The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, has been enmeshed in controversy over a lack of adequate and proper welfare for its operatives across the state.
According to sources within the corps, since their years of engagement with the security agency, there have yet to be any formal employment letters issued.
Some of the operatives who craved anonymity disclosed that, due to the nature of their jobs, which most times required them to spend days in the forest, they had never been considered for any form of allowance.
While accusing the corps’ leadership of insincerity with the operations of the agency, the aggrieved operatives revealed the actual number of personnel within the corps had always been shrewd in secrecy, a move they described as a ploy to embezzle funds.
One of the operatives serving in the Central Senatorial District of the state said, “I can confirm that none of us is happy at the moment. The zeal we had when we joined the corps had waned.
“You can imagine the frustration of not being properly engaged as an Amotekun operative. As for the little salary we do get, we have never been considered for any allowance.
“Even when the issue of palliatives was everywhere and the heat of the fuel subsidy was still hot, we were not given anything at all. As a family man, how do they want us to be motivated to continue to put our lives at risk?
“And you know how this place works; no one dares to talk. We are not treated rightly as security operatives. It is sad.”
However, the budget performance report for the state indicated that expenditure for the corps in the first quarter of 2024 was N674 million while the corps received a total sum of N1.5 billion out of the N2.7 billion budget in 2023 and N1.45 billion in 2022.
On the issue, the leadership of the corps in the state stressed that the process of recruiting operatives from the corps is not in tandem with the normal civil service, indicating that a move has begun towards harmonising the salary scheme of the corps with other states in the south-west.
“The recruitment process for the Amotekun Corps, being a paramilitary organisation, is different from that of other civil service organisations. We are, however, trying to have a harmonised salary scale for Amotekun officials in Ondo and some other states.”
Ondo Amotekun operatives decry lack of welfare, no appointment letters
Ondo Amotekun operatives decry lack of welfare, no appointment letters
Israeli strike kills Islamist commander in eastern Lebanon
An Israeli drone strike in eastern Lebanon has killed a commander in the Lebanese Islamist group al-Jamaa al-Islamiya (Assembly of Islam), an ally of Hamas.
According to local media reports, Muhammad Hamid Jabara, from the town of Qaraoun, was killed at 6:30 local time (0330 GMT) Thursday by an Israeli drone attack that targeted his truck.
The report said that the attack led to the whole vehicle being set ablaze.
In June, the Israeli army said it had killed Ayman Ratma, who was responsible for weapons supplies for the Palestinian militant group Hamas and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya in eastern Lebanon.
The militant group did not comment initially.
The organisation is close to Hezbollah and Hamas and claims to support the Shiite Hezbollah militia’s fight against Israel.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah and other groups in Lebanon.
Most recently, the fighting has escalated significantly with casualties on both sides.
Israeli strike kills Islamist commander in eastern Lebanon
Nigerian Universities admitted over one million students illegally –JAMB reveals
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has revealed that some tertiary institutions in the country illegally admitted over one million students.
JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, made this revelation on Thursday in Abuja at the ongoing policy meeting on 2023/2024 admissions.
The policy meeting, which has heads of tertiary institutions in the country, and other stakeholders in attendance, sets the tone for admissions into tertiary institutions in the country.
According to the JAMB boss, the Board has been able to regularize 600 of the numbers admitted illegally.
He added that a lot of the students with illegal admissions do not have the basic qualifications for the course they registered to study.
“Over 1 million students were admitted illegally. We registered about 600 of them because a lot of them don’t have the basic qualifications,” Oloyede said.
Nigerian Universities admitted over one million students illegally –JAMB reveals
FULL LIST: 2024 UTME top scorers
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday unveiled the list of 2024 top scorers of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The list was unveiled by the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede during the ongoing policy meeting of the Board in Abuja on Thursday. They are;
1. Olowu David – 367- Ondo state
2. Alayande David- 367- Oyo state
3. Orukpe Joel-367- Edo
4. Emmanuel Jeremiah-366- Akwa-Ibom
5. Essiet Etini-365-Akwa-Ibom
6. Ezenwoko Zara-365-Abia
7. Umoh Joshua-365-Akwa-Ibom
8. Mamudu Abdulraham-364-Edo
9. Adeleke Abdulbasit-363-Kwara
10. Echem Victor-363-Rivers
11. Etute Emmanuel-363- Edo
12. Jedidiah Chidiebube-363-Imo
13. Adesanya Oluwatimilehin-363-Ogun
Deborah, has three years of experience covering the education sector, trade unions, politics and international affairs, and is a journalist with The According
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Ex-Barcelona star Bartra, model girlfriend end relationship
Former Barcelona and Spain defender Marc Bartra and his model girlfriend Jessica Goicoechea have reportedly ended their relationship, according to Spanish journalist Abel Planelles.
