Immediate past Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr Maikanti Kachalla Baru is dead.
His successor, Mele Kyari made the announcement through his verified Twitter handle early Saturday. According to him, Baru died late last night.
The cause of his death is yet unknown at the time of filing this report.
“My brother, my friend and my mentor, Dr Maikanti Kachalla Baru, immediate past GMD of NNPC died late last night. He was of exemplary character and disposition. May Allah forgive him and have mercy upon him” Mele Kyari tweets.
Maikanti Kacalla Baru was born in July 1959.
My brother, my friend and my mentor, Dr Maikanti Kachalla Baru, immediate past GMD of NNPC died late last night. He was of exemplary character and disposition. May Allah forgive him and have mercy upon him.
The controversial Chinese Doctors brought into the country by the Federal Government have eventually left the country.
The Doctors were brought in based on the explanation of the Federal Government that they needed to contribute to the body of knowledge on the treatment of Coronavirus Disease.
Nigerians were told that they were to spend a limited number of days and then depart.
However, days after their arrival, the first controversy about the number of days to be spent came up, with the explanation that they will stay in isolation for 14 days before starting their work and then will determine how long they needed to stay.
Then came the issue of their whereabouts, with officials of the Federal Government, especially those in the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, saying they do not know their whereabout.
Days after, the China Civil Engineering Construction Company admitted the Doctors were brought in solely to attend to issues relating to the company.
However, at about evening on Thursday, Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, said the Chinese Doctors were on their way out of the country.
She said this as she shared the photograph of her pilot husband, Matthew Ekeinde, in the cockpit after two months of staying at home because of the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19.
Ekeinde works for Air Peace, the same airline that brought in the Chinese Doctors on April 9, 2020.
Writing on her Instagram page, accompanied with photographs, Jalade-Ekeinde said: “Is this the New Normal ?
“#TheCaptain went on his first Flight today in 2 months!
“Those are the Chinese ppl that flew in some time ago leaving! ? ~~~~ Not sure how to feel ~~~~”
Recall that we reported earlier that controversial Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye also known as Bobrisky was arrested in Lagos for alleged fraud in a deal worth N30 million.
She has made her first comment following the arrest.
Reacting via her social media account, the male barbie bragged that the saga should make people know that she does not deal with small money.
Report has it that she was arrested by one Omashola, a Kayan mata seller.
She is said to have been released on administrative bail with investigation ongoing.
The head of the African Union Commission on Friday condemned the killing by police of an unarmed black man in the US state of Minnesota which has sparked protests across the country.
Moussa Faki Mahamat “strongly condemns the murder of George Floyd that occurred in the United States of America at the hands of law enforcement officers, and wishes to extend his deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” read a statement issued by his spokeswoman.
The statement added that Faki “firmly reaffirms and reiterates the African Union’s rejection of the continuing discriminatory practices against Black citizens of the United States of America.”
George Floyd, 46, was killed Monday by police after being arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit banknote.
A video taken by a bystander shows an officer kneeling on his neck as he is pinned to the ground. At one point Floyd is heard saying he cannot breathe.
Protests in the US against Floyd’s killing and against other deaths of black people in police encounters entered their fourth day on Friday.
Other officials at the AU, headquartered in Ethiopia, have also made clear they were disturbed by Floyd’s death.
On Thursday, Kwesi Quartey, deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, posted on his personal Facebook page that the AU was “distressed to witness yet another unwarranted execution of another African-American male… for no other reason than BEING BLACK”.
“This is one too many. We may be black, but we are people too,” Quartey wrote. “Africa demands a full investigation into this killing.”
The statement Friday from Faki’s office called on US officials to “intensify their efforts to ensure the total elimination of all forms of discrimination based on race or ethnic origin.”
Burundi’s main opposition party has filed a case in the country’s constitutional court challenging last week’s presidential election result, claiming there is evidence of fraud.
Burundi’s election commission said on Monday the governing party candidate, retired General Evariste Ndayishimiye, had won the presidential election with 69 percent of the vote. It added that candidate Agathon Rwasa got 24 percent of the vote and the election was peaceful.
But Rwasa, the opposition leader of the National Freedom Council (CNL), while speaking to reporters on Thursday after filing the complaint, said “appalling errors were made across the country,” adding that “no district or province was spared”.
“We have provided evidence that there has been a massive fraud,” Rwasa said. “The announced results are false.”
The court will have until June 5 to decide the case.
Rwasa said if the court did not rule in the CNL’s favour, the party would take the case to the East African Court of Justice in Arusha, Tanzania.
If the legal challenge is not successful, Ndayishimiye will be inaugurated in August for a seven-year term.
Reports of political violence
The May 20 vote to replace President Pierre Nkurunziza had been preceded by reports political violence including the arrest, torture and murder of opposition activists, according to a local rights group and Amnesty International.
