Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said in a statement on Monday that the money is linked to the Canton Business Corporation and its owner Alexander Vinnik, who was holding funds in a New Zealand company.

Canton and Vinnik previously operated cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e.

New Zealand police alleged that U.S.-based BTC-e had no anti-money laundering controls and policies, which allowed cyber criminals to launder proceeds from criminal activities.

These funds are likely to reflect the profit gained from the victimisation of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people globally as a result of cyber-crime and organized crime, Coster said.

Vinnik was arrested on money laundering allegations in Greece in 2017 and has since been extradited to France where he remains in custody.

Coster said given the global nature of money laundering, there is always a risk that New Zealand companies will inadvertently become involved.

However, this restraint demonstrates that New Zealand is not, and will not be, a safe haven for the illicit proceeds generated from crime in other parts of the world, Coster said.

According to him, an investigation is ongoing, pending an application to the High Court seeking forfeiture of the funds.

The funds currently frozen mark the largest restraint of funds ever by New Zealand Police.

Source: NAN News

Knowledge,Attitude and Practice Survey on COVID-19 response organised by CSDevNet in partnership with VSO, SDGs Thursday.

By Okeoghene Akubuike

Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet), in partnership with Voluntary Oversea Service (VSO), Nigeria, has engaged more than 50 Community COVID-19 Champions/Volunteers on ending communal spread of Coronavirus.

Mr Pius Oko, Project Officer, CSDevNet, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Monday, said other partners on the project included SDGs Thursday, and the Nigeria Youth Engagement Network (NYEN).

Oko, who also heads the Youth Engagement Innovation Implementation Team on the VSO COVID-19 Response and Action, said the objective of the engagement was to end communal spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

He said the engagement, which was pioneered by the VSO COVID-19 Response Small Grant Project, was being carried out in Abuja, Kano and Adamawa, with women making up 50 per cent of the volunteers.

Oko said since the index case of COVID-19 was recorded on Feb. 27, in Nigeria, several measures had been instituted by the Federal Government, led by the inaugurated Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control activated a National Emergency Operations Centre, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Health to curtail the spread of the disease and protect the health of Nigerians.

Such as restricting movement within and outside the country and announcement of lockdown in most states by governments at federal and at state levels.

He, however, said in spite all the entreaties from government, development partners and CSOs on public and individual responsibilities, there were still problems with perception, attitude and public behavioural pattern.

Oko noted that these problems needed to be tackled in order to discontinue community transmission.

He said that in April and May 2020, CSDevNet and SDGs Thursday, through many efforts and intervention, had directly supported more than 1,500 households and indirectly reached more than 3,000 households on COVID-19 response.

We have done this through education, sensitisation, feed-a-family soft palliatives, and donation of personal protective equipment and hand washing facilities across the nation.

Oko however, said following the already existing gradual easing of the lockdown, citizens should be encouraged to take responsibility and ensure adherence to all the health protocols/preventive measures.

He added that non-physical greetings, avoiding hand shaking or hugs, and inter-state travel restrictions, among others, should be complied with.

Mr Abeng Lucky, Team Lead, SDGs Thursday, told NAN that the VSO partnership with CSDevNet and SDGs Thursday, was to help upscale the ongoing interventions to directly reach 2,000 households in satellite towns and rural communities in a month .

Lucky, also Head, Youth Engagement Innovation Implementation Team, VSO COVID-19 Response and Action, said this would be achieved through Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP), survey on COVID-19.

We would also achieve this through identification and engagement of 50 community COVID-19 prevention champions on Advocacy, of which 50 per cent would be women.

Training of 100 youths in production of basic PPE and distribution of over 2,000 face masks and hand sanitisers, made by trained youths and Street-to-Street public awareness group.

Periodic sensitisation on COVID-19 prevention and adherence to recommended health protocols and safety hygiene, using indigenous language and online sensitisation and advocacy using various media platforms.

Lucky said that the intervention would reduce the impact of COVID-19 spread and prevent communal transmission through capacity building training production of basic personal protective equipment for youths.

