By Stanley Nwanosike

The Police Command in Enugu State says it has arrested 26 suspects involved in offences of conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and cult activities within two days in the state.

The states Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement on Wednesday said the command recovered one English-made Berretta pistol with one live round of .9mm calibre ammunition, four locally-made pistols with live cartridges and others.

Ndukwe said that on May 29 at about 11p.m., a combined team of police operatives from Operation Restore Peace and Enugu Metro Area Command, while on routine stop and search duty along Abakaliki Road, Enugu; intercepted a commercial bus.

The interception of the commercial bus led to the arrested of Obinna Owoh, 22; while two of his cohorts escaped. Search conducted on him led to the recovery of two locally-made pistols with three live cartridges, he said.

The police spokesman noted that similarly on May 28 at about 5:30p.m., police operatives serving in the Nsukka Sector of the Commands Crack Squad arrested one Benedict Nwodo, 29, of Ugwuechara in Nsukka.

His arrest followed a distress call alleging that he was sighted with a gun along CSO Site in Nsukka. One English-made Berretta pistol with one live round of .9mm calibre of ammunition was recovered from him, he said.

Ndukwe said that on the same May 28 at about 4:30a.m., police operatives serving in Anti-Cultism Squad, acting on credible information busted a secret cult initiation meeting in a forest at Eke in Udi council area and arrested 24 suspects.

The command recovered two locally made pistols, seven black berets and a white-coloured, ten litres can, containing liquid substance suspected to be a mixture of palm wine and Indian hemp used for the initiation.

Ongoing investigation revealed that the suspects are made up of 14 newly initiated and 10 old members of Apache Tigers, popularly known as Black Beret Confraternity. They all confessed to being members of the secret cult group, he said.

The police spokesman said that all the suspects would be arraigned in court once ongoing investigations are concluded.

He said the states Commissioner of Police, Mr Lawal Abubakar, had charged police operatives to remain at the top of their games, in view of actualising the commands quest to purge the state of unrepentant criminal elements.

Ndukwe said, Members of the public should remain law-abiding, vigilant and continue to assist the Police with credible and timely information/intelligence it requires to clampdown on unrepentant criminal elements in the state.

This they can do by reporting at the nearest police station or by calling the Commands emergency hotlines on: 08032003702, 08075390883 or 08086671202.

Or alternatively send e-mails [email protected] use the NPF Rescue App to make such reports, and rest assured that their identities and the reports shall be accorded utmost confidentiality and necessary action. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Julius Toba-Jegede

Source: NAN News

Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed concern over the halt of grain exports from Ukraine due to the Russian invasion.

The pope, at the general audience in Romes St Peters Square, said the blockade of grain exports from Ukraine, which millions of people depend on, especially in the poorest countries, is causing grave concern.

He said that everything must be done to solve the problem and guarantee peoples basic right to nourishment.

Please, one does not use grain, a basic food, as a weapon in war! the 85-year-old said.

The war in Ukraine, now in its fourth month, has caused a shortage and a steep rise in the price of food in many countries.

Ukraine, a major exporter of grains, has been practically unable to export anything due to the Russian invasion.

The UN has warned that the war will worsen hunger around the world. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng )

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed/Julius Toba-Jegede

Source: NAN News

Humanitarian organisation, Care on Wednesday reported that the number of malnourished children in the East-African nation of Somalia was higher than ever before.

According to the organisation, amid the worst droughts in the Horn of Africa in 40 years, thousands of people in Somalia are on the verge of famine, while many children are suffering from malnourishment.

The UN figures also showed that the problem was not limited to Somalia as more than 15 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are struggling with food shortages.

The region was also suffering from violent conflicts, floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and a locust plague, adding that Somalia imports more than 90 per cent of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine.

Due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, supply chains have been disrupted, causing a steep rise in food prices in Somalia.

The Care organisation said that more than 3,500 malnourished children have been taken in by hospitals supported by the organisation between January and the end of April, a rise of 60 per cent compared to the same period the year before.

West Africa was also on the verge of the worst food crisis in a decade.

Humanitarian organisations warn that June could see 43 million people in the region suffer from lack of food, an increase of one third from the year before. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng )

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed/Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

Malaysias ban on chicken exports has taken effect as of Wednesday, aimed at stabilising domestic supplies and alleviating shortages, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

The prime minister earlier announced the ban on May 23 over ballooning prices of chicken and chicken products in the market and a supply shortage to local consumers.

The export ban will remain in place until the situation stabilises, allowing the Southeast Asian country to create a stock buffer.

The measures, along with abolishing approved permits for imports as well as facilitating the claim process for subsidies to farmers, are aimed at shoring up the countrys food security.

