Ekweremadu briefs Osinbajo on senates mace
News & Trends •
ekweremadu told state house correspondent that the briefing was aimed at preventing future occurrence of such act in the legislature to forestall breakdown of law and order2 and he has sympathized with us over what happened and he is going to join forces with us to ensure that we get to the root of the matter and make sure this does not happen again he said1 deputy senate president ike ekweremadu has briefed vice president yemi osinbajo on the forceful removal of the senates mace by some hoodlums1 according to the deputy senate president when such incidents occur it is imperative that the leadership of the national assembly briefs the presidency immediately1 he added that since senate president bukola saraki was out of the country he had to brief osinbajo as president muhammadu buhari was attending the commonwealth of states meeting in the united kingdom1 i came to brief the vice president to ensure that there is law and order in the country1 when there is this type of development it is important that he is briefed at the earliest opportunity1 the senate president is out of the country so it is my responsibility to come and brief the vice president1 he was in company of the senior special assistant to the president on national assembly senate sen. ita enang1 according to him the invasion of the senate is a threat to our democracy1 the invasion of the parliament is not acceptable to any person it is not acceptable to me it is not acceptable to my colleagues it is not acceptable to the vice president and i believe it is not acceptable to the president he said1 ekweremadu noted that those involved in the act were on their own1 i appeal to the media to help us bring an end to this brigandage so that people have to behave in a very responsible manner1 but let me assure you that we are on top of the situation we continued our sitting today and we are going to continue tomorrow ekweremadu stated1 he said that the police were still investigating the matter and that the senate would find out those who aided the coming of the invaders1 i believe some of them have been arrested and we will get to the root of the matter he declared.nan1

Senate rethinking bill on election sequence
News & Trends •
the sequence that is proposed here is such that not only has it taken us backwards it shows that we look confused akpabio said1 some hours after the house of representatives discarded the bill to reorder the sequence of the 2019 general elections the senate is re-considering the contentious provisions which the president snubbed1 both the senate and the house of representatives had in the 2010 electoral act amendment bill 2018 passed in february proposed a new sequence of elections in 20191 the amendment placed the national assembly election first followed by state houses of assembly governorship elections and presidential election last1 but president muhammadu buhari vetoed the bill in march1 the president said the inserted section in the electoral act violated the provisions of section 72 of the 1999 constitution which empowered inec to fix dates of elections and see to its conduct in all ramifications1 in his lead debate on wednesday nazif disclosed that the new reordered sequence of elections would start with governorshipstate houses of assembly elections followed by the national assembly election and presidential election last1 contributing sen. kabiru marafa apc zamfara in said the bill will further divide the senate1 it is unnecessary and we should not go to that. i dont want us to finish the way we started he said1 similarly senate minority leader sen. godswill akpabio said when we initially did the first one that the president sent to us i believe strongly that the national assembly has the powers to fix sequence of election in the law as opposed to dates all the judgments so far have talked about dates1 inec has the rights to fix dates for election but in terms of sequence of election i believe we can legislate on it1 but my disagreement with the bill is that we cannot probate and reprobate as a senate we are distinguished people and we must not speak with both sides of our mouth1 the decision of the senate on wednesday followed the debate on the bill which sought to further improve the electoral process as presented by the chairman senate committee on independent national electoral commission inec sen. suleiman nazif at plenary1 also the chief whip of the senate sen. olushola adeyeye kicked against the bill by describing it as unconstitutional1 as vice chairman of senate committee on inec i state categorically that i totally oppose this bill1 there cannot be sequence of elections unless there are dates. and if inec is given the prerogative to choose and inec chooses to put one day before the other let us leave things as they are1 inec in the past chose their date and inec in the 8th national assembly must be given the respect again to choose their date. anything else in my opinion is legislative rascality adeyeye said1 in his remarks the deputy president of the senate mr ike ekweremadu who presided said it was important for all senators to be on the same page in matters such as this1 we passed the electoral act and then we sent it to the president the president returned that bill with a number of observations1 one of the observations he made was in respect of order of election he also made observation with regards to local government elections which the national assembly was given power under that bill to make laws1 the president has made observations in respect of some aspects of that bill he did not say that the bill we passed was entirely useless1 to save those noble provisions in the electoral act it is important that we remove all those areas that the president had objected to and pass the remaining items as a separate bill and send it back to him1 then we can now deal with the issues where he has issues as a separate bill altogether then we either defeat it or have it succeed1 if it succeeds we send it to the president he decides what to do if he brings it back we also decide what to do1 we need to clean up that bill so that we will be able to save all those provisions that were already made in the elaborate bill ekweremadu said. nan1