He added that sensitisation and advocacy programmes, using indigenous languages and local action in satellite towns and rural communities, would quickly help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

APC Logo

By Deji Abdulwahab

Salihu Lukman, the Director-General, Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), says that in spite the current crisis rocking the All Progressive Congress (APC), there is no division among the governors.

Lukman, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, dismissed a report, which claimed the crisis had divided the governors, as false.

According to him, there is nothing like the kind of sensational division being alluded to among the progressive governors.

PGF director-general said the report which read: 13 governors back NWC, seven oppose to it as baseless.

According to him, progressive governors are individually and collectively committed to the development of the party.

In the context of the current challenges facing the party leadership, progressive governors are all working for the quick resolutions of the crisis.

Although approaches and perspectives of each progressive governor may vary, they have been able to debate and reach some consensus on the problems affecting the party as contained in the resolutions of the emergency teleconference meeting of June 13, 2020, he said.

Lukman said that part of the resolutions, which was made public, included working collectively to ensure the strengthening of the internal mechanism for the selection of party candidates in all elections.

Strengthening fair and democratic internal party mechanism means that the party will recognise and respect individual position of every leader and member.

Debates and contestation of positions will be encouraged in the party.

Anyone who seeks to stifle internal debate within the party is only interested in destroying the vital progressive credential, which the party must resist, he said.

He said those peddling falsehood among the governors were doing everything possible to impose their fantasies, which was unfortunate.

According to him, the reality is that all Progressive Governors are guided by all the resolutions adopted at the June 13, 2020 meeting, adding that those trying to create imaginary divisions were enemies of the party. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

(L-R), The Executive Director of NAFARL, Brig.-Gen. Maina Kadai and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, during the courtesy visit in the minister in Abuja

By Mercy Omoike

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture (FMARD) and the Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches limited (NAFARLS) are set to collaborate in fostering food security and agribusiness in the country.

The proposed collaboration is contained in a statement signed byMr Ikemefuna Ezeaja, the Director of Information at FMARD and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

According to the statement, the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, welcomed the idea of a collaboration between the ministry and army.

Nanono was quoted to have made the remarks when a delegation of NAFARLS visited his in Abuja.

He remarked that strong collaboration with the agency would reinforce the ministrys drive towards achieving sustained food sufficiency for the nation.

The minister was optimistic that as they jointly agreed to embark on the same policy of mechanisation, research/development of improved seeds, training of extension services workers across the country and food processing, the collaboration would be fruitful.

Nanono explained that the role of research institutes in ensuring improved seedlings which could result in bumper harvest, would also create jobs and boost agribusiness development in the nation.

He added that it would also increase agricultural products, create jobs and boost agribusiness development.

The minister also expressed satisfaction with NAFARLSs acceptance to key into the ministrys programme, especially mechanisation and extension services.

According to him, the army has proven that it is not only involved in protecting the territorial integrity of the country but also active in the area of food security.

The army also finds time to invest in the agricultural policies that are geared towards feeding the nation, creating jobs and enhancing the nations economy by generating revenue, the minister was quoted as saying.

He stated that the mechanisation programme of the federal government would begin before the end of 2020 in 634 Local Government Areas in Nigeria and would be private-sector driven.

On his part, the Executive Director of NAFARLS, Brig. Gen. Maina Kadai said the agencys current structure was designed to broaden its scope and mandate to cover ranching and agriculture to support the federal governments policy on food security.

Kadai added that NAFARLS is also expected to generate revenue for the Nigerian Army (NA), feed the entire Army Corps and contribute to the national GDP.

NAFARL is the premier and only Nigerian Army agricultural establishment.

It is also to builds capacities of staff for the efficient employment of modern agricultural techniques in conformity with global best practices, Kadai said.

Source: NAN News

Colombian Football Federation president Ramon Jesurun wrote to FIFA last week, along with South American Football Confederation president Alejandro Dominguez.

They had complained of erroneous and discriminatory conclusions in the world football governing bodys report on the bid.

The Colombian proposal to bring the tournament to South America for the first time received the lowest score among FIFAs evaluation of the three bids to host the tournament.

The joint bid from Australia and New Zealand was rated 4.1 out of five in the report, Japan was awarded 3.9 but Colombia scored only 2.8 ahead of next Thursdays vote.

