NAN)

Source: NAN

By Femi Falana

Last December, the Nigerian Army demanded a retraction of what it described as the unwarranted and serial provocative, unauthorized, libelous and defamatory publications against the person of Lt. Gen. T.Y. Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff and Nigerian Army counter insurgency operations in the North East from the publisher of the Premium Times, an online medium.

Convinced that the publication could not be justified the Army threatened to sue for libel. In a detailed reply to the letter the counsel to the Premium Times, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, called off the bluff of the Army. Apart from rejecting the demand for a retraction he asked the Chief of Army Staff to apologise for threatening to violate the constitutional rights of his clients staff to life and freedom of expression.

Instead of carrying out its threat to file a libel suit in a High Court, the Army lodged a complaint with the police. And without any investigation whatsoever, the police invaded the Abuja office of the newspaper and took away its publisher, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi and judicial correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu to the headquarters of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command. As soon as they denied the charge of criminal libel slammed against them both suspects were granted bail pending the filing of a charge in a Magistrate Court.

But after a careful perusal of the allegation and a critical review of state of the law on press freedom the Police decided not to file any charge in court. The police officers became peace makers as they advised the parties to engage in an amicable resolution of the criminal complaint!

Although the criminal allegation was dropped by the Police, it is germane to examine the constitutional validity of the offence of criminal libel. More so, that top public officers have a penchant for instigating the police to intimidate journalists and media houses for writing stories which are considered embarrassing or defamatory.

Under the British colonial regime the fundamental rights of Nigerians were brutally suppressed. In order to deny the natives access to vital information on the ruthless exploitation of the resources of the country by the foreign plunderers the divulging of information pertaining to the affairs of the government was a serious criminal offence under the Official Secrets ordinance.

The penalty for the offence was 14 years imprisonment without any option of fine.

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As if that was not enough, the criminal ordinance provided for sedition and criminal libel to prevent the natives from criticizing the abuse of powers by colonial administrators. While sedition is the offence of bringing into hatred or contempt or exciting disaffection against the person of the President or Governor or the Government criminal libel is any defamatory matter likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing him to hatred, contempt or ridicule or likely to damage the person in his profession or trade by an injury to his reputation. Unlike civil libel whose proof in court may attract monetary damages in favour of the plaintiff the penalty for the offence of criminal libel is imprisonment for one year.

The British colonial regime charged many Nigerian workers and youths with sedition and criminal libel for demanding for independence or protesting against discriminatory treatment of Africans. In particular, the leading cadres of the Zikist Movement were convicted for sedition for calling for a socialist revolution in Nigeria. Thereafter, the patriotic youths were regularly jailed to prevent them from imparting knowledge and sharing information with the people on the need to shake off the yoke of imperialism.

Notwithstanding that the country gained political independence from the alien regime in 1960 the local political class retained all repressive colonial laws with the connivance of a timid judiciary.

The journalistic slogan is Publish and be damned, but how many practicing journalists have the courage to take up the challenge of the slogan? Where therefore one finds practicing members of the profession like the Editor of the Defendant and his team mates who have the courage to publish and comment on such grave issues of public concern and interest as shown on the relevant page of Ex. 2, they deserve an accolade.

In Chike Obi v DPP(1961) ANLR 186 the Supreme Court held that the sedition law was reasonably justified in a democratic society. Barely 5 years later, the military adventurers who seized power from the nationalist politicians suspended the Constitution and put fundamental rights in abeyance.

Newspaper houses were shut down at will while journalists and public commentators were detained under preventive detention decrees. Two journalists were killed through parcel bomb while not less than 10 others were jailed for publishing the list of ambassadors and for writing stories on phantom palace coup de tat. Although Dapo Olorunyomi was driven to exile his wife, Ladi was held hostage and detained in a military custody for several months by the security forces.

However, out of all the military dictators who ruled the country only the late General Murtala Muhammed refused to intimidate journalists. In the wake of his crusade against official corruption the publisher of the African Spark magazine, the late Dr Obarogie Ohonbamu, accused the military ruler of having engaged in illicit acquisition of properties during the civil war. In spite of pressures from his colleagues and the security forces the head of state refused to order the detention of his accuser. The publisher was however charged with criminal libel before the Lagos High Court. Convinced of his innocence General Mohammed had waived his immunity to give oral testimony in the case. But for his assassination during the pendency of the case his evidence would have demystified the secrecy that has continued to surround the declaration of assets and liabilities of public office holders in Nigeria. The case was eventually withdrawn and struck out following Dr. Ohonbamus retraction of the allegation.