Omo-Agege denies allegation, released by police
News & Trends •
he described the action as an attempt to overthrow an arm of government. he said it was treason2 spokesperson of the senate senator aliyu sabi abdullahi accused senator ovie omo-agege of masterminding the snatching of the mace2 the senate chamber was on wednesday invaded by some persons who made away with the mace1 shortly after the mace was stolen the senate accused omo-agege of sending thugs to steal the mace1 omo-agege in his reaction denied involvement in the theft of the mace1 he said he has also left police custody1 a statement by a legal practitioner mr. lucky ajokperniovo for the office of the senator said that he only went to the red chamber on wednesday to resume work and sit for plenary1 he added that he was only invited by the police to speak about his perspective on the incident1 we are aware of several media reports suggesting that senator omo-agege personally removed or encouraged anyone to remove the mace of the senate. this weighty allegation is not true at all1 following the said media reports on the mace issue the police authorities decided to hear from senator omo-agege1 the senator representing delta central has also been released by the police1 senator omo-agege trusts them to thoroughly investigate this very serious matter the statement read in part1 omo-agege also reacted to the statement by the senate spokesperson senator abdullahi sabi accusing him of leading the hoodlums to cart away the mace1 omo-agege described the allegation as very serious1 we are carefully studying senator sabis allegations to ascertain their full ramifications1 appropriate responses will follow as may be necessary omo-ageges statement read1 the mace which is the symbol of authority of the senate was on wednesday snatched by some unidentified men1 the men barged into the chamber of the senate during plenary pushed away the sergeant-at-arms positioned at the entrance and carted away the mace1 the drama coincided with the protest at the national assembly against the suspension of senator ovie omo-agege apc- delta central1 embattled senator ovie omo-agege has denied having anything to do with the wednesdays invasion of the senate chambers and the removal of the mace1 he has told the police his perspective to help them carry out a proper investigation. he has since left the police1

Peace Corps Bill: Hope as Buharis Emir wades in
News & Trends •
speaking earlier the peace corps boss said the corps has not breached any known provisions of the laws of the land to warrant the constant harassment it has been suffering in the hands of some security agencies1 the emir of daura his royal highness alhaji dr umar farouk umar has appealed to president muhammadu buhari to kindly reconsider his decision on thenigerian peace corps establishment bill1 president buhari had on the 27th february 2018 transmitted to the national assembly his decision to withhold assent to the bill giving paucity of funds and duplication of duties of existing security agencies as reasons1 addressing a delegation of officers of the corps led by its national commandant amb. dickson akoh he said that as a father he would look into the demands of the corps with the hope that the bill will see the light of day1 he commended the organization for its doggedness conducting itself peacefully and resorting to rule of law and advocacy in pursuing its goals1 when the nigerian peace corps bill becomes law it would serve as a platform for providing massive job opportunities for the nigerian youths and creating the desired peaceful atmosphere against the prevailing height of insecurity in nigeria he said1 alhaji umar is the paramount ruler of the community where president buhari hails from in katsina state1 when it became obvious that there was a grand conspiracy to misrepresent the noble intentions of the npc bill before mr. president with a view to frustrating his assent to it the corps in september 2017 formally requested for an audience with your royal highness which was graciously granted1 on getting to katsina we were told that your highness was indisposed1 if that visit with you had held and the facts of our case laid bare before you it would have averted this temporary setback1 notwithstanding now that we are with you we do know and very hopeful that you will use your good office to appeal to your son our president who we hold in high esteem to reconsider his earlier stance on this all-important bill akoh said1 the national commandant assured the emir that contrary to all negative reports against the peace corps the organization has remained steadfast in its obedience to the rule of law1 he insisted that evidence abounds that the organization was highly misrepresented before the president and prayed the president to look a second look at the corps through an independent commission of inquiry1