According to Mirror UK, the couple, who had been together since 2001, gained attention earlier this year when Goicoechea revealed their unusual “sex deal” on a Spanish talk show.
During an appearance on “La Resistencia” in May, Goicoechea shared details of their intimate arrangement.
“If we don’t do it one day, you have to do it twice the day after,” she explained, with Bartra present in the audience. The pact was reportedly devised to maintain their connection during periods of separation.
Despite their attempts to keep the relationship alive, Planelles reported that the couple’s romance has now “broken”. However, he added that they remain on good terms.
He stated, “From what those around me tell me, there is no bad vibes, there is no bad relationship. In fact, on the contrary, there is a good relationship.”
The couple’s journey has been tumultuous, with previous breakups and reconciliations. They went public with their relationship in November 2022, shortly after Bartra’s divorce from journalist Melissa Jimenez, with whom he has three children.
Goicoechea, a successful model and influencer with 1.8 million followers, began her career at 15 and has since launched her own fashion collection and cosmetics brand.
Bartra, 33, who currently plays for Real Betis, is known for his stints at Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, where he was involved in a traumatic incident when the team bus was hit by a bomb blast.
While their relationship has ended for now, Planelles suggested that reconciliation isn’t impossible.
“They follow each other, they get along well, but it is true that the relationship has ended. You never know if there might be a second chance or a third chance, but right now the relationship between the footballer and the influencer would be broken,” she said.
Again, Nigerian govt says no admission for students below 18 years, warns JAMB, institutions
The Federal government has again repeated an earlier directive that students below the age of 18 years should not be granted admission into institutions of tertiary learning in the country.
The Minister of Education, Mister Tahir Mamman, gave the directive in Abuja on Thursday at the 2024 Policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
READ ALSO:JAMB unearths 3,000 fake graduates, calls for crackdown on illegal admissions
The federal government had in April this year through Mamman, also given the same directive during a monitoring exercise of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
The minister who had decried the activities of some parents, who he said were pressuring their underage students to get admission into tertiary institutions, said the 18-year benchmark was in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.
More to come…
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IPOB hints it may resort to violence over continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu
The outlawed Igbo separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday hinted that it may resort to violence if its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu is not released from custody.
The group gave the warning when it trumpeted a popular saying by John F. Kennedy that “Those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable”.
It threatened the Nigerian government of serious consequences if anything should happen to its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who had been in detention since his arrest in Kenya in 2021.
The group raised an alarm following a revelation on Wednesday by Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, who said the IPOB leader is seriously ill and should be released for adequate medical treatment.
After a mandatory visit to Kanu in the facility of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) in Abuja, Ejimakor put up a post on his X handle which said:
“Today, DSS finally allowed MAZI NNAMDI KANU’s physician to see him. The Doctor’s preliminary report presented complex medical conditions that require that #MNK be taken to a hospital for more detailed diagnosis. This will follow a report that will be sent to DG-DSS by the Doctor.”
Today, DSS finally allowed MAZI NNAMDI KANU's physician to see him. The Doctor’s preliminary report presented complex medical conditions that require that #MNK be taken to a hospital for more detailed diagnosis. This will follow a report that will be sent to DG-DSS by the Doctor.
— aloy ejimakor (@AloyEjimakor) July 17, 2024
However, in a statement by IPOB media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group called on the government to release Kanu unconditionally to avert what it calls a gathering storm.
“The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the resolute leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, once again call for the unconditional release of our leader from DSS solidarity confinement over his deteriorating health condition,” IPOB said.
“The Nigerian government is intentionally provoking IPOB by refusing to release our leader even when the Nigerian and International Courts have ordered for his unconditional release.
“IPOB wishes to reiterate that the life of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is in danger in the solitary confinement of the DSS in Abuja.
“We have persistently called on the Nigerian government to release our leader as both international and local law institutions have ordered for his release.
“Many prominent Nigerians, religious, traditional, and political leaders, including 50 members of the National Assembly, have equally called for his release.
“But the Tinubu’s government has refused to listen to the voice of reason by refusing to release Mazi Kanu, just like his notorious predecessor’s government of Buhari.
“Tinubu’s government has discontinued similar cases of terrorism and treason charges against two Yoruba activists and a Fulani militia leader.
READ ALSO:IPOB alleges soldiers collude with gunmen at checkpoints to kidnap passengers in the S’East
“In the case of an Igbo man, unarmed freedom activist Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, this same Tinubu’s government, have vehemently refused to release him.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had subsisting local and international judgments that ordered for his release, unlike the other cases discontinued by the federal government without any court judgment.
