A former Commissioner for Higher Education in Delta State, Joan Onyemachi Mrapkpor, popularly known as “Ada Anioma” has reportedly been kidnapped on Tuesday.
The former member of the House of Representatives, who recently resigned her appointment to enable her junior brother to contest the local government council chairmanship election, was abducted inside her church during church service.
Reports disclosed that the ugly incident occurred inside her church, off Delta Broadcasting Service street in Asaba, Delta State.
An eye witness said: “There was a commotion inside her church close to police headquarters, DBS Road. We all ran due to the shooting. It just happened about a few minutes ago. One aide was shot dead and a security personnel is presently unconscious.”
The Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, who confirmed the incident, when contacted, said one of the command’s officers was killed by the abductors.
Edafe, however, said detectives are on the trail of the abductors. He promised to give more details of the incident in due course.
Ex-Delta commissioner kidnapped inside church in Asaba
Ex-Delta commissioner kidnapped inside church in Asaba
France, Argentina set for Olympics football quarter-final clash
France set up a potentially explosive quarter-final showdown with Argentina in the men’s Olympic football tournament after beating New Zealand 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday.
Argentina had sealed their last-eight spot earlier in the day and France joined them in the knockout phase with Jean-Philippe Mateta, Desire Doue and Arnaud Kalimuendo scoring for the hosts against New Zealand in Marseille.
France finished on top of Group A with three wins out of three and no goals conceded, with the United States going through as runners-up after seeing off Guinea 3-0, Kevin Paredes scoring twice.
That means Thierry Henry’s French side will take on Argentina in Bordeaux on Friday after the South Americans, two-time gold medallists, went through in second place in Group B thanks to a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Lyon.
Thiago Almada’s superb strike gave Argentina the lead just after half-time and substitute Claudio Echeverri sealed their victory late on.
It will be the first meeting of the nations since Argentina players were recorded singing racist chants about French players as they celebrated winning the Copa America earlier this month.
FIFA has announced an investigation into the chants, which targeted France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe among others and included racist and homophobic insults.
Argentina players have already been booed by rival fans at the Olympic tournament.
The nations last met in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar which Argentina won on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
However, the men’s Olympic football tournament is an under-23 competition, except up to three over-age players per squad. Only two members of Argentina’s Olympic squad, Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez, played in the 2022 game, and none of France’s.
Argentina will only face France after missing out on first place in Group B to Morocco head-to-head.
– Egypt surprise Spain –
Morocco beat Iraq 3-0 in Nice in their last group game thanks to goals by Amir Richardson — the son of former NBA star Michael Ray Richardson — Soufiane Rahimi’s fourth of the tournament and a stunning goal from Abde Ezzalzouli, all in the first half.
Morocco and Argentina finished level on six points, and tied on goals scored and goals conceded, but Morocco won 2-1 when the sides met in their opening game.
That was only because a last-gasp equaliser for the South Americans was disallowed after a VAR review before the final minutes of the game were completed in an empty stadium following crowd trouble.
Morocco, winners of last year’s Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, will play their quarter-final tie on Friday in Paris against the United States.
Earlier, Egypt reached the quarter-finals with a surprise 2-1 win over already-qualified Spain, with Ibrahim Adel scoring both goals.
Adel gave Egypt the lead in Bordeaux with a superb strike late in the first half and added another on 62 minutes, pouncing to score after possession was given away by Spain’s Jon Pacheco.
Samu Omorodion pulled one back late on for Spain, but Egypt held on for the win allowing them to leapfrog their opponents and snatch first place in Group C.
Egypt, captained by former Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny, will play their quarter-final on Friday in Marseille against the runners-up in Group D, which contains Japan, Paraguay, Mali and Israel.
Egypt lost in the quarter-finals three years ago to Brazil, who went on to beat Spain in the final.
Spain’s last-eight tie will be in Lyon against the winners of Group D, which will be completed later on Tuesday.
AFP
Make Osun violent-free during protest, Adeleke urges CSOs
Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has called on Civil Society Organisations and other stakeholders planning to take part in the national hunger protests to eschew any act capable of undermining the peace and security of the state.
Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr Kolapo Alimi, in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Tuesday, said Adeleke gave the admonition during a meeting held with members of the Civil Society Organisations and other groups in the state.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Mr Kola Adewusi, at the meeting attended by heads of various security organisations in the state, Adeleke, who acknowledged that the protesters have the inalienable right as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to embark on a protest, however, frowned at any act that tends to mortgage the peace and tranquillity of Osun and its people.