Upon the return of the country to democratic rule in 1979 the Constitution imposed a duty on the media to ensure that the government was accountable to the people at all times by upholding the fundamental objectives contained thereof. In recognition of the fact that citizens could not promote accountability and transparency in government without access to information, the fundamental right of every citizen to freedom of expression, including the right to hold and impart ideas was enshrined in the Constitution. But some public officers have continued to use the machinery of the State, albeit illegally, to intimidate their political opponents by applying the provisions of anti-media statutes.

Arthur Nwankwo v. The State (1985) 6 NCLR 228 the defendant was charged with sedition under section 51 of the Criminal Code before an Onitsha High Court for publishing a book which had exposed corrupt practices under Governor Jim Nwobodo of former Anambra state. The appellant was convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment. But the conviction and sentence were set aside by the Court of Appeal on the grounds that the offence of sedition is illegal and unconstitutional, Speaking for the court, Olatawura JCA held :We are no longer the illiterates or the mob society our colonial masters had mind when the law was promulgatedTo retain S. 51 of the Criminal Code, in its present form, that is even if not inconsistent with the freedom of expression guaranteed by our Constitution will be a deadly weapon to be used at will by a corrupt government or a tyrantLet us not diminish from the freedom gained from our colonial masters by resorting to laws enacted by them to suit their purpose.

The laws enacted by our colonial masters and imposed on the country include the Official Secrets Act and the provisions of the Criminal Code relating to sedition and criminal libel. As criticism is indispensable in a democratic society Olatawura J.C.A charged the Nigerian people to defend their hard won freedom of expression at all times.

According to his lordship:The decision of the founding fathers of this present constitution which guarantees freedom of speech which must include freedom to criticize should be praised and any attempt to derogate from it except as provided in the Constitution must be resisted. Those in public office should not be intolerant of criticism. Where a writer exceeds the bounds there should be a resort to the law of libel where the plaintiff must of necessity put his character and reputation in issue.

Since the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Nwankwo v The State supra is binding on all authorities and persons in Nigeria it is submitted that the resort to criminal libel and sedition by public officers to settle scores with critics and political opponents is illegal in every material particular. However, public officers who feel offended by any defamatory publication are not without remedy. They have been rightly advised by the Court of Appeal to defend their reputation and bruised ego by suing for libel in a court of law.

In Mallam Ismaila Isa

Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, said he has been vindicated over his claim that former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was born a Cameroonian.

He spoke as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has also filed the claim in its response to Atikus petition before the election tribunal.

Addressing his members through his broadcast on Radio Biafra, Kanu said: The headline: Atiku Is Not A Nigerian, APC Tells Tribunal, is a vindication that everything I say on Radio Biafra is the truth. It may appear outlandish and unbelievable at first, but eventually history always vindicates me.

As everyone can see very clearly, it is unambiguously stated that for you to become the President of Nigeria, you must be born a Nigerian. Simply put, your birth certificate or any official notation must say clearly that you are a Nigerian. As at the time Atiku was born, the citizenship on his birth certificate read Cameroonian.

The fugitive IPOB leader described the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as clearly defective because those who crafted it were neither philosophers, social scientists, thinkers nor constitutional experts.

According to him, the argument by some people that if Atiku was a Cameroonian, he could not have been the Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Vice-President, will not hold water.

He noted that Section 131(a) of the Constitution is clear on who should be the President of the country.

Kanu said: The incontrovertible truth is that His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice-President of Nigeria for eight years, became a Nigerian by virtue of the referendum of February 11, 1961. He was not born a Nigerian and as such he became a Nigerian as a result of the British organised plebiscite held in British Cameroons to give the people of Adamawa, where Atiku comes from, the opportunity to choose where they would like to belong.

When I first raised this issue, which incidentally has been ignored by all arms of government- including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose duty it is to ensure that candidates meet all stipulated constitutional requirements it was not to insinuate or imply that Atiku is not a Nigerian. Rather, it is to highlight the very constitutionally critical point at the heart of IPOB agitation for Biafra independence, which is that asking for a referendum is never a crime in any law known to man

He berated Atikus defence team for what he called their weak and porous argument that if the PDP chieftain was not a Nigerian, he wouldnt have become Nigerias vice-president, lived, invested and paid tax in the country for years as a citizen.

The proscribed IPOB leader noted that by virtue of relevant sections of Nigeria, anybody born in Adamawa between 1946, when Atiku was born, till 1960, was not qualified to contest election as President of Nigeria.

Atiku Abubakar was born on November 25, 1946 in Jada, now Adamawa State, then in Northern Cameroon. He was a citizen of Cameroon but now a Nigerian by plebiscite. This information has always been in the public domain. What I did was just to flag it

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Source: NAN

By Joshua Olomu

Mr Adedayo Thomas, the Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), on Tuesday said the board was set to classify videos of Stand-up Comedy shows to ensure they were age-rated and regulated.

