By Monday Ijeh

The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) says it has restored peace in Kabusa Community after a violent protest by some residents.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the FCT, ASP Mariam Yusuf, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

She said that the protest followed agitation by some residents over a suspect who was earlier rescued from an angry mob for knocking down two passengers, leaving them with injuries.

According to her, the suspect, who has been beaten to pulp by the angry mob, fell ill and was rushed to the hospital for treatment where the doctor certified him dead.

In view of the above, some residents of Kabusa, during the protest attempted to overrun the Police Divisional Headquarters but were resisted by a Joint Team of Police Operatives.

Regrettably, in the bid to restore calm one young resident sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving medical attention, she said.

Yusuf said that the FCT Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Bala Ciroma, extended his sympathy to families of the victims and had ordered discrete investigation into the incident.

The PPRO urged residents to remain calm and pledged commitment of the command to the protection of lives and property within the FCT. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Stanley Nwanosike

The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested one Ejike Okeke, who specialises in rail track vandalism, and recovered one locally-made pistol with one live cartridge from him.

Okeke 18, of Nkwubor-Nike Village, Enugu East Local Government Area of the state, identified as a member of a syndicate of rail track vandals, was arrested on May 9 at about 11.am.

The Commands Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Enugu.

Ndukwe said that the arrest was achieved by police operatives attached to the Enugu Metro Area Command, in conjunction with operatives of the Vigilance group of Nchatancha-Nike in Enugu.

He said that Okeke and others, who ran on sighting the operatives, were found attempting to vandalise rail tracks at Nkwubor rail-line, adding that investigation was ongoing to apprehend the other gang members that fled.

In another development, operatives attached to Awkunanaw Police Division on May 11 at about 7:30 a.m., recovered one custom-coloured Toyota Camry Car with registration number: ENU 556 MH, along Amagugwu Road, Awkunanaw, Enugu.

Preliminary investigation shows that the car was stolen from where it was parked at Abakaliki Road, Enugu, by the criminal gang, who abandoned the vehicle and fled due to intense pressure mounted by operatives.

In the meantime, discreet investigation to fish out the fleeing suspects had commenced, the police said.

Also, on May 7, operatives attached to New Haven Police Division at 4:20a.m. recovered one yellow-coloured Bajaj Tricycle with UWN 468 VJ; MD2A25BY9LWG94183 and AN-101177 as its registration, chassis and engine numbers, respectively.

The tricycle, suspected to have been stolen, was abandoned by its occupants at Chime Avenue, Enugu, after a hot chase by police operatives, he said.

The police spokesman called on the rightful owners of the vehicle and tricycle to visit the respective police divisions, with relevant documents to identify and claim them.

He appealed to residents of the state to remain law-abiding, vigilant and promptly report suspected criminals and their activities to the nearest police station.

Ndukwe said that residents could call the commands emergency hotlines on: 08032003702, 08075390883, 08086671202 or 08098880172. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Desmond Ejibas

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 1, 387 cartons of Tramadol tablets concealed inside 1,000 cartons of ceramic tiles in Rivers.

Mrs Ifeoma Ojukwu, the spokesperson for the Area II Command, Onne Port in Rivers, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Port Harcourt.

Ojukwu said that the seizure was made possible with help from international partners.

Ojukwu quoted the Area Comptroller, Auwal Mohammed as saying the prohibited items were found in a 140 feet container with registration number MRKU0764717.

The drugs were packed in a 120mg capsule and stored inside 20 sachets per pack, totaling 18 packs per carton.

We discovered that the same carton that is used to package the ceramic tiles was also used to package the tramadol 120mg capsules.

A total of 1, 387 cartons of prohibited tramadol tablets were concealed with 1,000 cartons of ceramic tiles

The drugs were picked through intelligence gathering following a tip-off from an international security network, Mohammed said.

The Comptroller said the importer of the banned substance, agent and their collaborators would soon be prosecuted.