The statement quoting the governor further read, “My administration’s commitments, at all times, at making Osun a reference point for other states in Nigeria remains germane.
“I, therefore, implore you to be law-abiding before, during and after the coming nationwide protests, as no act of violence of any kind would be entertained by my administration in Osun State while carrying out your protests.
“In Osun, we are known to be good and peaceful and we should allow that to remain our pride as a state that is always ahead of others in all things that are good and developmental.”
Speaking earlier, Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Abba and the Commander,
Engineering Construction Regiment,Ede, Brigadier General Abdul Kareem Aliyu, admonished the protesters to be decorous while carrying out the protests in Osun state.
Defence Minister urges protest planners to embrace dialogue
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has called on the organisers of the proposed protest to shelve the idea and come to a roundtable to dialogue with the Federal Government.
According to him, President Tinubu’s reforms have started yielding fruitful results, just as the nation’s economy is on a gradual but steady path of recovery.
In a press statement signed on his behalf by the Ministry of Defence’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike, on Tuesday in Abuja, he assured Nigerians that President Tinubu’s administration will do more to meet their needs.
He added that the reforms initiated by Mr President have started improving the lives of Nigerians, as the economic growth in Q1 2024 was the second fastest first-quarter growth in the last six years.
“Defence strategy as enshrined in the Renewed Hope Agenda in improving security is yielding results as well. Mr. President is committed to the safety of lives and property through various security interventions.
“There is serious improvement in security as most of the roads and highways hitherto closed due to insecurity have been opened. Herders and farmers clashes have been solved by the creation of Livestock Ministry and many farmers have returned to their farms. Mr President is supporting the farmers and has encouraged state governors to do the same.
“There is massive surrendering of terrorists and high-profile terrorist kingpins have been arrested,” Abubakar said in the statement.
He noted that the creation of an instrument to support students through the introduction of the Nigerian Student Loan Scheme was initiated to increase access to higher education and reduce financial burdens on students.
According to him, the massive increase in funding for infrastructure like roads, rails, energy, and irrigation (dams and channels) through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, RHIDF, is one of the benefits of the present government.
He further stated that the innovation of selling crude oil to indigenous refining companies in naira and the signing of the National Minimum Wage Act into law, which is aimed at enhancing the welfare of Nigerian workers, are all efforts at stabilising the economy.
He also identified the autonomy granted to the local governments as a development that will strengthen governance at the grassroots.
Abubakar, in his statement, also stressed that different levels of palliatives have been given to the state government to support Nigerians to live a better life, in addition to social security intervention to states (sub-nationals), post-subsidy removal presidential grant and loans scheme, Nigerian Youth Investment Fund, NYIF, 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) and Skilled-Up Artisan Initiative, SUPA.
“Since the launch of the Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, initiative by Mr President, it is expected that the cost of transportation will reduce by as much as 50 per cent, and this has unlocked the nation’s huge potential in the gas sector.
“CNG conversion centres are growing exponentially across the country, thereby creating job opportunities,” he said.
Defence Minister urges protest planners to embrace dialogue
23-year-old wife beats husband to death, burns corpse in FCT
A 23-year-old woman, Rahimat Salaum, has allegedly killed her husband, Shehu, during a fight in the Federal Capital Territory.
According Online reports that Ramatu was planning to run away with her husband’s belongings when operatives of the Nigeria Police Force arrested her.
A statement on Tuesday by the FCT Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the woman confessed to the crime and led the policemen to an uncompleted building where she dumped her late husband’s burnt corpse.
Adeh said, “The operatives of the FCT police command attached to Pegi police Division, on July 29, 2024, at about 6:00 p.m., acting on credible intelligence, arrested one Rahimat Salaum’F’ age 23yrs of Pegi, Abuja in connection to the killing of her husband.
“The suspect was attempting to flee with the belongings of the paralysed husband and had been reportedly missing for about three days in a mini truck when police operatives swooped in and apprehended her.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect admitted to killing her husband after a fight ensued between them. She subsequently led the police operatives to an uncompleted building where she had dumped the gruesomely burned body.
“While the investigation is still ongoing, the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Benneth C. Igweh, wishes to affirm that justice will be served in the matter, as he urged residents to be wary of their environment and report suspicious activities through the police emergency lines.”
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Police rally stakeholders against violent protest in Plateau
The police high command in Plateau State on Tuesday met with stakeholders including the Christian Association of Nigeria and the JNI over the planned hunger protests in the state.
It was learnt that the meeting was convened at the instance of the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbemiga Adesina, held at the police officers mess in Jos the state capital .