Thomas said this while delivering a speech at a conference on Classification and Censorship by NFVCB in Onitsha, Anambra State.

The one-day event, with the theme, The Dynamics of Online Movie and Video Contents, brought together filmmakers, distributors, investors and members of the various guilds in the Nigerian movie industry from the region.

According to Thomas, there are emerging trends and dynamics in film and video censorship, especially online, which necessitated the need to enlighten producers and distributors of video contents.

The stand-up comedy live shows are subconsciously understood to be for adults, however their e-rated content is mass produced on video disks and sold.

They are thereafter watched in environments that are not age-controlled, including long distance buses and viewing centres which urgently calls for regulation.

Stand-up comedy traditionally is for the consumption of a group of people in a hall, and it depends on parents whether they are going to a comedy show with their children or not.

However, when you now put it in DVD and other means for circulation, it needs to be regulated, because there are kids who want to watch it without understanding certain jokes and the motive behind them, he said.

Thomas said that NFVCB, in its efforts to safeguard children toward preserving morals and values, was also initiating strategies to effectively regulate music videos.

He noted that there was lack of self -regulation by local artistes as obtainable in advance countries, where radio and video versions of explicit songs were specially produced or filtered.

He however explained that the e move was not a witch hurt against artistes and their works but to ensure that the right thing is done to safequard our children.

What is for adult should not be seen at 15, and what is for 12 should not be seen at 7, and this is what we are advocating.

We are Africans and we will remain a people with strong moral values which need to be sustained and tranfered to the younger generation, no matter the degree of westernization.

We dont have self regulation here, so you hear F words and hate speeches,which call for stringent regulation, he said.

The Executive Director said that the board was holding stakeholders education campaign across the Nigeria, especially in film and video production hubs.

He said: Policies and actions are sometimes misunderstood if people concerned are not engaged and enlightened.

One of the reasons why we are here is to engage the stakeholders, and make them understand what we are doing and tell them what is expected of them for us to have a better society.

Mr Hubert Udeh, South-East Zonal Cordinator of the NFVCB and host of the conference, said the event was part of efforts to engaged stakeholders in the region.

You cannot talk about Nollywood without mentioning Onitsha, because it is the root of the industry where you have foremost actors, directors, producers and marketers.

Because of the commercial nature of Onitsha, many people see everything as business opportunity, without realizing they are doing the wrong thing.

This forum will enable the practitioners and the consumers to understand the essence of classification and censorship,he said.

NAN reports that the NFVCB is a Federal Government body that regulates the films and video industry in Nigeria.

The board is empowered by law to classify all films and videos, whether imported or produced locally.

It is also the duty of the board to register all films and videos outlet across the country, as well as keep a register of such registered outlets, among other functions.

Source: NAN

Shares in Italian club Juventus plunged nearly 21 percent in early trading on Wednesday after Ajax knocked out Cristiano Ronaldos side from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.

At 0715 GMT, the shares were down nearly 21 percent at 1.356 euros in trading in Milan, the AFP reported.

Shares of the club have always mirrored the fortunes of the team in the UEFA championship. The share price fell 14 per cent in February after the team lost the first leg of the Round of 16 at 0-2 to Atletico Madrid.It was the biggest fall since 2017.

The shares rose after the second leg, in March, in which Cristiano Ronaldo banged a hat trick against the Spanish team.

The Turin clubs shares also fell in the wake of the allegations of rape against their biggest player, Ronaldo.

Source: NAN

By Felicia Imohimi

Mr Nana Takai, a former labour leader, has called for a review of the National Pension Act and National Housing Fund to ensure workers friendly policies.

Takai, the immediate past National Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), made the appeal at the ongoing labour workshop organised by the Federal Health Sector Institutions of NANNM in Abuja.

The workshop has its theme as Unionism and Professionalism in Nursing.

He urged members of the association to liaise with the NLC for a review of the existing unpopular policies.

Takai frowned at the present pension Act that denied workers their contributions immediately after retirement.

He further explained that based on the present Act retirees were often compelled to take a percentage out of their pension contributions after six months to one year while the administrator would be in possession of large portion, describing it as unhealthy for retirees.

He emphasised that the Act should be made more flexible by ensuring that retirees have access to their full entitlement if they so desire and do whatever they intend to do with the money.

According to him, constitution of the country give everybody right to own his property and invest it, but for the National Pension Act scheme the entire money of workers are tied down to a particular group and deprive the retirees of their finances.

He said: I will be very happy if the association can link up with Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and other labour unions to fight and make sure that the National Pension Act is reviewed in such a way that it gives option for individuals to either live their money there or pick their money to invest.

Takai called on the government to expedite action on the review of Pension Act to enable workers live a healthy and fulfilled life after retirement rather than struggling for a living due to lack of funds.

