Biafra: Tension as MASSOB,IPOB ‘resume protests tomorrow’

There was tension in the South-East, yesterday, following the threat by the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra,MASSOB,and the Indigenous People of Biafra,IPOB, to,  from tomorrow,lock down the  region in protests, over the continued detention of Radio Biafra Director,Nnamdi Kanu.

Kanu, who was arrested by the Department of State Security,DSS, on October 17,2015, on arrival from the United Kingdom, has been in DSS detention facility in Abuja even though the Magistrate Court,Wuse 11,and Federal High Court,Abuja Division had both granted him bail and ordered his release.

Stay away from our state – Enugu government warns MASSOB, IPOB

Ahead of the planned massive demonstration by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, the Enugu State Government has warned the two groups to stop creating unnecessary tension in the State.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Dr. Udeuhele Ikechukwu Godwin, the
Commissioner for Information, in the State, he said government had put measures to stop any group from threatening the existing peace in the State.

Medical doctor dies of Lassa Fever in Rivers

PORT HARCOURT—A medical doctor with Rivers State-owned Braithwait Memorial Specialist Hospital, BMH, Dr. Livy Ijamala, has died from Lassa Fever, bringing to three the number of people killed by the disease in the state.
Chairman of the state branch of Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Furo Green, disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, saying the late doctor, Ijamala, who died in the early hours of yesterday from the ailment, had contact with patients infected with Lassa Fever.
Dr. Furo added that the late medical doctor had been buried in line with recommendations of World Health Organization, WHO, for deaths from contagious diseases.
He also said a team from WHO had already visited the hospital for assessment, adding that the hospital had been decontaminated and that those who had contacts with the late Dr. Ijamala had been placed on observation.

PDP wants Buhari impeached, Emefiele sacked

The Peoples Democratic Party has called on the National Assembly to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari for what it described as various constitutional breaches, especially the submission of two versions of the 2016 budget proposal.
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party made the call on Thursday in a statement by its Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
It asked the National Assembly to thoroughly investigate what it described as a shameful act, including what it called the distortion and banding of figures to accommodate personal interest.
“We therefore call on the National Assembly to commence the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari for the various constitutional breaches especially the submission of two versions of the 2016 budget,” the party stated.

BREAKING: Court remands PDP spokesperson, Metuh in prison

A Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday ordered that the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, be remanded in prison till Tuesday which is the scheduled day for the hearing of his bail application with respect to the charges of money laundering preferred against him.
Justice Okon Abang gave the order after the PDP spokesperson pleaded not guilty to the seven counts of money laundering involving N400m, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleged that he collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014.
The money was allegedly part of the funds meant for the procurement of arms, but which was released to him for campaign activities of the PDP by the immediate past NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), who is also fac‎ing other charges bordering on the diversion of arms funds.
Earlier on Friday, Justice Abang rejected the request by defence counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), to make the application for Metuh’s bail orally.

Man kills three-year-old son to continue in relationship

A 22-year-old father has killed his three-year-old son, Brendan Creato, because he felt the child was an impediment to his relationship with a teenage girlfriend, prosecutors say.
ABC7NY news reports that those details came during the arraignment of David “D.J.” Creato Jr, the father of the boy on Tuesday.
“She repeatedly threatened to break up with the defendant, and he repeatedly begged her not to,” prosecutor Christine Shah said.
Brendan disappeared from his father’s home in the early hours of October 13, but was later found partially submerged in water in a wooded section of nearby Cooper River Park.

It’s a location that D.J. Creato allegedly told investigators was “spiritual” for him, and one he had been to some 30 times with his girlfriend, even taking a photo there.

Plateau confirms fresh cases of bird flu

The Plateau State Government on Friday announced a fresh outbreak of Avian Influenza, saying that the bird flu had so far affected six farms.

The announcement is contained in a statement signed by the state’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Doris Bitrus, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Jos.