In a statement he issued shortly after the meeting, the spokesman for the police command ,Alfred Alabo, said the meeting was aimed at stopping the planned protest or preventing it from turning violent in the state if it eventually holds.
Alfred who reiterated the commitment of the police to maintaining law and order in the state said “in view of the upcoming planned protest slated to take place on August 1, 2024, the Plateau state Commissioner of Police, Olugbemiga Adesina, convened a meeting with various stakeholders across the state today at the Senior Police officers Mess, Jos.
In attendance were the Traditional Council, the women group, JNI, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Plateau Youth Council, Civil Society Groups, Non Government Organizations, the PCRC, Security help groups, members of the media, among others.
“The meeting was aimed at engaging in dialogue with the stakeholders to discuss measures through which the protest can be prevented from occurring in the State, and in the event that it does take place, to ensure that it is conducted in a peaceful manner.
“During the meeting, the stakeholders offered valuable suggestions toward facilitating the peaceful conduct of the protest.
“The CP appreciated the stakeholders for their selfless investment in the business of securing the State, especially in their prompt response whenever the Command seeks their attention. He further advises the good people of Plateau State to refrain from engaging in any form of violent protest activities, emphasizing the importance of maintaining law and order in all circumstances. He therefore uses this opportunity to call on the protesters to come to his office and discuss how the protest can be carried out in a peaceful manner.
“The Plateau State Police Command remains committed to upholding the rights of citizens to peaceful assembly, while also ensuring the safety and security of all residents within the State. Therefore, the Police will not stand and watch in speculation as lives, properties and critical infrastructures are being vandalised and destroyed.
Adesina also informed the general public that the Command has made available some active response phone numbers through which they can report any suspicious incidents around them during this period.
“Members of the general public are also advised to report any misconduct of our officers within the state,” the statement added
El Chapo’s son pleads not guilty to drug charges
The son of the former Sinaloa drug cartel leader El Chapo pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a raft of charges linked to one of the world’s biggest illicit narcotics operations, prosecutors said.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez was arrested in a scheme allegedly orchestrated by Washington without the involvement of Mexico, in which he was detained in Texas on Thursday.
The judge in the case denied bail and remanded him in custody, ordering a case management hearing for September 30, the assistant US Attorney’s office said in a statement to AFP.
Many of the details of the arrest operation, in which co-founder of the cartel Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as “El Mayo”, was also taken into US custody, remain murky.
He has also pleaded not guilty and has been remanded in custody.
US media have quoted law enforcement sources as saying that Zambada was unwittingly lured across the Mexico border by Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapo’s four sons.
According to a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) report released in May, the sons were engaged in an “internal battle” against Zambada, their father’s former partner.
Guzman Lopez was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges according to court documents previously released by prosecutors.
Broadcaster CNN reported that Guzman Lopez’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, told reporters his client faces the death penalty in the case. Lichtman did not return an AFP request for comment.
Guzman Lopez, aged in his 30s, is among El Chapo’s sons known collectively as Los Chapitos, or “The Little Chapos.”
El Chapo was convicted of drug charges in New York in 2019 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.
Guzman, the then-62-year-old former co-leader of Mexico’s mighty Sinaloa drug cartel, was convicted in February 2023 in US federal court on a variety of charges, including trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana to the United States.
DEA chief Anne Milgram said Zambada’s arrest “strikes at the heart of the cartel that is responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans from coast to coast.”
AFP
NPC working tirelessly to conduct census- Chairman
The Chairman, National Population Commission, Mr Isa Kwarra, says the commission is working tirelessly to conduct the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census.
Kwarra disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, saying that it was in line with the Federal Government’s drive to address Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.
According to him, the exercise will generate inclusive and up-to-date data for evidence-based planning and policymaking.
“As the leading data-generating agency in Nigeria, the commission is committed to its mandate of generating reliable and acceptable demographic data for national planning and sustainable development.”
He also appealed to all Nigerians to maintain peace, calm and to shun the planned nationwide protest.
The chairman acknowledged the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and that the commission emphasised the need to prioritise national stability, peace and security.
“The NPC understands the economic hardships and hunger faced by Nigerians, but urges citizens to give the government time to address these challenges.
“The commission calls on Nigerians to have trust in President Bola Tinubu and give the administration time to deliver on its promises of a better Nigeria.
“The President is not unaware of the various challenges in the country.
“Hence, he is working round the clock to put in place policies and programmes that will deliver to Nigerians the full dividends of democracy within the shortest possible time.”