There was also controversy over holding the election during the coronavirus pandemic, which critics argued posed a public health risk.
There were also no foreign observers present, as the government said they would have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the country.
The country’s last election in 2015 was marked by violence, with hundreds of Burundians killed and hundreds of thousands exiled during the unrest, in which the opposition accused Nkurunziza of violating a peace deal by running for a third term.
Rwasa said the evidence in his filing showed that people had voted using dead voters’ identities, that polling stations had used an electoral register that has never been published by the electoral body, and that ballot boxes had been stuffed.
While the East African Community, a regional body, gave the election a clean bill of health on Tuesday, the Conference of Bishops of Burundi criticised the conduct during the polling, saying observers from some parties had been chased from polling stations.
A joint statement issued by western diplomats on Wednesday made no reference to any irregularities and urged the opposition to pursue legal paths to contest the election outcome.
The electoral body’s officials were not immediately reachable to comment on Rwasa’s complaints.
Five other candidates also stood in the polls, in which 5.11 million registered voters were eligible to participate.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke in the alleged exam ination malpractices trial involving him and four others.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on Friday, said he was minded to discharge Adeleke in view of the prosecution’s decision to withdraw charges against him.
Justice Ekwo elected to continue with the trial of the other four co-defendants in the case, who were re-arraigned on Thursday on a seven-count amended charge filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Protests erupted across the United States on Thursday night as anger over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, intensified, with some demonstrators gaining access to a police precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and setting sections of the building on fire.
Floyd died on Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck to the ground for several minutes.
A video of the incident shows Floyd pleading with officers, saying “I can’t breathe” before going motionless with the officer’s knee still on his neck.
The four officers involved were swiftly fired, but Floyd’s family, community leaders and residents are calling for arrests to be made.
“These officers, they need to be arrested right now, the people want justice right now,” Philonese Floyd, George’s brother, told CNN on Thursday morning.
“They need to be convicted and get the death penalty,” Philonese said.
Hundreds of protesters marched in downtown Minneapolis for a third night on Thursday, demanding justice and an end to police violence.
“Say his name. George Floyd,” protesters chanted. “I can’t breathe.”
Video shared on social media showed protesters stopping their march at one point, kneeling and raising a fist in a moment of silence.
As the sun set, a large fire could be seen near the third precinct of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). A live video stream by Unicorn Riot, an independent media organisation, showed protesters eventually entering the precinct and alarms and sprinklers going off as some rooms were set ablaze. Police could not be seen in the building, and the MPD did not immediately comment on reports that police had retreated.
The City of Minneapolis urged protesters to retreat from the area over unconfirmed reports that gas lines had been cut.
“We’re hearing unconfirmed reports that gas lines to the Third Precinct have been cut and other explosive materials are in the building,” the city tweeted. “If you are near the building, for your safety, PLEASE RETREAT in the event the building explodes.”
Protesters outside the police building could be heard yelling: “We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Protesters set fires at the 3rd Precinct of the Minneapolis Police Department in Minneapolis [John Minchillo/AP Photo]
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called in the US National Guard on Thursday to support local authorities as the protests escalated.
Earlier on Thursday, a small group of protesters “occupied” the space outside the home of Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who will handle the case, to demand criminal charges for the four officers – identified as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng – involved.
“We aren’t going anywhere until Mike Freeman prosecutes and charges the officers,” protesters said in a Facebook Live video, with at least one tent put up on the sidewalk outside the county attorney’s home.
Freeman’s office said in a statement on Tuesday it was “shocked and saddened by what appeared in a recent video”.
It said it would make a decision on prosecution after it receives the completed findings of the investigations by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI.
Freeman said on Thursday his office would work through the case “as expeditiously, as thoroughly as justice demands”.
“We just can’t rush this,” Freeman said. “These need to be done right. Please give me and give me the United States attorney time to do this right and we will bring you justice.”
Over 12 Boko Haram fighters have been killed by troops of Army Camp 11 Gambouru under Sector 1 of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD), and rescued about 241 kidnapped victims from the terrorists’ captivity, during a clearance operations which took place on 24 May 2020 at Mudu Town in Borno State the Military High Command has confirmed.
Additionally, troops of 151 Battalion on 26 May 2020 in their operation, had successfully captured one Cobra Armoured Personnel Carrier, amongst many other weapons from the terrorists.
Coordinator, Defence Media Operations Maj. Gen. John Enenche, in a statement said, among the 241 rescued persons comprises of 105 Women and 136 Children.
General Enenche confirmed that the rescued persons have since been safely evacuated from the village and are currently under medical observation, while the village has been cleared.
He said, there was no loss of life or equipment from the Nigerian troops.