In a four-page letter, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura replied that all steps were taken to conduct the evaluation in a highly objective manner.

I am confident that the evaluation process which FIFA has conducted has adhered to the key principles of objectivity, vision, transparency, commitment to human rights and sustainability, said the letter which was copied to members of the FIFA Council.

In response to a claim that FIFAs evaluation had cast doubt over the security situation in Colombia, Samoura recognised that there had been improvements.

But she also said that all sources reviewed by experts indicated an elevated level of risk compared to other bids.

In terms of health and medical facilities, she said that a medium level of risk was deemed appropriate and that serious conditions may require international evacuation.

She said the altitude of Bogota 2,644 metres was among the factors taken into account.

From a commercial point of view, Samoura said the forecast revenues from a tournament in Colombia were modest.

She added that the projected ticketing revenue of 22.4 million dollars was significantly lower than the previous tournament in France in 2019.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Hansen, a former head of Norways athletics federation, had led European Athletics since 2015 after becoming its fifth president.

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Svein Arne today, European Athletics interim president Dobromir Karamarinov said in a statement.

He was a great leader, a visionary for our sport and a charismatic personality within the athletics family. We have lost a great man.

Hansen, a former long-time organiser of the successful track and field Bislett Games in Norway, also played a key role in establishing the European sports championships.

The championships are a continental multi-sports event where federations are also stakeholders.

Today I have lost one of my closest friends, said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, a former Olympic track and field champion.

We have known each other for 43 years. Sven gave me my first big international break in athletics at the Bislett Games in Oslo and provided me with the platform for two of my three world records in 41 days back in 1979.

He was in the vanguard of globalising our sport. Our deepest sympathies go to his family and the European Athletics family who today lost their hugely popular and effective president.

Hansen had also been a member of several top athletics commissions.

These include being a member of the Golden League working group from 1997 to 2009, and president of the Norwegian athletics federation from 2003 to 2015.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

By Abujah Racheal
Nigeria recorded 667 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 19,808.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced this on Saturday through its official Twitter handle.

NCDC said that the 661 new confirmed cases were reported in 14 states, with 19 deaths.

The health agency said that no new state reported a case in the last 24 hours.

The NCDC said that Lagos reported the highest number of cases with 230 new cases and Rivers was second with 127 new infections.

Others are Delta(83), FCT(60), Oyo(51), Edo(31),Bayelsa(27), Kaduna(25), Plateau(13), Ondo(6), Nasarawa(3), Ekiti(2), Kano(2), Borno(1).

The NCDC said out of the 19,808 confirmed cases, 12, 584 are active while 6,718 cases have been treated and discharged.

The centre also said that 111,052 samples have been collected while Nigeria recorded 506 deaths recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The health agency reiterated that its mandate is to protect the health of all Nigerians and as such, it was obliged to state the facts.

The NCDC said it is leading the expansion of testing capacity for COVID-19 in Nigeria, as part of the national strategy to scale up COVID-19 testing published in March 2020, and they were leveraging GeneXpert equipment currently used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Source: NAN News

Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs,

By Lizzy Okoji

The Federal Government has condemned the two attacks on its residential buildings in Accra, describing them as criminal and outrageous, demanding urgent action from the Ghanaian authorities.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama made this known via his verified twitter handle @GeoffreyOnyeama on Sunday.

He said that the federal government was already engaging with the Ghanaian authorities to urgently bring the perpetrators to book and protect the lives of Nigerians in Ghana.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the attack on Nigerian High Commissions quarters in Accra happened in the early hours of June 20.

We strongly condemn two outrageous criminal attacks in Accra, #Ghana, on a residential building in our diplomatic premises by unknown persons in which a bulldozer was used to demolish the building.

We are engaging with the Ghanaian government and we demand urgent action to find the perpetrators and provide adequate protection for Nigerians and their properties in Ghana, he twitted.

NAN reports that for sometimes, Nigerians and their property have been severely attacked by the Ghanaians.

The federal government has, however, been engaging with the Ghanaian authorities to put an end to the attacks. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Police at site of Reading Park were three people were stabbed to death

Three people died and three were injured after a stabbing spree by a lone attacker in a park in the English town of Reading on Saturday evening, local police said, adding that they were not treating the incident as terrorism.