Transactions in markets around the capital Kuala Lumpur showed sufficient chicken stocks available for sale at the set prices, which have been capped since February at 8.90 ringgit (2.03 U.S. dollars) per bird.

The shortage of chicken and chicken products has been blamed on extreme weathers, pandemic-related supply disruptions and shortages in feed and other items caused in part by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Malaysia exported more than 49 million live chickens in 2020, according to data from the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ummul Idris/Ali Baba-Inuwa

Source: NAN News

By Ismail AbdulAziz

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Wednesday said cooperation between the agencies involved in Hajj 2022 operation would engender smooth, safe, and efficient transportation of pilgrims to the Saudi Kingdom.

NAHCONs Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan said this when he paid a working visit to the Director-General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu to avail him of measures that needed to be taken during the operations.

Hassans visit was in continuation of interaction with various stakeholders involved in the Hajj 2022 operation.

He also met Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Prof. Mansur Matazu, Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET); Dr Geoffrey Okatubo, Director Port Health Division, Federal Ministry of Health; and other relevant sister agencies.

The Chairman of NAHCON added that stakeholders involved in the Hajj 2022 operation would leave no stone unturned to ensure pilgrims comfort.

We are going all out to make the 2022 Hajj operations from Nigeria significantly difference. Various activities had been conducted internally and we want to meet others stakeholders to have a synergy for a successful Hajj after the two years hiatus, Hassan said.

He urged the stakeholders to ensure all airports, aircraft, and airspaces were ready before the inaugural flight.

Hassan also called on the stakeholders to ensure they provided the basic health requirements for the Nigerian pilgrims, including the conduct of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, yellow card issuance, and Coronavirus immunisation before departure to avoid delays.

He praised the staff and management of the NCAA and other organisations that are part of the airline screening for doing a commendable job.

Speaking, the director-general assured pilgrims that all aircraft involved in the Hajj operation would be inspected to ascertain their airworthiness.

While speaking also, the managing director of NAMA said the airspace management agency was getting ready to enforce Hajj regulations, provide the list of flights to be used, and the immigration process.

Similarly, the NIMET managing director said that pre-Hajj inspection would be carried out, just as close monitoring and observation of the weather would be sustained before the take-off of each flight. (NAN)

Edited by Ismail AbdulAziz/Emmanuel Yashim

Source: NAN News

Indonesia has increased the number of aircraft and vessels to search and rescue the victims of a capsized ship in the central parts of the country, a rescuer said.

Another helicopter was deployed to the scene in the Makassar Strait on Tuesday, bringing the total to two in the operation, and another ship would also help the mission on Wednesday, Isran A, a rescuer at the information center of the search and rescue office in South Sulawesi province, said.

The search focuses on the northeast of the spot where the ship capsized with more helicopters and personnel.

And, according to a plan, another ship will also help the mission on June, he told Xinhua via phone.

Isran said the number of missing victims rose to 19 on Tuesday from 11 a day earlier, as the head of the village has reported some missing villagers to the provincial search and rescue office after the incident.

As many as 31 people had been rescued safely from the boat incident, according to him.

Rescuers have extended the search area to 40 nautical miles to the northeast of the location where the ship capsized, Mukti Ali, a rescuer at the search and rescue office, told Xinhua.

The ship sank after being hit by huge waves in the Makassar Strait on Thursday, but rescuers got the information about the incident on Saturday, according to Wahid D.J., a senior official at the search and rescue office.

The ship suffered from an engine failure when it was hit by the huge waves, he told Xinhua. (Xinhua/NAN) ()

===

Edited by Halima Sheji/Isaac Aregbesoa

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Afonne

Mr Umar Yakubu, the Executive Director, Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has advocated an open governance system where corruption fight will be preventive rather than reactive.

Yakubu made the call in Abuja on Tuesday when the Board of the CeFTIW visited the Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR) to seek its collaboration in achieving its aim.

He said that their visit was predicated on two major issues which bothered on preventive ways of fighting corruption and the policy of retirees exiting without transferring knowledge to those in service.

We have created a platform like Facebook where retired public servants can go and document their successes so that the serving ones can go and access. It is called a public service diary. Failures can also be documented there.

When the government is open, there is physical transparency around budget, procurement, and there are citizens engagements, then you discover that there are less corruption in society, he said.

Yakubu said that research had shown that it was always better to adopt preventive measures in fighting corruption rather than adopting a reactive approach.

BPSR is the organisation that has done so much work around this area and we want to scale up these things.

That is why we came here to see how we can cascade all our initiatives in improving governance in Nigeria.

BPSR has done a lot and made the job easier for us because most of the information of the MDAs and the work they do are not on their websites.

So, from the side of the BPSR, they have done a lot, what we need is implementation and we will partner them to see that most of the reforms that they have initiated will be implemented through the civil society platform, Yakubu said.

According to him, the aim of the Centre is to change the way corruption is being fought in the country.