The Coordinator also said, troops of 151 Battalion on 26 May 2020 successfully killed several Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) including several suicide bombers, while numerous others fled with gun shot wounds.
According to him, the gallant troops succesfully engaged the criminal Boko Haram elements who were mounted on 10 Gun Trucks and attempted to simultaneously attack the troops’ locations at Banki Junction and Firgi in Bama LGA of Borno State under the cover of darkness.
“The courageous troops however overpowered the terrorists with superior firepower and captured 1 Cobra Armoured Personnel Carrier, one Dushka Anti-Aircraft Gun, 1 AK 47 Rifle and 1 FN Rifle. Other items captured by the gallant troops include 3 Hand Grenades, 2 AK 47 Rifle magazines, one FN Rifle magazine, 78 rounds of 12.7mm Anti-Aircraft ammunition, 25 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition and 25 rounds of fabricated 7.62mm ammunition from the criminals”.
General.l Enenche further said, a prominent Boko Haram fighter popularly called Saad Karami had surrendered to the troops.
“On 24 May 2020, a prominent Boko Haram fighter, Malam Adamu Yahaya AKA Saad Karami, who led the last attack on troops in Baga town and equally participated in attacks on Metele, Mairari, Bindiram, Kangarwa and Shetimari (Niger Republic) voluntarily surrendered to troops of 242 Battalion in Monguno.
”This was as a result of the aggressive posture of the troops and artillery bombardments of terrorists’ suspected locations around the general area”. He explained.
Reacting to the development, the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has congratulated the gallant troops for their professionalism and good conduct.
He equally sends the commendation of the High Command of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the troops and encourages them to sustain the momentum of their operations towards eradicating the terrorists from the North East.
President Trump has signed an executive order Thursday aimed at limiting the broad legal protections enjoyed by social media companies, two days after he tore into Twitter for fact-checking two of his tweets.
“We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history, frankly,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “A small handful of powerful social media monopolies control the vast portion of all private and public communications in the United States.”
The president said the tech companies have “unchecked power to censor, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter” a large sphere of human interaction. “They have points of view,” he said.
The Trump administration hopes the order will eventually set the stage for new regulations on tech platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
But legal experts said they were doubtful the move would have any practical effect on the tech giants. Legal observers described the action as “political theater,” arguing that the order does not change existing federal law and will have no bearing on federal courts.
Twitter, in a statement, called Trump’s order “a politicized approach to a landmark law,” saying attempts to erode the decades-old legal immunity may “threaten the future of online speech and Internet freedoms.”
The president’s latest confrontation with Twitter was set off after the tech company placed fact-checking warnings on two of his tweets that claimed, without evidence, that casting ballots by mail allows for voter fraud. Both Democratic and Republican states have used voting by mail for years without reports of widespread fraud.
Trump lashed out at Twitter, comparing the fact-checking labels to censorship and accusing the social media giant of stifling conservative voices, though the president did not provide any examples to back up his assertion.
The president, who often uses Twitter as a megaphone to tout his victories and blast his critics to his more than 80 million followers, said Thursday that if he had the legal authority to do so, he would completely shut down Twitter.
“I think I’d be hurting it very badly if we didn’t use it anymore,” Trump said from the White House. “We have other sites we can use, I guess, or we’d have to develop other sites.”
Twitter, in a statement, legal immunity may “threaten the future of online speech and Internet freedoms.”
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Wednesday that the platform will continue to warn users about factual distortions on it.
The Armed Forces of Nigeria has allayed the fears of citizens in the Northwest and North Central states about alleged interstate movement of bandits and other criminal elements following the onslaught against them by the military.
A statement from the military High Command assured that the military is on top of the situation.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the Coordinator Defence Media Operations (DMO), Defence Headquarters, Maj. Gen . John Enenche hinted that the military has put in place all the proactive measures to curtail its occurrences.
Gen Enenche explained that “to address this specifically, all current operations are in synergy with the ongoing operations in the North West to tackle interstate movement of armed bandits and other criminals within the North West and North Central zones”.
He added that, air assets have been deployed to cover Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi states in this regard.
The DMO Coordinator earlier said, although there were worries from some quarters particularly in the North West and North Central parts of the Country that armed bandits could escape from states where the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies are conducting various operations at the moment, to other states.
But this, Gen. Enenche assured that the High Command of the Nigerian Military have taken all the concerns and there are stringent proactive measures to stop such occurrences from happening.
Gen. Enenche confidently reechoed that the Nigerian military is committed in tackling all the security challenges in the country, but called on the public to never to panic and assist the military in the attainment of this goal of securing the nation.
“I am to affirm that, the Armed Forces of Nigeria is totally committed to tackling all the security challenges in the country until normalcy is restored. Hence, the public is requested to continue to provide credible information to the Nigerian Military”.