“We are enumerating all these injustices to demonstrate that the Federal Government of Nigeria is intentionally provoking the anger of IPOB and Ndigbo.
“IPOB has maintained a non-violence approach in the Biafra struggle irrespective of the high-handedness of the Nigerian government against Biafra activists.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is seriously sick and must be released unconditionally from DSS solidarity confinement for him to treat himself before something unpredictable and unimaginable happens to him.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s health is going down every day under DSS solitary confinement because of the nature of his health issues.
“IPOB is calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Attorney General, Fatai Fagbemi again to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu so that he can go and treat himself before it’s too late.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB members have been persecuted for over a decade by the Nigerian State because of Biafra’s self-determination.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was kidnapped and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and has been detained in solitary confinement for over 3 years.
“Although no court in Nigeria has found him guilty yet he is being persecuted by the tribal bigot government of Nigeria.
“President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, please note that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is sick and something terrible can happen to him if he is not released.
“Nothing must happen to him in the DSS solitary confinement in Abuja. As John F. Kennedy said, “Those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable.”
IPOB Press Release: July 17, 2024
AVERT THE GATHERING STORM AND RELEASE MAZI NNAMDI KANU AS HIS HEALTH DETERIORATES- IPOB
The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the resolute leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu once again call for the… pic.twitter.com/Z59bpT2Tvz
— IPOB Liverpool Central (@ipob_central) July 17, 2024
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JAMB announces multiple top scorers
Three candidates scored 367 during the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and by that emerged as the highest scorers for the examination.
This was revealed at the ongoing 2024 policy meeting by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday in Abuja.
They are Olowu Joseph from Ondo State, Alayande David from Oyo State, and Orukpe Joel from Edo State.
In 2023, Umeh Nkechinyere emerged as the highest scorer with a 360 aggregate score.
JAMB earlier noted that it won’t announce the 2024 highest scorer to avoid a repeat of the “Mmesoma matter.
Recall that Ejikeme Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student, claimed to score 362 as against her actual score of 249 in the 2023 UTME JAMB portal.
“It is common knowledge that the Board has, at various fora, restated its unwillingness to publish the names of its best-performing candidates, as it considers its UTME as only a ranking examination on account of the other parameters that would constitute what would later be considered the minimum admissible score for candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions,” Oloyede said
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Coalition faults Supreme Court judgement on LG financial autonomy
A coalition under the auspices of the United Nigerians Against Crimes (UNAC), has faulted the recent ruling of the Supreme Court granting full financial autonomy to local government areas in the country.
The coalition, in a statement on Wednesday, said the judgement was incomplete as it requires further examination from legal minds.
In the statement issued by UNAC’s Director-General, Dr. Abdullahi Y. Bayawo, the organisation said granting local government chairmen financial autonomy without political autonomy is unrealistic.
“The governors’ authority over the appointment of State Electoral Commissioners, who conduct local government area elections, undermines the effectiveness of financial autonomy,” Bayawo said.
The group further urged the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to seek an urgent interpretation of the judgement at the Supreme Court to ensure that the judgement is comprehensive and practical.
READ ALSO:Ex-Delta gov, Ibori, once convicted of fraud, faults Supreme Court judgment on LG autonomy
Bayawo also called on the National Assembly to make laws that will empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections for the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
“We will not tolerate any governor who attempts to undermine this judgement,” Bayawo stated.
He added that the group will take decisive action against any governor who fails to abide by the judgement of the apex court.
“Members of UNAC will take decisive action against any governor who fails to respect the people’s right to local government autonomy.”
The statement however, reassured peace-loving Nigerians to remain calm and law-abiding, as they would be monitoring all actions taken by governors in their respective states.
“We believe that true democracy can only be achieved when power is devolved and accountability is ensured,” Dr. Bayawo added.
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India passenger train derails, overturning carriages
A passenger train derailed Thursday in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh and medics were dispatched to the site, a local medical officer said, with footage of the accident showing several overturned carriages.
The Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed in Gonda district, near the Hindu holy city of Ayodhya, at around 2:30 pm (0900 GMT), Indian media reported.
Chief Medical Superintendent of Gonda District Hospital, Anil Kumar Tiwari, told AFP that a team of medics had been rushed to the accident site.
India’s railway network remains the main form of travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents often occur.
Last year nearly 300 people were killed when a passenger train collided with a stationary goods train, with the derailed compartments then striking another fast-moving passenger service.
India’s worst-ever rail accident occurred in 1981, when a cyclone blew a train off its tracks and into a river in the state of Bihar, leaving 800 dead and more than 100 injured.
At least seven people were killed when an express passenger train and a goods train collided in June in India’s West Bengal state, derailing three passenger carriages, police said.
AFP
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