He highlighted some of the programmes the government had initiated to alleviate the living standards of Nigerians.
They include: Social Investment Programmes (SIPs): Initiatives like N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), and Homegrown School Feeding Programme aim to reduce poverty and unemployment.
“Agriculture and Food Security Initiatives to boost food production, reduce import dependence, and enhance food security.
“Infrastructure development focusing on investments in roads, bridges, airports, and seaports to enhance connectivity and facilitate economic growth.
“The government has also started the Student Loan Scheme for the youths in Nigeria,” Kwarra said.
He, however, urged all Nigerians to remain calm, focused, and avoid actions that might compromise national peace and stability.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some organisers are gearing up for a nationwide peaceful protest slated for August 1 to 10.
According Online reported that about N200bn was expended by the Kwara-led NPC, in preparations for the aborted 2023 population and housing census.
The Nigerian Population Commission disclosed on Saturday that it can do little until Tinubu consents to the commencement of the general census.
The population and housing census, initially scheduled for 2022, was postponed by former President Muhammadu Buhari as it coincided with electioneering campaigns for the 2023 general elections.
The exercise was eventually suspended indefinitely by Buhari, a few days before leaving office, stating that he would allow Tinubu to announce new dates for the headcount.
(NAN)
Protest: Tinubu approves N50K monthly stipend for Niger Delta youths
President Bola Tinubu has approved a monthly stipend of N50,000 for 10,000 youths in Niger Delta to address the current hardship in the country.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced this during the Niger Delta Sensitisation Conference for ethnic nationalities and youths and women held on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He said the payment would be made under the NDDC Youth Intensive Scheme and would last for an initial 12 months with the possibility of extension.
Akpabio stressed that the move was part of Tinubu’s efforts to address the region’s challenges and urged the people to shun the nationwide protest slated for August 1.
READ ALSO: Tinubu signs minimum wage bill
He said: “The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will implement this scheme immediately to support 10,000 youths with N50,000 monthly to cushion the current hardship.
“We acknowledge the severe impact caused by oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta and are taking prompt action to address these issues.
“The economic challenges in our nation are known by President Tinubu and are already receiving required attention to address them.”
The Senate President said Tinubu had also approved the simultaneous commencement of the Lagos to Calabar coastal highway project from both states to create thousands of jobs for youths in the Niger Delta.
According to him, the protest was orchestrated by faceless people aiming to instigate chaos and damage across the country.
“There is nothing in the 10 points agenda for the national protest that captures the interest of the Niger Delta.
“The organisers are merely copycats imitating the situation in Kenya, not minding the potential anarchy their protest will bring upon this country.
“The issues facing the country are currently being addressed, and so, there is absolutely no need to protest,” he added.
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Senate faults N4.2bn salaries for unverified Ajaokuta steel workers
The Senate, on Tuesday, frowned at N4.2bn appropriated in the 2024 budget as personnel cost for unverifiable workers at Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited.
The issue came to the fore during an investigative hearing on alleged corruption and inefficiency in Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and National Iron Ore Mining Company from 2002 to date, by an Ad-hoc committee of the Senate.
The Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan ( PDP Kogi Central), took up the Sole Administrator of the Steel Company, Summaila Akaba, on a number of workers collecting salaries from the N4.2billion appropriated for personnel costs in the 2024 budget.
She said being an indigene of the area desirous to get the steel company revamped and working, she made unscheduled visits to it and hardly found 10 people.
The lawmaker lamented further that despite such an amount of money being spent on personnel costs, no steel has been manufactured and no mill rolled.
She said, “The sum of N4.2billion was appropriated for personnel cost in 2024, but from several visitations I’ve made to the complex, hardly were 10 people sighted to be around or doing anything.
“So, who are the workers collecting monthly salaries from the appropriated N4.2bn?
“Statistically, if N300,000 is paid monthly to 14, 000 people per month for a year, you get N4.2bn or N500,000 to 8,400 workers per month in a year..
“Where are the 14, 000 or 8,400 workers in Ajaokuta that the appropriated N4.2 billion is being spent on? “
But the Minority Whip of the Senate, who is also a member of the committee, Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP Enugu West), prevented the sole administrator from responding to Natasha’s question.
Ngwu, in his interjection, said, “Please don’t let us indict ourselves because the said appropriation was approved by the National Assembly.”
In his closing remarks at the investigative hearing, the Chairman of the Ad – hoc Committee, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (APC – Ondo Central), said, that presentations and submissions made by the various stakeholders, would be thoroughly looked into by the committee for a way out.