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Lagos prosecutes 13 over assault on LASTMA officials

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The operatives of the Lagos State Task Force has arraigned 13 workers of 7Up Bottling Company for allegedly assaulting officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.

Chairman of the Task Force, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi disclosed in a press statement signed by Adebayo Taofiq, Head, Public Affairs Unit, that the enforcement team of the agency arrested the 13 workers after they assaulted LASTMA Officers and injured three of them.

CSP Egbeyemi disclosed further that investigations revealed that the officers were attacked while trying to tow a truck with registration number MUS 75 XX belonging to the company, which was causing serious traffic gridlock.

READ ALSO: Buhari removes Baru, appoints Kyari as NNPC GMD

He noted that it was an eye-sore seeing drivers of 7Up trucks parking illegally on one side of the road thereby causing serious traffic obstructions to other motorists along toll gate area of the state.

“The prosecution of these 13 arrested workers became imperative to serve as a deterrent to others who might want to attack law enforcement officers in the course of enforcement of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Executive Order on traffic offenders across the State.

“It was disheartening that officers employed to safeguard members of the public were always being attacked by same people whose interest were being protected,” he said.

One of the injured LASTMA officers, who was transferred to LASUTH for treatment, Mr Kazim Abayomi, said drivers and workers of 7Up company always engaged them physically with different weapons whenever, they tried to trying to enforce traffic laws.

Two other injured LASTMA workers (Towing truck operators) were Peter Anozie and Demeji Tonade .

Meanwhile, Magistrate Olajuwon Amos of the Lagos State Mobile Court who presided over the case adjourned the commencement of trial to Aug. 8, 2019 after they all pleaded not guilty.

They were all charged for assault and conduct likely to cause breach of peace under Part 3, Item 26 of the Lagos State Traffic Sector Law.

JAILING CORRUPT PEOPLE A WASTE OF TIME – SAGAY

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Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, has commended the All Progressives Congress administration under President Muhammadu Buhari for stepping up the fight against corruption in the country in a bid to ensure good governance and development.

But he lamented that jailing corrupt people was a desperate and wasteful effort given the weakness in the country’s judicial process.

He spoke during a workshop organised by the PACAC in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency which held in Jos on Wednesday.

The programme with the theme, “Value re-orientation and the fight against corruption “was attended by top government officials, including permanent secretaries, traditional rulers as well as leading civil society organisations and political activists.

Sagay said, “Corruption has primarily been fought by the Federal Government in the country. There is too much focus on financial corruption but the truth is that nepotism is a more serious problem.

“After our evaluation in the fight against corruption, we discovered that jailing people is a desperate and wasteful effort. It is going to be difficult to have convictions because of the weakness in the judicial institution. And that is why we have concentrated more on asset seizure of corrupt people as the way to go.”

Sagay who was represented at the occasion by a member of the PACAC, Prof. Etannibi Alemika, further maintained that for the country to win the war against corruption, there must be value re-orientation among its citizens.

According to him, a situation where promotion of values that abhorred hard work, accountability, transparency and commitment to common good had become the norm among Nigerians was not good for the country.

CORRUPTION: FIFA to take over CAF on eve of AFCON

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A drastic and dramatic overhaul of African football is expected to be announced on Thursday, the eve of the kickoff of the African Cup of Nations, in the wake of corruption scandals consuming the Confederation of African Football.

The CAF executive committee took a stunning decision on Wednesday to cede control of the running of the organisation and have FIFA general secretary, Fatma Samoura parachuted in as “FIFA High Commissioner for Africa”, according to sources.

No announcement has been made by African football’s governing body but CAF president, Ahmad Ahmad is scheduled to hold a press conference in Cairo on Thursday at 0900 GMT.

Ahmad, who is the subject of an ethics investigation by FIFA after allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct, proposed the idea in a document shared with colleagues on the executive committee, the sources said.

Samoura is to lead a FIFA team that will conduct “a root-and-branch review of governance of the confederation, oversee operational management of the organisation, and recommend where needed a series of reform efforts,” the document read.

“This will be done in order to put CAF itself on a modern and sound footing, improve its image and reputation and thus ensure that CAF is better equipped to face future challenges and to grasp future opportunities.”

FIFA are to also undertake a forensic audit of the monies they have been giving CAF.

The idea of sending Samoura to Africa is said to have been put together by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and CAF vice president Amaju Pinnick in the wake of Ahmad’s brief detention by French police last week for questioning on corruption allegations.