He further urged the association to liaise with NLC in ensuring that the National Housing Fund Act is made flexible in such a way to allow contributors access loan while serving to enable them own their houses.

According to him, at the moment the housing fund cannot be accessed by workers until they have put in 35 years in service or when they have attained retirement age of 60 years.

I advise the association to work hand in hand with the NLC to make the condition of the National Housing Fund very flexible for members to access loan and if they choose to retire before they can have their money so be it.

But as it is now you can only access your money until you have put in 35 years in service or you are 60 years of age which is not wise.

I urge you to seek audience with the NLC to see if those areas can be touched or reviewed, he said.

Earlier, Mr Wale Olatunde, National Chairman of NANNM, said the workshop was an induction course for the newly elected unit heads of the association to keep them abreast with the nitty-gritty of trade unionism and professionalism.

Olatunde, who identified the nursing profession as a peculiar trade union group, emphasised that the theme was selected for them to understand their responsibilities as professionals and their responsibilities as trade union group.

He emphasised that they must be able to demarcate between trade unionism and professionalism.

According to him, in any given situation when you give human being a step he might take two and ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

So we deem it necessary that we equip them intellectually and broaden their horizon on their professional responsibilities and unionism.

He however advised them against allowing their union activities to infringe on their professional responsibilities, advising that they must abide by the ethics guiding the profession.

Professional misconducts should not be misconstrued with unionism and the association will not tolerate or defend professional misconducts from anyone, he said.

The chairman further urged them to unite in pressing home their demands, adding that the earlier they unite the more achievable the demands of the association becomes.

Source: NAN

Polls closed in Indonesia on Wednesday in elections in which President Joko Widodo, a furniture businessman who entered politics 14 years ago as a small-city mayor, is seeking re-election against former general Prabowo Subianto, whom he narrowly defeated in the last election, in 2014.

Members of parliament will also be elected after a campaign across the sprawling equatorial archipelago that was dominated by economic issues but also marked by the growing influence of conservative Islam.

The eight-hour vote across a country that stretches more than 5,000 km (3,000 miles) from its western to eastern tips was both a Herculean logistical feat and testimony to the resilience of democracy two decades after authoritarianism was defeated.

Most opinion polls give Widodo a double-digit lead, but the opposition says the race is much closer and Prabowo, dressed in a white shirt and a traditional peci cap, said before voting in the city of Bogor he was optimistic about winning.

Widodo, dressed in a white shirt and accompanied by First Lady Iriana Widodo, voted in the capital.

I feel relieved, said Widodo, after casting his ballot and displaying a finger dipped in indelible ink, part of the process of avoiding fraudulent voting.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (2200 GMT on Tuesday) in the east and closed at 1 p.m. (0600 GMT) in the west.

Unofficial quick counts, based on samples from polling stations, will be released two hours after voting ends. The winning presidential candidate could be known by late on Wednesday, though official results will not come until May.

Any disputes can be taken to the Constitutional Court where a nine-judge panel will have 14 days to rule on them.

More than 10,000 volunteers will crowd-source election results posted at polling stations in a real-time bid to thwart attempts at fraud.

However, the opposition has already alleged voter list irregularities that could affect millions and has vowed legal or people power action if its concerns are ignored.

Widodos running mate, Muslim cleric Maruf Amin, called a for a peaceful vote.

The presidential election is not a war, but a search for the best leader, Kompas TV cited him as saying.

The election is being billed as the worlds biggest single-day vote and is certainly one of the most complicated, with voters contending with five paper ballots for president, vice president, and national and regional legislative candidates.

Some voters in Jakarta clearly struggled with the process.

The ballots with the photos on it were actually confusing. And the other one had a lot of names I didnt recognize, said first-time voter Orlando Yudistira, 19.

In the easternmost province of Papua, voting in some areas was delayed until later this week after as many as 64 districts had not received needed election logistics, officials said.

Flash floods destroyed three polling stations, disrupting voting, on Sumatra island, media said.

Widodo campaigned on his record of deregulation and improving infrastructure, calling his first term as step to tackling inequality and poverty in Southeast Asias biggest economy.

Bread and butter issues were at the forefront of the minds of many voters.

I hope in future prices of staple foods will be cheaper, especially as we are heading into Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, said Nurani, a 41-year-old mother of three, voting in Bandar Lampung in Sumatra.

But religion has also been a factor in the election in the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country where conservatives have been increasingly influential.

Widodo, a moderate Muslim from Java island, had to burnish his Islamic credentials after smear campaigns and hoax stories accused him of being anti-Islam, a communist or too close to China, all politically damaging in Indonesia. He picked Islamic cleric Amin, 76, as his running mate.

Prabowo, a former special forces commander who has links to some hardline Islamist groups, and his running mate, business entrepreneur Sandiaga Uno, pledged to boost the economy by slashing taxes and cutting food prices.

