Compound
Imo commissioner confirms attack on his country home
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Imo, Mr Declan Emelumba, has confirmed the attack on his country home in Ubulu, Oru West Local Government Area. Emelumba narrated to newsmen in Owerri how the incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning. According to him, the attackers on arrival at the area, shot sporadically into the air, causing panic before setting his two buildings in his family compound ablaze. The commissioner expressed joy that no life was lost during the attack. He said: “In the early hours of Sunday, between 1am and 2am, some people called me from the village that heavily armed gunmen stormed my compound, broke the gate and set the buildings ablaze. “My gateman, who was the only person around when they came, managed to escape unhurt. “The bandits had eas...
Police arrest ‘internet scammer’ for ‘killing’ twin brother
Delta Police Command has apprehended a suspected internet scammer at Oleh, headquarters of Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State for allegedly killing his twin brother. The suspect, it was gathered, was found with a dog and the decomposing body of the deceased in their apartment at Old Olomoro Road on Monday after neighbours perceived a strange smell emanating from the flat. The source said the corpse of the deceased had been deposited in a mortuary in the area while the suspect and his dog were arrested by the police. Though the reason for the killing could not be ascertained at press time, sources said it may have been carried out for ritual purposes. A source who craved anonymity, disclosed that the house was locked for some days and after sometime, the people living in the com...
President Buhari seeks international support for peaceful transition in Chad
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday called on the international community to support a peaceful transition from military to democratic government in Chad. He made this known at a summit put together to discuss recent developments in Chad after the death of President Idris Deby last April. At the summit, Mr Buhari called on: “development partners and countries particularly France, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia; the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union, as well as other friendly and partner nations to support the transition framework put in place by Chad’s Transition Military Council led by General Mahamat Idris Deby.” ‘‘The need to support the Chadian government to effectively carry out its planned 18-month transition is sacrosanc...
Delta: Man apprehended for stabbing 15-year old girl
A middle-aged man has been arrested by the Police in Asaba, the Delta State capital for allegedly stabbing a 15-year old girl, Omelagu Chidinma at the neck region, below her lower jaw for reportedly refusing his love advances. The middle-aged man who was simply identified as Asika, according to a source is a neighbour of the victim’s parents at Infant Jesus area of Asaba. Revealing that the victim’s family are living in a batcha (bamboo house), the source who pleaded anonymity, said “trouble started when Asika woke up in the morning and accused the victim whom he had been asking out, of littering the compound. “So he called Chidinma but she did not answer because she was on the phone. When Chidinma now came out to wash her clothes, he slapped her. That was how they started fighting. “He hi...
Abia: Police to investigate murder of widow as gateman flees
The Abia State Police Command has declared manhunt for a fleeing gateman in Umuahia after the lifeless body of a widow was discovered in the pool of her blood. The victim, Mrs. Queeneth Alozie, a retired nurse from the Federal Medical Centre FMC Umuahia, was allegedly slaughtered on Sunday morning by yet-to be identified assailant(s). Until her death, Mrs Alozie was the wife of a late Dr. Alozie from Isingwu Umuahia, the owner of the famous Obioma Hospital at School Road Umuahia. She was living alone in their mansion opposite the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia, BCA, as the children are said to be based abroad. Reports say the fleeing gateman was newly engaged by the victim from her Mbaise maternal community. According to reports, the older security man was said to have left the woman in ...
Rivers governor reacts as critics fault design of new bridge after truck accident
Critics are subjecting the Okoro-nu-Odu overhead bridge commissioned for use on Monday in Port Harcourt by Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, to scrutiny after the fall of a heavy duty truck that was trying to make a turn under it. Also, critics have also observed that rather than help alleviate the traffic gridlock in the area, the bridge seemed to have worsened the traffic jam. While commenting on the gridlock around the bridge and the fall of the truck while trying to make a u-turn, one Kachi Welsley said: “basically an engineering design is to address serviceability and human problems, not to compound them. “At the beginning sides of the overhead bridge at Rumuokoro, there ought to be turning points to enable cars coming and trying to get back in opposite directions turn easily without firs...