ISIS militants get 48 hour ultimatum to surrender near Damascus
News & Trends •
reutersnan islamic state isis militants have been given 48 hours to withdraw from an enclave they control south of damascus the pro-syrian government newspaper al-watan reported on thursday1 if they refuse the army and supporting forces are ready to launch a military operation to end the presence of the organisation in the area it said1 the jihadist-controlled enclave is centered around the palestinian yarmouk camp and the al-hajar al-aswad area south of damascus1 the area is much smaller than the eastern ghouta region where the syrian government recently defeated insurgents1 a commander in the regional military alliance that backs the syrian government said the syrian army had begun shelling the jihadist enclave on tuesday in preparation for an assault1 yarmouk some eight km from the centre of damascus was home to syrias largest palestinian refugee community before the syrian war erupted in 20111 although most residents have fled the un has said several thousand remain1 the syrian government has recovered swathes of territory from rebels by letting them leave to other rebel-held parts of the country after years of siege and ferocious military assaults backed by russia and iran1

Donkeys also have rights
News & Trends •
by hauwa gold a sokoto magistrates court on thursday ordered the remand of two men abdulkarim muhammad and ibrahim ibrahim over alleged cruelty to a donkey.1 the accused persons are facing a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy riding and neglecting an animal1 the chief magistrate nuraddeen bello ordered the remand of the accused persons after they pleaded not guilty to the charge1 bello adjourned the case until april 24 for hearing1 earlier the prosecutor mr monday kennedy told the court that the accused persons who reside in tafawa balewa area sokoto metropolis intentionally conspired and rode on a donkey belonging to one faruk koko of mabera area1 he told the court that the accused persons jointly rode on the donkey to tamaje area of sokoto where they handed the exhausted donkey to one abdulmumin1 the prosecutor further said that abdulmumin and the donkey were however knocked down by a car and both sustained injuries1 he said that the owner of the donkey reported the incident on april 16 at unguwan rogo police station sokoto1 kennedy said the offence contravened sections 97 and 208 of the penal code1

Breaking: Appeal court freezes Fayoses account
News & Trends •
details later3 in a lead judgment the court of appeal sitting in ado ekiti on thursday directed the freezing of the account of the ekiti state governor mr. ayodele fayose1 the court allowed the appeal filed by the economic and financial crimes commission against the judgment of justice taiwo. o taiwo of federal high court ado ekiti division1

Police return stolen Senate mace
News & Trends •
the nigerian police have returned the mace stolen by some hoodlums from the senate on wednesday1 the mace which was recovered by the police later on wednesday after it was abandoned by the hoodlums was brought back by the dig operations joshak habila1 he handed it over to the chief security officer of the national assembly who then passed it to the sergeant-at-arms1 the mace has been taken into the chambers said yusuph olaniyonu media adviser to the senate president bukola saraki1

7-star PSG humiliate Monaco to regain title
News & Trends •
while cavanis second half of the campaign has proved less prolific than the blistering spell that yielded 19 goals before christmas the uruguayan bagged his league-best 25th goal with a powerful header from a yuri berchiche cross1 seven-star paris saint-germainpsg secured a fifth ligue 1 title in six seasons on sunday with a 7-1 rout of last years champions monaco1 rony lopes pulled a goal back for monaco as he scored for the eighth game in a row but di maria added a fifth before radamel falcao turned into his own net and julian draxler struck late on as psg romped to the clubs seventh championship1 with a fifth successive league cup already won psg completed the second leg of a domestic treble they are also through to the french cup semi-finals and could yet break their record 96-point haul from the 2015-16 campaign1 psg also became the first team in europes top leagues this season to reach 100 goals on a night they were without the injured neymar and kylian mbappe the teenager left on the bench after a bout of illness1 monaco arrived in paris unbeaten on their last eight league visits to the capital but any prospect of them prolonging psgs wait for the title quickly eroded1 kamil gliks absence in the heart of the visiting defence was acutely felt as lo celso started the move that resulted in the opening goal on 14 minutes sauntering into the box to tap in a dani alves cross1 unai emerys team blew monaco away in a first-half blitz that saw psg score four times in 14 minutes at the parc des princes with with lo celso striking either side of goals from edinson cavani and di maria1 cavani then released di maria with a superb hooked pass from inside his own half and the argentine raced clear before lifting an exquisite chip over the advancing danijel subasic1 sidibe injury concern1 javier pastore supplied lo celso to head in psgs fourth on 28 minutes and monaco suffered further misfortune when france international djibril sidibe was stretchered off with a leg injury a worrying sign for both club and country ahead of the world cup1 monaco briefly held up the onslaught as lopes turned home an almamy toure cross seven minutes before half-time for the in-form portugal internationals 13th goal this term1 but psg continued to attack at will and pastores assist for di maria allowed the winger to grab his second of the game on 59 minutes1 the hosts were gifted another when falcaos attempt to clear a corner went horribly wrong summing up monacos misery as the ball looped beyond subasic on 77 minutes1 germany international draxler rounded out the demolition firing home via a deflection as psg clinched the title at home for the first since 1994 while shattering monacos 17-match unbeaten run1