Ahmad, who is seeking to hold onto some semblance of power or even walk away from his post without sanction, had been forced to accept the deal and then propose it to his own colleagues, CAF sources told Reuters on Thursday.

With FIFA seeking to improve football’s image, the Ahmad controversy has come as major embarrassment to Infantino, who has been claiming a new-look, clean and corruption-free FIFA.

Ahmad, by virtue of his position as leader of African football, is automatically a FIFA vice president.

African football has been rocked not only by the firing of CAF general secretary Amr Fahmy for whistleblowing, but also a walk-off in the Champions League final and the alleged assault on a referee by another of CAF’s vice president.

The Cup of Nations kicks off in Cairo on Friday when hosts Egypt take o

Buhari removes Baru, appoints Kyari as NNPC GMD

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President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari as the new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, bringing to an end the tenure of Maikanti Baru, as the oil firm’s boss.

NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, who disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday morning, stated that the President also appointed alongside Kyari, seven new Chief Operating Officers.

Until his new appointment, Kyari, a geologist, was Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC and also doubled, since May 13, 2018, as Nigeria’s National Representative to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Buhari also directed that the new GMD and the newly appointed Chief Operating Officers work with the current occupiers of the various offices till July 7, 2019 towards a smooth transition on July 8, 2019, when their appointments would take effect.

FIRE RAZES GSM VILLAGE

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Goods worth millions of naira were on Tuesday destroyed by fire at the popular GSM Village in Cantonment, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

The cause of the fire incident, which razed about 26 shops, was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report on Tuesday.

The chairman of the Traders Association, Hassan Garba, while speaking with journalists, said that goods worth millions of naira were lost to the fire, adding that the cause of the incident was yet to be known.

He said: “The fire started in early hours of Tuesday, and we immediately called on the Kogi State Fire Service, but unfortunately, they said they do not have water to quench the fire, so we have to resort to self-help by putting out the fire ourselves, or else, the loss would have been more than this.”

Garba noted that, most of the owners of the shops affected by the fire just bought goods into their respective shops. The shops that were affected included that jewelry sellers, textile materials, among others. Five million, six hundred thousand was the worth of jewelries that got burnt,” he said.

Garba, however, appealed to the Kogi State Government to come to their aid because the loss was too much for the victims to bear.

One of the victims, whose shop was also affected by the fire, Alhaji Yusuf Momoh, appealed to the Kogi State Government to assist them financially because the money they used to procure the goods that were lost was collected based on interest.

“All my goods have been consumed by fire and the remaining ones are useless, we are calling on the state government to come to our aide so that we can survive.”

A shoe seller, Muhammed Ibrahim, while speaking, said she lost goods worth six million naira to the inferno, adding that his shop has been razed by the fire and nothing remains for him and his children to feed on.

The Administrator, Lokoja Local Government Area, Hon. Muhammed Danasabe Muhammed, alongside other council officials, visited the scene to sympathize with the shop owners.

Boko Haram raid Nigeria military base

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Suspected Boko Haram jihadists have overrun a military base and looted a nearby town in northeast Nigeria, security sources and residents said Tuesday, the latest such attack in the restive region.

The raids came a day after 30 people were killed on Sunday in a triple suicide bombing in the region that also bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram.

Late on Monday assailants, arriving on nine armoured trucks, stormed into the military base outside the town of Gajiram, 80 kilometres (50 miles), north of the Borno state capital Maiduguri.

They were suspected to be from IS-affiliated Boko Haram faction known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

“They dislodged troops from the base after a fight,” a security source told AFP.

“We don’t know the extent of damage and looting in the base. An assessment is being carried out”.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

Residents said the Islamists drove into the town after sacking the base and looted shops, shooting into the air.

Their presence forced residents to flee into the bush while others shut themselves in their homes.

“The gunmen drove into the town around 6pm (1700GMT) after overpowering soldiers in the base,” Gajiram resident Mele Butari told AFP.

“They stayed for almost five hours. They broke into the shops and looted food supplies and provisions,” he said.

“They didn’t hurt anyone and they made no attempt to attack people who fled into the bush or hid indoors”.

Soldiers were seen returning to the town from the bush Tuesday morning

27,000 killed in Northeast attacks since 2009, says UN

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More than 27,000 people have been killed in attacks in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, the United Nations said.

“The humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria is one of the most severe in the world and is first and foremost a protection crisis,” Edward Kallon, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, said in emailed statement.