Research: Nigeria records nearly 30,000 tobacco smoking-related deaths
An Abuja-based Centre for the Study of Economies of Africa (CSEA) has reported that a research it conducted had revealed that 28,876 deaths related to tobacco smoking are recorded annually in Nigeria. Marco Castradori, a research associate with the CSEA, revealed this, on Monday, in Kano, at a report dissemination workshop on the health burden and economic cost of smoking in Nigeria. According to Mr Castradori, the number represents around 16 per cent of deaths from smoking-related diseases and above five per cent of all cases of deaths. “Among the disease analysed, nearly 737,366 events are expected each year, of which 127,859 representing 17 per cent are attributable to cigarette consumption. “In terms of costs, these conditions burden the Nigerian healthcare system with nearly N634 bill...
Myanmar military to hold new elections after one-year state of emergency
The Myanmar military said on Monday that it will rerun the multi-party general elections after a one-year state of emergency declared earlier in the day. The Union Election Commission will be reformed and the electoral process in the parliamentary elections held in November 2020 will be reviewed in accordance with the laws, the military said in a televised statement. “After the state of emergency period, free and fair multi-party general elections will be rerun and the state power will be handed over to an elected party which meets the democratic standards,’’ it said. The statement came after the President’s Office declared a state of emergency which will last for one year in the country. The declaration of emergency, signed by First Vice President U Myint Swe, who is serving as the acting...
Ugandan government withdraws troops from Bobi Wine’s house
Ugandan soldiers stood down their positions around the residence of opposition leader Bobi Wine on Tuesday, a day after a court-ordered an end to the confinement of the presidential runner-up. Wine, a popstar-turned-MP whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, had been under de-facto house arrest at his home outside the capital Kampala since he returned from voting in January 14’s election. For 11 days heavily armed soldiers and police officers surrounding the property had prevented members of Wine’s household, including his wife Barbie, from leaving their compound, as well as denying access to visitors. But security forces withdrew from around Wine’s house on Tuesday, allowing the opposition leader to convene with newly-elected MPs from his National Unity Platform (NUP) for the first time sin...
Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni in commanding election lead, rival alleges fraud
Uganda’s long-time leader Yoweri Museveni held a commanding lead in a presidential election according to partial results on Saturday morning, with final results expected later in the day, though his main rival Bobi Wine alleged widespread fraud. With ballots from 86% of polling stations counted, Museveni had won 5.3 million, or 58.8%, while main opposition candidate Wine had 3.1 million votes (34.6%), the electoral commission said just after 9 a.m. (0600 GMT). The government ordered the internet to be shut down the day before voting on Thursday, and the blackout was still in place. Wine, 38, had galvanised young Ugandans with his calls for political change after 35 years of Museveni, 76, ruling the country. The run-up to the election was more violent than in previous polls. Security forces...
Alibaba: Coronavirus is real, not a scam
Stand-up comedian Atunyota Akpobome, popularly known as “Alibaba”, has urged Nigerians to be cautious and keep safe, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic is real. Alibaba said that having just survived the deadly virus Nigerians should desist from describing the COVID-19 pandemic as a scam. The comedian thanked Govenir Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Prof Akin Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health, and other caregivers who worked tirelessly to keep him alive at the Yaba Isolation Centre where he was quarantined. ‘COVID-19 is real. Don’t let anyone tell you it is a scam. I just came out of isolation, several people died, while I was there. Some of my close friends know and they were very supportive. ‘I thank the Lagos State governor, the Commissioner of Health, Managing Director of the COVID...
Families of kidnapped Katsina schoolboys fear time running out
Families of more than 300 kidnapped Nigerian schoolboys worried they may be brainwashed or held for years as security forces combed a vast forest on Wednesday for armed captors possibly from the jihadist Boko Haram movement. According to an unverified audio clip, the Islamist group – whose name means “Western education is forbidden” – was responsible for last week’s raid on an all-boys school in the town of Kankara in northwestern Katsina state. Parents fear time may be running out: Boko Haram has a history of turning captives into jihadist fighters. “They will radicalise our children if the government does not act fast to help us rescue them,” said trader Shuaibu Kankara, crying as he spoke from home. His 13-year-old son Annas was among those abducted from the Government Science school on...