Victor Oladipo leads Pacers rout of LeBron James Cavaliers
News & Trends •
j.r. smith had 15 points off the cavaliers bench while myles turner had 16 points and bojan bogdanovic added 15 for indiana1 victor oladipo scored a game-high 32 points to power the indiana pacers over lebron james cleveland cavaliers 98-80 on sunday in the opening game of their first-round nba playoff series1 james had won 21 first-round playoff games in a row until the rout having never before lost the opener in a first-round nba post-season series1 james seeking his ninth career trip to the nba finals and fourth league title had not dropped a first-round playoff game since the new york knicks beat miami in the fourth game of the 2012 opening round a minor setback on the heats title run a career first for james1 james said falling behind in a series just motivates him to step up his game1 im down 0-1 in the first found. i was down 3-1 in the finals. so im the last guy to ask about what im gonna be like the next couple days james said1 the pacers jumped ahead 33-14 after the first quarter and led by as much as 23 in holding off the cavs who came no closer than seven points the rest of the way1 you cant ease into the playoffs said cavs coach tyronn lue. i thought indiana came in and they attacked us1 james had a triple double in a losing cause with 24 points 10 rebounds and 12 assists. the rest of clevelands starters only managed 25 points kevin love with 17 rebounds but only nine points1 stay calm stay composed play the game i have all year long oladipo said of the key to his overwhelming day. this was a great team win1 the cavaliers had their lowest-scoring first period of the season and only five baskets with six turnovers in the opening quarter drawing boos as they walked off at half-time trailing 59-381 the boston celtics nearly fell victim to another eastern conference opening upset bid before edging visiting milwaukee 113-107 in overtime1 al horford scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for boston while terry rozier starting in place of injured kyrie irving added 23 points. marcus morris scored 21 off the bench while jaylen brown netted 20 and jayson tatum contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds for the celtics1 weve been down a lot a lot of injuries and weve always found a way horford said. morris made some big shots tatum down the stretch terry thats what were all about. we just find a way1 greek star giannis antetokounmpo led the bucks with 35 points 13 rebounds and seven assists and gave the celtics headaches until fouling out in overtime1 hes a great player horford said. he knows how to finish around the rim. he has great touch. we tried to contain him as best we could1 khris middleton added 31 points hitting five-of-seven three-pointers with eight rebounds and six assists in a losing cause1 the bucks who have not won a nba playoff series since 2001 have been losers in seven consecutive first-round playoff series1

Ihedioha rejects APGAs overtures
News & Trends •
it said that ihedioha who appreciated the recognition by apga leadership however condemned the attempt by the partys chairman to make political gains from a social visit1 former deputy speaker of house of representatives chief emeka ihedioha has urged the public to disregard calls on him by all progressives grand alliance apga to defect to the party1 however a statement in owerri on tuesday quoted ihedioha as saying that the call was of no consequence as his loyalty to the pdp had never wavered and would never be in contention1 the statement by his chief press secretary mr chibuike onyeukwu said the former deputy speaker views the statement as unwarranted mischievous and a misplaced demand borne out of mere imagination1 the former deputy speaker urges his friends supporters and allies to disregard chief oyes call as it is of no consequence and be assured of his clear focus1 it is known to everybody that his membership and loyalty to pdp has never wavered and will never be in contention1 national chairman of apga chief victor oye had recently called on ihedioha to dump the peoples democratic party pdp and join forces with apga in the south-east to advance his political career1 the statement reiterated that the former deputy speaker was not power hungry and would realise his dream of becoming imo governor through the pdp1 it expressed appreciation to oye for acknowledging that ihedioha possessed outstanding credentials to wrestle power for the all progressive congress apc government in the state1 it is noteworthy that chief oyes call is not new as there is hardly any serious political party in nigeria that has not sought the membership of emeka ihedioha1 he has however without hesitation rejected such requests restating that pdp remains the only true national party that can liberate nigeria from the maladministration inflicted by the apc government at all levels1 we make haste to reiterate that he is not desperate for power and wish to state with humility that he will by the grace of god realize his political dreams through pdp the statement said1