An unexpected win for the challenger could trigger a brief sell-off in financial markets that have priced in a Widodo victory, analysts say.

Source: NAN

By Temitope Ponle

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged Member States to urgently implement policies on private sector participation to enhance job creation to encourage youth development.

This formed part of recommendations at the close of the delocalised meeting of the Joint Committees organised by the ECOWAS Parliament in Conakry, Guinea.

The committees are Communications and Information Technology; Education, Science and Technology; Labour, Employment, Youth, Sports and Culture.

The parliamentarians urged the ECOWAS Commission to organise campaigns to sensitise youths on the economic goals of the region and understanding their role to play.

Members of parliament also said it was pertinent for member states to intensify efforts to ensure projects in the region were geared toward sustainable regional integration.

In his presentation, ECOWAS Commissioner, Industry and Private Sector Promotion, Mr Mamadou Traore assured that the commission was committed to strengthening Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through its regional capacity building programmes.

Traore said the commission was ready to address some of the challenges experienced in the region through its new investment policy coming up in December.

The commissioner said entrepreneurship and SMEs were the foundation of societies including ECOWAS and would provide inclusive development and decent jobs for the majority.

He added that entrepreneurship and SMEs were opportunities to turn our bourgeoning population into a dividend instead of a curse.

He, however, said that major challenges to the growth of entrepreneurship and SMEs in the region were due to insufficient capacity, poor business climate, general lack of access market and relevant finance, among others.

The commissions representative stressed that the parliamentarians could improve challenges experienced by ensuring the implementation of regional and national programmes.

He added that the parliamentary committee responsible for matters of entrepreneurship and SMEs development should be strengthened to effectively monitor implementation of relevant regional policies and programmes.

This present meeting is evidence that parliament is determined to be more committed to supporting the implementation of entrepreneurship and SMEs development in ECOWAS.

I hope that our contributions will help parliament achieve its objectives in this regard fully, he added.

The lawmakers also visited the Souapiti Hydroelectric Dam Project in Guinea.

The estimated cost of the dam was put at $1.6 billion and has an expected capacity of 450 megawatts and would be used to interconnect the power grids of Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

The dam officials informed the delegation that the project was launched in 2016 and is located on the Kankoure River.

They also visited the Kaleta Hydroelectric Dam with a reported 240 megawatts generating capacity and an estimated cost of 526 million dollars.

Source: NAN

Thieves broke into a Kenyan police station on Tuesday night as all officers on duty abandoned their post to watch a UEFA Champions League match at a nearby trading centre.

newspaper reported that the incident happened at Kobujoi Police Station, Nandi County.

The thieves made away with three rifles and ammunitions.

On returning to the post, the soccer-crazy policemen discovered that the room of the officer in-charge, which also serves as an armoury was open. They walked in to find the steel box, in which firearms are kept, broken.

The thieves stole three rifles, with magazines of 20 rounds of ammunition each. They left behind only two magazines with 17 and 20 rounds.

The scene was visited by the Nandi South OCPD, OCS and AP Commander.

Search and investigations are underway to recover the stolen firearms and nab the suspects.

Source: NAN

By Joan Nwagwu

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has cautioned the Federal Government against implementing the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the removal of subsidy on petroleum products in the country.

Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, gave the advice at a news conference on Saturday in Abuja.

The news conference was tagged: Public Declaration of Nigerias Host of the 6th African Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba, Sept. 23 to Sept. 25 and Inauguration of Local Organising Committee (LOC).

Wabba said that the continued devaluation of the Nigerian currency had created the impression of the existence of subsidy.

He said that as long as the value of the Naira was left to market forces, the issue of subsidy would continue in the country.

The NLC leader urged that efforts should be made by government to upgrade the nations refineries.

As President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), I recently led organised labour across the world to a meeting with the IMF and the World Bank.

I told them point blank that their one-stop recommendation on subsidy removal and other sundry policy recommendations to the third world are not working and will not work.

He said that there was no country in the world where IMFs recommendations had worked or are working.

According to Wabba, Nigeria should be cautious in considering the options suggested by the IMF.

I saw that many media houses are trying to amplify that the IMF has recommended that subsidy should be removed.

In the first instance, is there subsidy? This is a question we have not been able to answer.

And I want to corroborate with what President Buhari said years back that subsidy is actually corruption and that whoever is subsidising is aiding corruption and we stand by that position.

In fact, that has remained a consistent position of NLC. We can kill that issue of subsidy if we refine our products for our domestic use and it is not rocket science.

Very soon, we are going to forward a document to government on that, he stated.

He noted that countries like Venezuela are celebrated because they stood their ground on policies that must work for the people and not for the capitalist.

According to him, our own case is a sorry one and the situation is even laughable.