He said the command had begun physical examination of the seized goods to enable investigators conduct a thorough job on the consignment.

According to him, the command will not succumb to any external pressure to hurry its investigation without following the laid down procedures.

Therefore, every importer should know that making unclear or false electronic declarations does not mean they will have an easy way out with their consignment.

All Customs officers under my watch will continue to abide by the law as well as shun any form of compromise, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By George Odok
The Commandant of Naval War College Nigeria, Rear Adm. Murtala Bashir, on Wednesday said that irregular migration was affecting the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

Bashir said this during the Naval War College Course 5 Inter-Agency Cooperation in Maritime Security Operations Seminar held in Calabar with the theme Curbing Irregular Migration through Cooperative Maritime Security.

He said that irregular migration involves skilled citizens like doctors, engineers, technicians and other experts leaving Nigeria with their expertise which would have added value to the countrys economy.

According to him, irregular migration was a serious security breach, adding that many youths were involved in the act because of reasons ranging from economic deprivation, conflict, and political instability among others.

The movement involve trekking in the wilderness, and crossing bodies of waters in unsafe vessels. Some popular routes are the Sahara desert and Mediterranean Sea.

Pertinently, in 2019, over 20,000 youths involved in crossing the Mediterranean Sea were reported to be from Nigeria. Certainly, irregular migration from Nigeria dominate migration to Europe and America.

We hope that the seminar would highlight avenues for cooperation among maritime related agencies in curbing the menace, he said.

The Commandant, who said that the maritime environment was the life line of Nigerias economy, conveying over 85 per cent of the total volume of international trade as well as being a store for living and non-living things, needed the protection of the relevant security agencies.

The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Mohammed Babandede, who delivered a lecture on the theme, said that Africa has taken the lead in irregular migration to European countries.

Babandede, who was represented by Mrs Anthonia Opara, Deputy Comptroller General, Migration, said that the rights and privileges of such irregular migrants were abused in whichever country they found themselves.

According to him, there was a need for a sustained and formidable collaboration between maritime agencies with a view to curb the trend.

Most of the irregular migrants perish in the desert while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

They are subjected to all forms of exploitation and torture in their bid to seek for greener pastures.

The NIS has reviewed Nigeria Visa policy to accommodate a wide range of travel reasons by intending Nigerian visitors, he said.

He disclosed that the NIS had also installed the Migrant Information and Data Analysis System at various entry points to capture and store passenger information in a secured data base.

In his goodwill message, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. Sanusi Ibrahim, said that Nigerias maritime domain offers a plethora of resources to protect and explore.

The Flag Officer, who was represented by the Chief Staff Officer, Rear Adm. Olusola Oluwagbire, said that activities in the maritime environment were currently hampered by issues of funding, infrastructure and security among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that security agencies from the Army, Air Force, Immigration, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons were at the seminar.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron have committed their two nations to working together to fight insecurity bedeviling the Lake Chad basin area and the entire Sahel.

Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja, said the two leaders made this position known at a bilateral meeting in Paris, France, on Tuesday.

Macron, who hosted the Nigerian leader on the margins of the Financing Africa Summit in Paris, pledged his steadfast support for Nigeria and its people as they confront the security challenges facing the country.

The French government would absolutely be there on the side of Nigeria and it was willing to support with everything to assist the country overcome its security threats, Macron said.

He also pledged to support Nigeria in confronting the challenges faced with COVID-19 vaccines.

At the meeting, Buhari, who outlined the challenges facing the country as well as its neighbours, also spoke about the steps he had taken to reignite response to the situation which, he said, included the appointment of the new Service Chiefs.

The president expressed the willingness of Nigeria to work with France and all its international partners to rein in the security challenges.

He thanked President Macron for agreeing to deepen the existing relations with Nigeria. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Muhammad Nasir Bashir

Former Jigawa Chief Judge Aminu Sabo Ringim has died in a lone accident at about 1 p.m., on Tuesday, in Shafar village, Ringim Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Adamu Shehu, the Public Relations Officer, Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), confirmed the incident to newsmen in Dutse.