Tinubu: Jonathans government committed the worst plunder of Nigeria
News & Trends •
instead the select few ate more than their bellies could contain. distorting the cause of justice and hijacking the means of national welfare1 asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu national leader of the all progressives congressapc has again blamed past civilian administrations especially the jonathan government for the nations economic woes1 other speakers at the event were mr dapo olorunyomi publisher of premium times and a stalwart of the apc dr. usman bugaje1 the speakers examined democratic governance in nigeria and the imperatives of party ideology and supremacy1 tinubu said that the administration of president goodluck jonathan was the worst culprit in the pillaging of the nations resources1 he attributed the countrys current infrastructural deficit to the billions stolen by the past governments1 the apc national leader said that the present government under president muhammadu buhari had in the past three years been labouring hard to clean the rot and give the people a new lease of life1 the apc government may at times be imperfect in fulfilling the spirit of aminu kano but we are far from the pdp which has perfected the malign craft of giving selfish ambition primacy over the public good1 consequently the buhari government has spent inordinate time cleaning the rot and plugging the holes in the corrupt system they institutionalised as their strategic policy and national direction1 the apc has been working to steer our national ship from this awful direction in order that we may bring the people and their welfare into safe harbour he said1 tinubu said the billions of dollars and trillions of naira stolen by past governments if used for the people would have transformed the nation.acc1 according to him the stolen money would have acquired the infrastructure and implement the programmes that bring greater development and economic justice to all1 tinubu spoke at the 35th annual aminu kano memorial symposium held in kanoon tuesday. he was represented by governor abiola ajimobi1 they wildly enriched themselves and left the average nigerian to dine on the passing wind1 he stated that the ruling government had less resources at his disposal than its predecessors due to the drop in oil prices but have done more with the less it has1 the apc national leader said the theme of the symposium was apt and timely commendingthe aminu kano centre for democratic research and training and bayero university for the initiative1 tinubu described aminu kano as a great man that could have lived an easy life by exploiting for selfish objectives all the opportunities opened to him1 instead he devoted himself to the welfare of the people. he took the harder path because it was the true and correct one.as aminu kano did we must do1 the spirit of this great man must guide more than our deliberations here today. that spirit must direct our political intercourse and actions he said1 in his paper bugaje raised a few posers such as the difference between power and authority legality and legitimacy as well as eligibility and sustainability1 he argued that it was possible to have power without having authority adding that it was also possible to be eligible but not suitable for a given position or office1 in order to succeed he said a leader must be knowledgeable courageous and selfless. a leader must be like a shepherd who leads his cattle to a place of pasture and a good place where they can graze bugaje said1 in his own presentation olorunyomi stressed the need for the country to be in accord and be united in purpose1 he said that rwanda in spite of challenges it recently went through was able to bounce back into a unified entity where law and order reigned adding such was achieved through unity of purpose1

Mace snatching: Senate back in plenary with `spare Mace
News & Trends •
details coming2 the senate has resumed sitting after the incidence of mace snatching by some men led by suspended senator ovie omo-agege1 omo-agege had led some unidentified men to senate chamber and forcibly took away the mace which is the symbol of authority of the upper chamber1 reports from the senate say that session is ongoing as being presided over by the deputy senate president ike ekweremadu1

Breaking: Senator Omo-Agege arrested by Police (Photos)
News & Trends •
we are determined to conclude all matters slated on the order paper for today even if it means us sitting until 6pm said ekweremadu2 the session is holding with the mace the official symbol of authority firmly in place and deputy senate president ike ekweremadu presiding2 the senate also decided that it will get to the roots of this sad assault on democracy and an obvious act of treason which the seizure of the mace by some armed hoodlums represents. the hoodlums severely attacked some members of staff of the national assembly particularly the sergeant-at-arms on chamber duties2 the senate has mandated the inspector general of police mr. idris kpotum ibrahim and director general of the state security services sss malam lawan daura to retrieve the mace stolen by the hoodlums within 24 hours2 at the moment some house of representatives members led by deputy speaker. hon. yusuf lasun are in the senate chambers in solidarity visits. the session is presently live on nta channel 102 the senator shortly after the first consideration of the bill to amend the electoral act and change the election sequence told newsmen that the action of the senate was targetted at president muhammadu buhari1 the mace is the symbol of authority of the senate1 senator ovie omo-agege who led hoodlums to the national assembly on wednesday to has been arrested1 omo-agege was arrested at about 200 pm outside the national assembly building. a source in the national assembly told our correspondent that the suspended senator has been led away by the police1 however at the time of this report it is still unclear if the mace that was snatched had been recovered but the lawmakers had resumed plenary with a spare mace1 omo-agege was suspended last week for taking the senate to court. he had dragged the senate to court to stop the committee on ethics from inviting him to answer questions over comments attributed to him1 in a statement by the spokesperson of the senate aliyu sabi abdullahi said the senate resumed plenary after coming out of an executive session where the earlier incident of forceful removal of the mace was deliberated upon1