You own crude oil, you pay for it to be extracted from the ground, you pay for it to be taken outside to be refined, you pay for tax to where you took it to and you also pay to bring it back to your country for consumption.

This is simply the pathetic story of Nigeria. God Almighty has already given us this resource in abundance, why should our citizens have to suffer to get it for use?

In the first place, we should only be talking about subsidy if actually we do not produce this product.

But whereas we are producing it and in abundance in that matter, yet we suffer like we dont even own a drop of it.

This is the shameful ordeal Nigerians go through. It is really a funny situation, he said.

Wabba said that if petroleum was refined in the country, the word subsidy would be a thing of the past.

On the public declaration of Nigeria as the host of the forthcoming meeting, the NLC president said: We must never forget the sacrifice of Cuban people for the liberation of most African countries.

And also for decades, Nigerians have been beneficiaries of Cuban government scholarships and education, most especially in the medical field, he said.

Also speaking, Mr Carlos Trejo, Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, commended the NLC and the Nigerian government for their continued support to ensure the freedom of the Cuban people.

Trejo said that Cuba has constantly been attacked due to their support to the Venezuela government to stand on policies that must work for the people.

We will never abandon the duty to act in solidarity with Venezuela. So we will continue to call for support for our sovereignty from African countries, among others that can support us, he said.

Source: NAN

Many Users around the world can no longer access WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, the second time that the popular social media platforms would suffer an outage in one month.

In Nigeria, the Facebook glitch happened after noon, with efforts to open the page unsuccessful. It was the same experience with Instagram.

WhatsApp also has connection issues at 13.26 Nigerian time. The platform could open, but messages were not streaming in as usual.

Facebook Inc, which owns all the three platforms, has yet to comment on the issue.

Down Detector, a website that tracks when online services suffering from outages, reported that Facebook began having issues at approximately 6:36 a.m(EDT).

Facebook is having issues since 6:36 AM EDT. RT if its down for you as well

DownDetector (@downdetector)

Instagram was reported having issues at nearly the same time. Text messaging service WhatsApp was also reportedly having issues. WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook are all owned and operated by Facebook.

Facebook, which has over 2 billion users, recently suffered its longest outage ever on March 13, when some users around the world were unable to access the companies platforms for about 24 hours.

Source: NAN

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja from NDjamena, Chad, where he participated in a one-day Extraordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD).

Those at the Hassan Djamous International Airport NDjamena airport to bid the President farewell included Chadian government officials, Nigerian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defence, Mr Jeoffrey Onyaema, retired Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau and retired Brig.- Gen. Mansur Dan Ali.

Others were Maj-Gen. Mohammed Monguno (rtd); Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mohammed Babandede; and the Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Sadiya Umar Farouq. and the Nigerian Charge dAffaire, Mr Nasiru Waje.

While in NDjamena on Saturday, the Chadian capital, President Buhari raised alarm over the influx of small arms into Nigeria, saying such weapons are flowing into the hands of militia forces, bandits and insurgents who are becoming a threat to human rights and internal security.

He, therefore, stressed the need for wider cooperation among countries of Sahel and Saharan regions to counter the infiltration of these small arms to Nigeria.

According to him, his administration has worked closely with immediate neighbours in the last few years to stem the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons making their way into Nigeria.

He, however, noted that the very disturbing recent developments had impelled the administration to seek support from a wider circle of countries if the illegal inflows are to be curtailed.

The President, alongside his host and current Chairperson of CEN-SAD, Idriss Deby and their counterparts from Niger and Togo, with high-level representations from other member-countries, deliberated on the problems of irregular migration.

The leaders also deliberated on the menace of trafficking in persons, especially of women and children among other security issues.

Source: NAN

Hopes for peace in Nigerias north east were raised Saturday by Nigerias presidency on prospects that battered and weary Boko Haram militants were opting for a mass surrender to the Nigerian forces.

Malam Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to President Buhari gave the hint in a statement to commemorate five years of the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls in Borno state by Boko Haram militants.

The success of the Nigerian military in subduing Boko Haram is evidenced by the large numbers of militants who have surrendered recently, especially in neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.

A similar mass surrender of militants is expected to happen soon in Nigeria, Shehu said.

While Nigerian military operations are ongoing, the government is also engaging with the militants but the talks have been affected by the factionalisation of Boko Haram with one group adopting a hard line attitude and intensifying attacks on Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, and another group engaging with the government for peaceful resolution, he said.

Garba in the same statement blamed the military operations by Nigeria in the zone for the non-release of Leah Sharibu, the only Dapchi schoolgirl that has not been released by the militants, since her capture, along with scores of others last year February.

On Leah Sharibus abduction, the interlocutors have reported encouraging progress so far.

The report reaching us says her return to her family has unfortunately been hindered by the fear of the militants.