According to him, the fresh cases of bird flu were reported to the Ministry of Health on January 8.

“Six farms have been confirmed positive of the disease; the farms host a total of 10,000 birds,” the statement said.

Ojukwu’s Niece, Four Others Nabbed By NDLEA For Importing Cocaine

At least five persons have been arrested and an official of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is believed to be under investigation over allegations of conspiring to import cocaine from Brazil.
The official, identified as Ali Baba Adamu, began facing investigations after a luggage abandoned at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos was found to contain more than two kilos of cocaine.

Four others facing interrogation include Ijeoma Ojukwu, a niece to late Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and three others Victor Umeh, Uche Igwelo and Egbuche Fidelis Osiita.
Chief executive of NDLEA, Roli Bode-George, said the agency was “following every lead professionally and will exploit more opportunities towards getting every culprit arrested.

Confusion, as Budget 2016 document vanishes

*Budget not withdrawn — Presidency; it’s not missing —Ndume
*It’s national embarrassment — Senator
*The document is available in the House — Reps
By Henry Umoru, Joseph Erunke & Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA—A web of conspiracy was, yesterday, being woven around the circumstances that led to the disappearance from the Senate, of hard and soft copies of the 2016 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly last December.
The absence of the budget document, it was learned, led to the failure of the Senate to commence formal deliberations on the budget yesterday.

$2.1b Arms Scandal: I Never Had Any Dealing With Dasuki – Ribadu

A one-time presidential candidate and former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, has denied receiving, let alone making any refund of monies he purportedly got from embattled former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki.
The EFCC is currently prosecuting Dasuki for diverting over $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase to fight Boko Haram to various individuals for the 2015 general elections.

Mr. Ribadu in a statement on Tuesday said those trying to discreetly plant a story against him in the media should come forward with documentary evidence to suggest that he collected money from the ex-NSA or had made some refunds to government.

EFCC raids ex-Customs boss’ residence, searches for dollars

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday invaded the residence of the immediate past Comptroller General of Customs, Abdulahi Dikko, in Abuja. The EFCC operatives stormed Dikko’s residence with two white Toyota buses marked RSH 555 ABJ and BWA 645 GA at Ahmed Musa Crescent, Jabi, Abuja. This, it was gathered, was the second time in three days that the EFCC personnel would invade a residence of the former Customs boss as the agency was said to have searched his house at Maitama on Wednesday.

FRSC Staff Rapes 19yrs old…Woman 50 Raped/Stabbed In Nsukka

A staff of Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) serving at Nsukka Unit of Enugu State Sector Command name (withheld) is now going interrogation in Nsukka police Area Command for alleged rape of 19-year-old girl in Nsukka.

A woman said to be about 50 years was also raped by a gang of boys in undisclosed community in Udenu council area of the state. The gang was alleged to have stabbed the woman after the rape assault.

Though the state police spokes person DSP Ebere Amariazu confirmed the alleged rape but said he is yet to receive full report on the matter.

Man Gets Three Weeks Jail Sentence For Wandering Streets Of Abuja

A Kado Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Thursday ordered a 27-year-old man, Sunday Vincent, to be imprisoned for three weeks for constituting a public nuisance. The judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, however, gave the convict an option to pay N3,000 fine and warned him to desist from committing any crimes. Vincent, of no fixed address, was convicted for wandering around the streets and gave no satisfactory explanation on what he was doing. Earlier, the prosecutor, Zeerah Doglass, told the court that the convict was arrested by the police patrol team attached to Ademola Adetokunbo Street, Wuse II, Abuja, and taken to Kado Police Station Abuja, on New Year day. She said that the offence is punishable under Section 

.

Oshodi market demolition: Affected traders reject alternative

Lagos—Traders from the demolished Owonifari electronic Market, Oshodi yesterday rejected the Lagos State Government’s plans to relocate them to Oshodi Resettlement Market (former Isopakodowo market), citing structural instability and several spiritual activities associated with the structure as their reason for the rejection.