Mace snatching: APC calls for Omo-Ageges prosecution
News & Trends •
the all progressives congress apc has condemned in totality wednesdays attack on the senate and the snatching on the mace of the senate1 this is even as it has called on all security agencies totake all necessary actions to recover the stolen mace and ensure that the perpetrators and their sponsors are brought to justice1 in a statemnet issued by mallam bolaji abdullahi national publicity secretary of the apc the party said that the attack ammounted to an attack on the nations democracy1 the attention of the all progressives congress apc has been drawn to the invasion of the nigerian senate by suspected thugs who disrupted wednesdays plenary and made away with the mace1 the apc hereby condemns this action and views it as an attack on our democracy and a desecration of the hallowed institution of the national assembly1 we therefore call on security agencies to take all necessary actions to recover the stolen mace and ensure that the perpetrators and their sponsors are brought to justice1 meanwhile the nigerian police has arrested senator ovie omo agege for leading the hoodlums into the senate chamber during plenary to snatch the mace which is the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber1

Snatching of Mace: Omo-Agege committed treason Senate
News & Trends •
today some hoodlums led by suspended senator ovie omo-agege walked into the senate plenary and seized the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber the mace2 this action is an act of treason as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the federal government of nigeria by force and it must be treated as such2 the senate is now in an executive session.an updated statement will be released immediately after the closed door session he said2 the senate has described as a treaonable felony the action of suspended senator ovie omo-agege who led unidentified men to the chamber of the senate to which is its symbol of authority1 spokesperson of the senate senator aliyu sabi abdullahi described the action as an attempt to overthrow an arm of government describing it as treason1 all security agencies must stand on the side of due process and immediately mobilize their personnel to retrieve the mace and apprehend the mastermind and the perpetrators of this act1 this action is also an affront on the legislature and the leadership of the house has come to express their support against this action1

2 teachers jailed over N3m admission scam
News & Trends •
the prosecutor insp. sunday baba had said that the matter was transferred on may 5 2016 from the nigeria defence academy kaduna to the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for investigation1 a chief magistrates court in kaduna on wednesday sentenced two teachers adams jibril 28 and mohammed yusuf 27 to combined 24 months imprisonment for defrauding a man of n3 million1 in her judgment the magistrate mrs zainab mohammed said the prosecution was able to prove the charge of conspiracy cheating impersonation and forgery against jibril1 mohammed thereafter sentenced jibril to 18 months imprisonment with an option of n100000 fine1 she also sentenced yusuf to six months imprisonment on charge of conspiracy and forgery with an option of n20000 fine1 the convicts had however pleaded not guilty to the charges1 the convicts both residents of chechenji road kaduna were arraigned on a five-count charge of criminal conspiracy breach of trust cheating impersonation and forgery1 baba told the court that yahaya abdullahi of kinkinu kaduna in june 2015 reported that the convicts came to his house and defrauded him of n3 million1 the prosecutor said the convicts had deceived the complainant that they would help him get admission for his son abdullaziz at the nigeria defence academy kaduna1 after the complainant gave the convicts the money they later brought the admission letter which was discovered to be fake1 all effort made by the complainant to get his money back proved abortive rather the convicts absconded to an unknown destination baba added1 the prosecutor said the offences contravened sections 97 312179322 and 364 of the penal code of kaduna state 20171