They worry that heavy military presence in areas where they previously moved about freely could affect their safety after they return her to the government.

At the same time, the military cannot jeopardise the security of the entire north-eastern region by halting their operations to accommodate Boko Harams fears.

Leah Sharibu will be reunited with her family as soon as any conclusions are reached on a number of options being considered for her safe transportation.

Source: NAN

Tens of thousands of people waved palm and olive branches in St. Peters Square on Palm Sunday as Pope Francis led the worlds Catholics into Holy Week commemorations ahead of Easter calling for the Church to be humble.

Palm Sunday is when Christians mark the day the Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed by the crowd as Messiah, only to be crucified days later.

After a long procession across the square accompanied by dozens of bishops and cardinals, and following gospel readings, Francis said in his homily that it was important to resist the temptations of triumphalism and remain humble.

Joyful acclamations at Jesus entrance into Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation. Festive cries, followed by brutal torture. This twofold mystery accompanies our entrance into Holy Week each year, he said.

The Church itself had to resist triumphalism and spiritual worldliness, he added, calling them the most treacherous temptation threatening the Church.

At the end of the two-hour service, Francis asked the crowd to pray for peace, particularly in the Holy Land and all of the Middle East.

Palm Sunday marks the start of a hectic week of activities leading to Easter Sunday, the most important day on the Christian liturgical calendar.

On Holy Thursday, Francis will travel to the city of Velletri, south of Rome, to wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates in a prison there to commemorate Jesus gesture of humility toward his apostles on the night before he died.

On Good Friday, Francis, marking his seventh Easter season since his election in 2013, is due lead a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession around Romes ancient colosseum

The 82-year-old leader of the worlds 1.3 billion Roman Catholics leads an Easter vigil service on Saturday night and on Easter Sunday he reads the traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message.

Source: NAN

By Doris Esa

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says its Air Task Force (ATF) for Operation DIRAN MIKIYA has destroyed some logistics stores belonging to bandits at a location within Kagara Forest, in Zamfara.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, who said this on Sunday in Abuja, added that the operation was conducted on Saturday.

The operation was executed on Saturday April 13, following credible intelligence reports indicating that some of the bandits who had fled their camps as a result of NAFs earlier air strikes had relocated some logistics items, including fuel, motorcycles and local arms making equipment, to another location within Kagara Forest.

Accordingly, the ATF dispatched an Mi-35 helicopter gunship, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, to attack the target.

The target area initially appeared uninhabited.

However, as the helicopter approached, some of the bandits were seen emerging from under the shrubbery and running away from the area, he said.

Daramola said the helicopter engaged the target recording successful hits on the logistics facility, which was engulfed in flames with thick black smoke seen.

He said some bandits, who fired at the aircraft, were taken out by the helicopter.

Reports from independent sources, including local informants and village leaders around the general area, later confirmed that the logistics base was totally destroyed and four bandits killed as a result of the attack, he said.

The spokesman said the NAF, working in consonance with surface forces and other security agencies, would sustain its operations to flush the bandits out of the North West of the Country.

Source: NAN

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the State of Israel on his victory in the parliamentary election.

Buhari in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday, extended best wishes to the people of the State of Israel in the aftermath of the successful conclusion of the poll.

The Nigerian leader, who also wished them peace, progress and stability, said he looked forward to continue to work with the Israeli Prime Minister to strengthen existing cordial and mutually-beneficial relations between the two countries.

Buhari wished Netanyahu a successful new term in office and prayed that his record fifth term would bring enduring peace and security to the Middle East.

Source: NAN

Folayemi Jedo

Despite assurances of availability of Premium Motor Spirit by Federal Government, many petrol stations in Osun were not selling the product, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A NAN correspondent who went round the Osun State capital and its environs on Sunday reports that many of the petrol stations were under lock and key.

Meanwhile, the few petrol stations selling the product had long queues of vehicles.

Tayo Arowolo, a fuel attendant in one of the filling stations visited, said the scarcity of the product was as a result of inability of many of the Independent marketers to lift the product at the Lagos depot.

Arowolo said most petrol stations in the state were hoarding the products and selling to motorists at a particular time while others stopped selling earlier than expected.

He said that if the situation was not urgently addressed, it would bring untold hardship on the people.

Mr Yusuf Ayinla, a motorist who was on the queue at Cornoil filling station at Old Garage, Osogbo, said it was sad that petrol stations were hoarding the product thereby creating artificial scarcity.

Ayinla, however, implored the appropriate authorities to do the needful before things become more difficult for the common man.

Another motorist, Mr Ayo Adeyanju, said many commercial drivers were taking advantage of the scarcity to increase transport fares.

Adeyanju appealed to government to intervene in the situation before it gets out of hand.