“Women, men and children face grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law every day.”

The UN condemned Sunday bombings by suspected Boko Haram insurgents that killed at least 30 people in attacks in Konduga town in northeast Borno state.

Among those killed was a community volunteer who was contributing to the humanitarian response in the region, according to the UN. It called on Nigerian authorities to prosecute those responsible for the attacks and ensure justice is done.

Boko Haram has been waging a violent campaign in Nigeria to impose its version of Islamic law. The country is Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, with more than 180 million people.

Boris Johnson Leads In British PM Race

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The UK leadership race narrowed to five on Tuesday as Brexit figurehead Boris Johnson prepared to defend his runaway favourite status in his first television debate.

Johnson expanded his lead over his remaining rivals in a second secret ballot held by 313 lawmakers from the ruling Conservative party in the lower House of Commons.

The former foreign minister and London mayor picked up 126 votes while former Brexit minister Dominic Raab got knocked out after falling three short of the 33-vote threshold.

Moderate international development minister Rory Stewart continued his against-the-odds challenge by expanding his support base from last week’s 19 to 37.

Foreign Minister Jeremy Huntpicked up 46 votes and environment minister Michael Gove 41. Interior minister Sajid Javidscraped through with exactly 33.

Britain is frantically searching for a leader after Prime Minister Theresa May stepped down last month as Conservative party chief over her repeated failure to deliver Brexit.

The island nation is now due to split away from the other 27 European Union member states on October 31.

But how and when the chaos paralysing UK politics — and frightening business leaders — ultimately resolves itself may only be decided by who becomes the next prime minister.

Further rounds of voting scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday will whittle the list of contenders down to just two.

The finalists will face the ruling party’s 160,000 grassroots members in a vote next month to decide the winner.

Johnson’s lead is so substantial that some UK media say the others are simply fighting for a good spot in his future government.

TARABA WOMEN PROTEST HERDSMEN KILLINGS AND HARASSMENT

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Hundreds of Kona women in the early hours of Tuesday took to the streets of Jalingo the Taraba State capital to protest the killings of their people by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The protest is coming after killing of eleven people between Sunday and Monday night when suspected armed Fulani militia invaded Tudiri and Janibanibu villages in Ardo-kola Local Government Areas of the state.

The women who started the pretest from Kona village located six kilometers away from the city centre wore black attires and matched across major streets of Jalingo to protest what they called continued attacks on their communities and killings of their husbands and children by armed herdsmen.

Mrs. Mary Shaukani who spoke to our correspondent during the protest alleged that rather than going after the herdsmen who had been killing and destroying their homes, security agencies turn to harass and arrest Kona youths in their houses and on the streets.

“Yesterday, soldiers and policemen arrested over seven of our sons who went out defend our people.

“Rather than protect us, security agencies are rather shielding the attackers and arresting our youths. Many of our children are now in the detention of the security agencies.

“The response time is poor and that is why the crises have killed scores and houses burnt.

“We want our children to be released and the security agencies should be fair in handling the crises,” she said.

But reacting to the allegations, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP David Misal, said they were yet to receive any complaints from the women.

“We have not received any complaint from the women regarding the arrest of anyone.

“In any case, whoever that has been arrested has something to do with the crisis. We can not sit and watch people take laws into their arms.

“Some of the youths blocked the road and were smashing people’s cars. In such a situation we can not sit and watch them rain mayhem on innocent people,” he said.

Kidnapped Catholic priest escapes from abductors

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Reverend Father Isaac Agabi, who was abducted last Sunday by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen, has regained his freedom.

Father Agabi, who is the priest in charge of Holy Name Catholic Church, Ikpeshi, in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, was kidnapped along Auchi-Igarra road at about 5.00 pm, while on his way back to the parish.

It was gathered that he ran away from his abductors in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Director of Communication, Catholic Diocese of Auchi-Igarra, Fr. Peter Egielewa, confirmed Agabi’s escape to our correspondent in Benin.

He disclosed that Rev. Agabi escaped from the kidnappers when they slept off in the night.

“No ransom was paid. He actually escaped in the night when the kidnappers were asleep. He came out of the bush and was able to come home, no ransom was paid​,” he said.

The Edo Police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwanbuzor, could not be reached for comment, as calls made to his mobile phone was not answered.

Meanwhile, leaders of the kidnappers who abducted Reverend Agabi has been allegedly nabbed by youths of Ikpeshi, in Akoko-Edo local government area of the State.

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