There are a lot of reaction after corruption has been carried out.

You see law enforcement agents running around trying to prosecute a suspect and this is very expensive and time consuming, especially when it involves a criminal act, he added.

A member of the CeFTIW board, and a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Muazu Zubairu, noted that security was one of the major concerns in the country today.

Zubairu, therefore, urged the BPSR to initiate a reform of the Nigeria Police Force to grow the trust Nigerians have for it.

Earlier, the Director-General of BPSR, Mr Dasuki Arabi, said that the Bureau had already forwarded a working document to the appropriate authority for the reform of the Nigerian Police Force.

Arabi said that the report on the police reform from the Bureau centred on preventive measure rather than reactive.

With the recent inauguration of another committee to look at the police reform and dust up other reports, we are confident that government is going to work on our police reform report for the country to have a better police force that is more equipped, well trained and ready to provide 21st century policing to citizens.

BPSR was established based on the need to have an engine room that is enabled with the required capability and resources to leverage on local and international knowledge networks.

The Bureau was also created to support policy, institutional and governance reform processes with required expertise and good practices on an ongoing basis.

Its statutory responsibility is to initiate action on reforms at the public service level, coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of reforms in the MDAs, Arabi added.

He assured CeFTIW board that his office would collaborate with them to achieve their goals. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

=========
Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has charged Governors of the All Progressives Congress to ensure that the forthcoming convention to pick a presidential candidate reflects all the values and virtues of the party.

Mr Femi Adesina, the Presidents spokesman, in a statement on Tuesday, said the president gave the charge at a meeting with 22 Governors elected on the platform of the APC and the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, at the State House, Abuja.

He said: The processes for the 2023 General Elections have commenced in earnest and I note that the most successful political parties globally have always relied on their internal cohesion and a strong leadership brand to achieve bigger electoral fortunes.

Our party, the APC, shall not be any different, more so as we are still implementing the blueprint for a more prosperous nation.

As I begin the final year of my second term as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and leader of the party, I recognize the compelling need for me to provide stronger leadership to the party under this transition process and to ensure that it happens in an orderly manner.

Such leadership is required so that the party remains strong and united.

It is also needed to improve our electoral fortunes by ensuring that it retains power at the center, hold the great majorityin various legislative chambers and also gain additional number of states.

In a few days, the party will be holding its Convention during which primaries would take place to pick the Presidential Flag Bearer for the 2023 General Elections.

This is a very significant process and its outcome should prove to the world, the positive quality of the APC regarding democratic principles, culture as well as leadership.

The president appealed to all the governors to allow our interests to converge, our focus to remain on the changing dynamics of our environment, the expectations of our citizensand the global community.

Our objective must be the victory of our party and our choice of candidate must be someone who would give the Nigerian masses a sense of victory and confidence even before the elections.

Buhari assured that the consultation process would continue, to ensure that all aspirants and stakeholders would be brought on board right through to the convention.

According to him, this will also ensure that any anxiety occasioned by different factors are effectively brought under control, and that the party (APC) emerges stronger.

Speaking on behalf of the States helmsmen, Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, and Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum said the party must build on successes of its recent elective convention, and the primaries conducted so far.

Hsaid the party must come up with a candidate who would walk in the footsteps of patriotism and love for the country, which the President had shown.

We will support Mr President to have a very successful convention, he pledged. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

edited by Sadiya Hamza

Source: NAN News

Pope

Pope Francis is planning to travel to the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan in September for an inter-religious world congress, according to a statement published by the Vatican on Tuesday.

At the beginning of January, there was violent riots in Kazakhstan in which more than 200 people lost their lives and the government called in soldiers from neighbouring Russia for support.

The unrest was initially triggered by higher fuel prices, which later turned into anti-government riots.

There was already talk of a trip by the head of the Catholic Church to the Central Asian country in April.

At that time, Francis spoke with Kazakh President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in a video link.

However, the Holy See did not confirm afterwards that the pontiff intended to travel for the meeting of representatives of various world religions.

The congress is scheduled for Sept. 14 and Sept. 15.

The Holy See and Kazakhstan will look back on 30 years of diplomatic relations in 2022, according to their own statements.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Editing by Halima Sheji/Julius Toba-Jegede

Source: NAN News

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been successfully screened by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Screening Panel.

Osinbajo spoke with newsmen shortly after emerging from the screening held on Tuesday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The vice president said the exercise was fruitful and expressed optimism on the partys chances ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

We were able to discuss several issues; issues of national and party concerns; and it went very well indeed; we had a very good chat.

Of course, we are ahead of any party; way ahead, APC is ahead, he said

The Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led panel, which commenced work on Monday, will drill no fewer than 25 APC presidential aspirants who are filing for the party ticket.(NAN)

=====

Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News