Source: NAN

(Reuters/NAN) Champions Bayern Munich eased past hosts Fortuna Duesseldorf 4-1 on Sunday to go a point clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

French winger Kingsley Coman scored twice to help the defending champions reclaim top spot.

The Bavarians are on 67 points, with Borussia Dortmund on 66 after their 2-1 win over Mainz 05 on Saturday, and five games left in the title race.

RB Leipzig are in third place on 58.

Bayern pressed high from the start and it paid off when Coman found space to cross into the box.

But Thomas Mueller failed get a foot on it and the ball sailed past keeper Michael Rensing in the 15th minute.

Bundesliga leading scorer Robert Lewandowski came close to adding another one in the 23rd, but his freekick from the edge of the box flew narrowly wide.

Despite more than 60 per cent possession, the visitors struggled at times with an agile and hard-working Duesseldorf defence.

But Coman struck again four minutes from halftime.

The Frenchman drilled in Joshua Kimmichs cutback, his 11th assist this season.

The league leaders picked up after the break where they had left off with Serge Gnabry slotting in from a metre out in the 55th to give them a three-goal cushion.

Bayern, chasing a record-extending seventh straight league title, could have scored several more in the second half but Rensing, a former Bayern keeper, made a string of superb saves.

The hosts got a late consolation goal with a Dodi Lukebakio penalty from a Mats Hummels handball but Leon Goretzka scored Bayern fourth in stoppage time.

Source: NAN

Golf legend, Tiger Woods with 13 under, on Sunday ended his 11-year major title drought by winning Augusta Masters, his fifth green jacket and 15th major title.

The 43 year-old American is now three titles away from Jack Nicklaus, who holds a record 18 major titles.

To win with one stroke, Woods seized the top of the leaderboard at Augusta National Golf Club from Italys Francesco Molinari, who was overnight leader on Saturday.

Molinari, the reigning British Open champion had seized the 54-hole lead on 13-under par 203 with Woods and Finau two strokes behind.

Brooks Koepka, last years US Open and PGA Championship winner, began three adrift with fellow American Webb Simpson, the 2012 US Open, and Englands Ian Poulter four off the pace.

But as he did in the past, Woods held his nerve as the blustery field blew the other players away. Despite making a bogey in the last hole, Woods ended up with 2 under.

Molinari, along with Finau, Webb Simpson and Jason Day ended up with 11 under and tied for the fifth position.

Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka tied for second to Woods, all with 12 under.

Source: NAN

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been ousted in a military coup and consultations are under way to form a transitional council to run the country, government sources and a provincial minister said on Thursday.

He is the second African leader, after Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria to fall in the wake of a tsunami of protests.

The Minister of Production and Economic Resources in North Darfur, Adel Hussein, told the Dubai-based al-Hadath TV that there are consultations to form a military council to take over power after President Bashir stepped down.

Sudanese sources confirmed the report that al-Bashir was at the presidential residence under heavy guard.

The military will make an announcement soon, state television said as troops were deployed in Khartoum.

The armed forces will present an important statement shortly. Be ready for it, the announcement on state television read, without giving further details.

The army and security services deployed troops around the Defence Ministry and on major roads and bridges in the capital as thousands of people flocked to an anti-government protest outside the ministry, a witness said.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets in the centre of Khartoum in jubilation, dancing and chanting anti-Bashir slogans.

Protesters outside the defence ministry chanted: It has fallen, we won.

State television and radio played patriotic music, reminding older Sudanese of how military takeovers unfolded during previous episodes of civil unrest.

Bashir, a former paratrooper who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1989, has been a divisive figure, who has managed his way through one internal crisis after another while withstanding attempts by the West to weaken him.

Sudan has suffered prolonged periods of isolation since 1993, when the U.S. added Bashirs government to its list of terrorism sponsors for harboring Islamist militants.

Washington followed up with sanctions four years later.

Bashir has also been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over allegations of genocide in Sudans Darfur region during an insurgency that began in 2003.

The latest crisis has escalated since the weekend, when thousands of demonstrators began camping out outside the Defence Ministry compound in central Khartoum, where Bashirs residence is located.

Clashes erupted on Tuesday between soldiers trying to protect the protesters and intelligence and security personnel trying to disperse them.

The Information Ministry said a police report showed that at least 11 people died in the clashes, including six members of the armed forces.

Since Dec. 19, Sudan has been rocked by persistent protests sparked by the governments attempt to raise the price of bread, and an economic crisis that has led to fuel and cash shortages.

Opposition figures have called for the military to help negotiate an end to Bashirs nearly three decades in power and a transition to democracy.

The demonstrators at the defence ministry had said that they wanted to submit a petition for the armed forces to take their side in their attempt to remove Bashir and his Islamist-backed administration.

Source: NAN