Video: How the Senate mace was snatched
News & Trends •
the senate is now in an executive session.an updated statement will be released immediately after the closed door session he said2 we are determined to conclude all matters slated on the order paper for today even if it means us sitting until 6pm said ekweremadu2 he described the action as an attempt to overthrow an arm of government. he said it was treason2 today some hoodlums led by suspended senator ovie omo-agege walked into the senate plenary and seized the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber the mace2 this action is an act of treason as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the federal government of nigeria by force and it must be treated as such2 at the moment some house of representatives members led by deputy speaker. hon. yusuf lasun are in the senate chambers in solidarity visits. the session is presently live on nta channel 102 spokesperson of the senate senator aliyu sabi abdullahi accused senator ovie omo-agege of masterminding the snatching of the mace2 the senate has mandated the inspector general of police mr. idris kpotum ibrahim and director general of the state security services sss malam lawan daura to retrieve the mace stolen by the hoodlums within 24 hours2 the session is holding with the mace the official symbol of authority firmly in place and deputy senate president ike ekweremadu presiding2 the senate also decided that it will get to the roots of this sad assault on democracy and an obvious act of treason which the seizure of the mace by some armed hoodlums represents. the hoodlums severely attacked some members of staff of the national assembly particularly the sergeant-at-arms on chamber duties2 in an updated statement abdullahi sabi said the senate resumed plenary after coming out of the executive session where the earlier incident of forceful removal of the mace was deliberated upon1 all security agencies must stand on the side of due process and immediately mobilise their personnel to retrieve the mace and apprehend the mastermind and the perpetrators of this act1 the senate has urged the inspector general of police and the director-general of the department of state services dss to retrieve the mace snatched today by some hoodlums who accompanied senator ovie omo-agege to protest his suspension today1

Kenya on course to achieve malaria free status Officials
News & Trends •
kariuki said that kenya has borrowed international best practices to reignite the fight against malaria through mass distribution of second generation of treated nets diagnostic kits in public hospitals and improved case management.1 kenya is likely to achieve the un target of total malaria eradication by 2030 as the government and bilateral partners roll out robust interventions to contain the disease officials said on wednesday1 kenya has made notable progress in combating malaria as prevalence rate drops due to a combination of policy funding and biomedical interventions.1 our goal to achieve malaria free status is within reach said kariuki ahead of world malaria day to be observed on april 25.1 statistics from kenyas ministry of health indicate that malaria remains the leading killer of pregnant mothers and children under five years old in the east african nation.1 an estimated 70 per cent of kenyan population is at the risk of contracting malaria and the disease is to blame for declining economic productivity and poor school enrollment in endemic regions.1 sicily kariuki the cabinet secretary for health said kenya has the potential to achieve the vision of malaria free status subject to robust investments in diagnostic kits case management and public education.1 malaria prevention through distribution of treated bed nets rapid diagnosis and treatment advocacy and social mobilisation are part of strategies to realize a malaria free status in the country said kariuki.1 she disclosed that piloting of a malaria vaccine that will commence later in the year will rejuvenate the fight against the vector borne disease.1 kenya will implement a long-term strategy to accelerate progress towards elimination of malaria in the high endemic coastal strip and western region.1 ejersa waqo the head of national malaria programme in the ministry of health said that improved governance research public awareness and domestic resource mobilization will reduce malaria burden in kenya.1 our new strategy to eliminate malaria in the country is embedded in the universal health coverage goal outlined by the president said waqo.1 he revealed the government is addressing policy technical and financing bottlenecks that have undermined the fight against malaria in the country. xinhuanan1

APC unveils new website, social media accounts
News & Trends •
the all progressives congress apc has unveiled a new website and other official social media accounts1 the partys national publicity secretary bolaji abdullahi gave the website address as1 abdullahi said the apc twitter handle is httpstwitter.comofficialapcng1 the other social media accounts of the ruling party are facebook httpsweb.facebook.comofficialapcng1 instagram httpswww.instagram.comofficialapcng1 youtube official apc nigeria1 abdullahi said the newly-designed website features a streamlined and uncluttered design offering user-friendly functionality and rich content1 this website as well as the official social media accounts offers quick and easy access to essential information and features to keep party members the media and indeed the general public abreast of party activities the apc-led federal government and apc-governed states1 abdullahi said apcs new website will be regularly updated with news on party accomplishments and events1 visitors are encouraged to explore the new website and sign up for apcs mailing list and newsletter to receive direct emails on the contact us page. also follow the apc on the listed social media accounts abdullahi said1