The incident happened around 1 p.m. today at Shafar village in Ringim LGA after the deceased, who is driving a Peugeot 206 from Dutse to Ringim, lost control on a sharp bend along Chaichai-Ringim road.

The incident involved two persons, the former Chief Judge and his son, Shehu said.

He said that all the victims were rushed to Ringim General Hospital where the ex-chief judge was confirmed dead.

According to the NSCDC spokesman, the son, who sustained various degrees of injury is currently receiving medical attention at the hospital.

When contacted, the spokesman of the states Ministry of Justice, Hajiya Zainab Baba-Santali, confirmed the incident and promised to issue a statement soon.

The ministry will issue a statement concerning the deceased, immediately the states Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Dr Musa Adamu returned from the burial. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ugonne Uzoma

Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo has signed two Executive Bills on security and land matters into law, as passed by the Imo House of Assembly.

The first was a bill for a law to establish the Imo State Security Organisation to assist in maintaining law and order in the state and related matters therein.

The second bill established the Imo State land administration and geographic information service for the purposes of regulating land administration in the state and other related matters therein.

Uzodimma, in a statement by Mr Oguwike Nwachukwu, his Chief Press Secretary, pointed out that the two laws could not have come at a more auspicious time owing to the security challenges in Imo and Nigeria, generally.

The governor said the bill was sent to the house of assembly to address the challenges of militancy, attacks on police formations and politically influenced violence.

He said the law was made to assist the law enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order and to secure life and property in Imo.

According to him, the law on security bans unauthorized persons from carrying firearms in the state.

The governor added that the second law would address the several petitions and complaints about illegal land acquisition by some individuals, as well as generallysanitise land administrations in the state.

Earlier, the speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Paul Emeziem, said the Imo security organisation law would support such other laws in fishing out criminals and ending the spate of criminality.

He said the Imo Land Administration and Geographic Information Service, on its part, would support already existing whitepaper and gazettes on the recovery of fraudulently acquired lands and property. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Joan Nwagwu

The Federal Government says it is hopeful the week-long consultations with stakeholders will end the strike by Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) when conciliation resumes on Thursday.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said this in a statement signed by Mr Charles Akpan, Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry in Abuja.

The Federal Government is hopeful that the unions would call off their strike for peace to industrial reign in the states.

We are confident that a week-long fruitful consultations with all the critical stakeholders would end the ongoing strike.

We held consummate consultations with stakeholders alongside Secretary of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Autonomy of the Judiciary and State legislature, Sen. Eta Enang, he said.

He said other stakeholders included the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, Mr Simon Lalong and officials from the Governors Forum Secretariat.

He said others are the Chairman of Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly as well as the Administrative Secretary of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly.

We have deepened the discussion with a meeting with the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal and other judges who are heads of courts.

That is the President of the Federal High Court , President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria and we looked at the positions canvassed by each of the components -judiciary , legislature and the governors forum.

At the moment, we have distilled on a holistic basis, what this ministry regards as a conciliatory cocktail position a mix of ideas from all sides , of constitutional positions and even part of Presidential Executive Order No.10.

We have come out with a position and given same to all sides, including the body of Chief Judges of States through their representatives, the chief Judge of Bayelsa as proposals to study and come back.

It contains the positions which each group proposed and which in our joint committee, in our wisdom, we felt was necessary to make for the independence- fund wise of the state judiciary and legislature without breaching the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .

We have done something that will make the state legislature, judiciary and even the NJC operate optimally, he said.

So that they will open our courts and the state assemblies, so that even the state laws contained in the MOU will be enacted as soon as possible, within the 48 days execution period allowed the states to formalise it, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports JUSUN began a nationwide strike on Tuesday, April 6, when the union directed all its members across the federation to shut down all courts after the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum earlier given over the failure of the government to implement the law recognising financial autonomy for the judiciary.