They added that the available space in the market cannot accommodate them.

Meantime, a fire outbreak occurred at  the site of the demolition earlier in the day, stopping the traders from further salvaging any valuable left in the rubble. However, scavengers had a field day.

The refurbished Isopakowodowo Market, where the affected traders were asked to move to was commissioned by the former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, now Minister for Works, Power and Housing. It was commissioned two years ago on January 7, 2014.

Stop insulting Buhari – Ex-presidential candidate warns Fani-Kayode

A former presidential candidate of the African Liberation Party (ALP) Dr. Emmanuel Osita Okereke has called on ex-minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode to restrain from his continued verbal attacks on President Muhammad Buhari.

Addressing journalists in Enugu on Thursday, Okereke who is also the Director General, National Taskforce to Combat Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunitions and Light Weapons (NATFORCE), advised Fani-Kayode to be very careful “having been in government for the past sixteen (16) years and achieved nothing.”

FIRS donates food items to 1,550 IDPs

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Thursday donated food items to 1,550 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Gwoza and Bama camps at Dururmi, FCT, to improve their standard of living.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, said that the donation by the FIRS signified government's efforts and support to the IDPs.

The Minister was represented by the Director, Technical Services Department, Finance, Mrs Larai Shuabu.

Borno Hunters Beg Military To Allow Them Join The Fight Against Boko Haram

Hunters in Borno State have called on the military to allow them join in the war against Boko Haram insurgents in Sambisa Forest.

Malam Mai-Gana Mai-Durma, the Borno Emir of the Hunters, made the appeal in Maiduguri while addressing newsmen on Sunday.
“We are appealing to the military authorities to allow us join the fight against Boko Haram at the Sambisa forest.
“We are ready to pursue the terrorists because we know the terrain very well,” Mai-Durma was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria to have said..
He appealed to the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, to assist the hunters in forwarding the request to the military authorities for consideration.

Buhari’s social intervention package not one-off scheme — Osinbajo

Abuja— The social welfare intervention programme of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, for which N500 billion has been allocated in the 2016 budget, is not a one-off scheme, says Mr Laolu Akande, the vice presidential spokesman.

Osinbajo resumes in office

Akande, who is the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Publicity in the Office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.
He said the scheme “is a combination of several well-thought out programmes emphasising direct connections with the extremely poor, and the needy among other categories of the masses of this country.”

New petrol pump price: Most FCT filling stations comply with FG directives

Most petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had complied with Federal Government’s directive to sell petrol at N86 per litre for NNPC retail stations and N86.50k for other marketers. A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who went round the town reports that all the stations visited had enough products, as well as standby trucks loaded with the petrol. NAN also reports that the stations visited such as Conoil, Oando, total and Mobil filling stations within the city centre witnessed very low patronage. Mr Suleiman Mohammed, the Sales Representative of NNPC retail station and a Supervisor of FCT retail stations, said that the directive took effect from 12 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2016. Mohammed said all NNPC stations in the FCT have substantially complied with the new directive.
He said that the NNPC Mega Station along Olusegun Obasanjo Way in Abuja currently had over 200,000 litres of petrol and four standby trucks containing 45,000 litres each.
He, therefore, urged FCT residents not to panic as petrol stations in the territory had enough products to cater for their demands.

Prophet T.B Joshua releases shocking 2016 prophecies on Buhari, scarcity, terrorism

Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua has released his prophecies for the New Year- 2016. Most of his predictions this year are directed towards the African continent. The prophet who cancelled his yearly ‘crossover service’, opted rather to address followers live on Christian television network Emmanuel TV. He said, “There will be large scale scarcity, shortage of food.” “As a state, country, continent, we have to go back to the farm to arrest, to alleviate the forthcoming situation.”
“I encourage the governments of all nations to invest in agriculture and to grant loans to deserving citizens to augment this effort,” he went on.