Thames Valley Police said they arrested a 25-year-old local man on suspicion of murder and were not seeking other suspects.

This is not currently being treated as a terrorism incident.

However, officers are keeping an open mind as to the motivation for the incident, said Detective Chief Superintendent, Ian Hunter, the forces Head of Crime.

Hunter said detectives were being supported by colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing South East.

He rejected speculation that the attack was linked to a Black Lives Matter protest in the park earlier Saturday.

I can confirm that this incident is not connected.

It occurred around three hours after the protest had concluded, Hunter said.

He urged people who filmed the aftermath of the attack on mobile phones to hand over the footage and avoid sharing it on social media out of respect for those deceased and injured, along with their loved ones.

The Police said emergency services responded to the incident in Readings Forbury Gardens around 7.00 p.m. (1800 GMT).

Witness Lawrence Wort told broadcaster Sky News he saw a man walk up to people in the park and stab them before running towards him, saying the attack appeared to be completely random.

So, the park was pretty full, a lot of people sat around drinking with friends when one lone person walked through, suddenly shouted some unintelligible words and went around a large group of around 10, trying to stab them, Wort said.

He stabbed three of them, severely in the neck, and under the arms, and then turned and started running towards me and we turned and started running.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said she was deeply concerned to hear reports of an incident in Reading.

My thoughts are with everyone involved, including Police and emergency responders at the scene, Patel tweeted.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted a similar message, saying: my thoughts are with all of those affected by the appalling incident in Reading and my thanks to the emergency services on the scene. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Over 60 candidates for Anambra FA election

By Chimezie Anaso

No fewer than 60 candidates have signified their interest in the July 21, Anambra Football Association (FA) Election, Rev. Fr. Coach Dike, a member of the election committee has said.

Dike,the Head of Publicity Subcommittee, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Sunday.

He said that the sale of nomination forms for the election which would run till June 24 was designed in such a way that interested members could purchase the forms by proxy.

Dike, also Chairman, Anambra Independent Football League, said that the election would hold through physical voting because it was envisaged that the lockdown would have been over by the time of the poll to allow for interstate travels.

Since the sale of forms began on June 1, we have sold between 60 and 70 nomination forms for both the state board and the local football committees.

So far, the process has been smooth and I can assure you that people are really buying the forms, so those who are interested candidates should endeavour to obtain the forms, we are an independent electoral committee, he said.

However, football stakeholders in Anambra had faulted the timing of the election, saying that the lockdown would deny people outside the state the chance of participating.

Oliver Ndigwe, a football administrator, said there should have been a stakeholders engagement before the setting up of the committee to guarantee openness of the process.

We have seen the election programme but we need transparency and accountability, if the elections will go on, every position being contested for is vital but the position of the chairman should be well scrutinised.

All the contestants for the positions must be subjected to a general debate to tell football practitioners their plans and programmes but there is a nationwide lockdown, how can we achieve that.

A while ago, there was three months extension in a hurriedly convened general meeting, Anambra football is not family and friends business but sports business, he said.

Akonam Obiefuna, an aspirant in the election, opined that the elections should have started at the local government level before the state to ensure greater participation.

Akonam, a Sports Manager and Consultant, said he was afraid of possible exclusion of a good number of willing members because of the poor publicity of the election.

During the last election, we bought forms but never knew when and where elections took place.

From the schedule, it says the State FA election will hold before the Local Football Committee elections instead of the other way round, it is not an arrangement that guarantee fairness, he said.

Ralph Chidozie-George, a sports journalist, who was part of the 2016 election, said scheduling the election for July when the lockdown was still in force would prevent participants outside Anambra from taking part.

I wont want to travel the path I went through last time for nothing, my experiences showed me that the people are not ready for change, the process of election is crucial to successful running of our football.

At times, I pretend I dont come from Anambra, especially with anything that regards football, we are not ready for development, he said.

According to the election schedule, purchase of forms would run from June 1 to June 24 while election and swearing of new State FA executive would hold on July 21.

Elections into local football committees would be held at a yet to be announced date after the state board must have been elected and sworn in.(NAN)

Source: NAN News