However on May 6, after a conciliation meeting between the government negotiating team with JUSUN and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Dr Ngige had expressed optimism that the workers union would soon call off the strike.

NAN also reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had, on May 22, 2020, signed into law an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states of the federation.

The Executive Order No. 10 of 2020 made it mandatory for all states to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets.

The order also mandates the accountant general of the federation to deduct from source amount due to the state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state, for states that refuse to grant such autonomy. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Philip Yatai

Prof. Terhemba Wuam of Kaduna State University says the ongoing five-day warning strike by labour unions in Kaduna State will cost the state huge economic losses.

Wuam, a professor of Economic History, who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna, added that the poor masses would be left to bear the burden.

NAN recalls that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday, began a five-day warning strike over sack of civil servants by the state government.

The strike, which entered day three had crippled economic activities in the state with the government and business owners counting their losses.

According to the professor, the suspension of electricity supply, closures of petrol stations and the shutdown of economic activities will have huge economic consequences for the government and the people.

The state government says it is right sizing its civil service so as not to be spending a larger portion of its money on civil servants.

Labour, on the other hand is saying, do not sack our members in the name of right sizing.

While both are right in their arguments, there is something both parties are missing in this unending debate the strategic role of recurrent expenditure in the development of the state.

He said the labour unions failed to put up an argument that when the government pay salaries, it is not only the civil servants that consumes what the state gets from the federation account.

Wuam explained that when the government pay salaries, it was the money the workers use in training millions of children in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, critical in human capital development.

The labour union should tell the government that it is the money they earn as salaries that service half of the state in terms of ensuring that education, health and other government services are delivered.

Both labour unions and the government are missing this point, he said.

The lecturer further pointed out the overwhelming emphasis on the importance of capital projects, stressing, however, that recurrent expenditure could even be more important.

He noted that although capital projects might provide the buildings, the roads and other infrastructure, at the level of the countrys growth and development, the multiplier effect might be limited.

For example, when you pay a Chinese company N10 billion for capital projects executed, that money goes to China.

But if you pay Kaduna state civil servants that N10 billion, they train your citizens, provide health services to the citizens, collect taxes and the money is retained within the economy.

The government has its valid point, but the labour unions have to make the government understand, through dialogue, that what they are fighting for will contribute to the states development agenda, he said.

Wuam advised the state government and the labour unions to consider going to the negotiating table as fast as possible as a better option in the interest of both parties and residents of the state.

He said the most important thing at this point was for both parties to reach a middle ground so that what they were fighting for would be for the development of Kaduna state.

The economic historian further stressed the need for a rethink around the economy.

He said that considering the level of states and Federal governments financial obligations, simply downsizing, or managing the national cake as it was would no longer be sufficient.

According to him, economic productivity will have to be doubled within a decade or stand the risk of total collapse.

He said the fundamentals for doubling the rate of economic growth exists and must be tapped by the government, people of the state and the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Habibu Harisu

Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has called for further collaboration with the U.S. Government agencies in girl-child education and empowerment of women.

Tambuwal made the call when the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard visited him in Sokoto.

He expressed the state Governments willingness to expand the scope of its engagement with the U.S. embassy, agencies and the government into future.

The governor expressed delight for the visit, noting that Sokoto has benefited from the U.S numerous support.

We look forward to further interaction toward promoting quality of higher and general education at all levels across the state.

Sokoto seeks deeper collaborations on human capital development, higher education and empowerment, Tambuwal said.

Earlier, Leonard said that the U.S. in 2015, through USAID invested about 122 million dollars on enhancing education, healthcare and agricultural business in Nigeria.

The ambassador said that U.S. entered into partnership with the Usman Danfodiyo University (UDUS) on the establishment and sustenance of the American Space Centre.

She reiterated the U.S. government commitments toward providing community solutions to security challenges, educational growth, healthcare concerns, agriculture and business development. (NAN)

Source: NAN News