Journalists
Kaduna denies report on abduction along Abuja-Kaduna Highway
The Kaduna State government has denied media reports on the abduction of travelers along the Kaduna-Abuja highway on Thursday. The government said there was no such incident on that day as reported by some news platforms. The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, alongside the Police Commissioner, Umar Musa Muri and Operation Thunder Strike Sector Commander, Colonel Ibrahim Gambari, led journalists to the location where the said abduction was said to have taken place to interact with residents of the area. Aruwan pointed out that their findings revealed that contrary to what was reported, nobody was abducted on that day. “The Operation Thunder Strike team is working on this road. The police too are working here, Operation Puff Adder, the Intelligence Response ...
Resident doctors threaten fresh strike August 17
The National Association of Resident Doctors has given the Federal Government three weeks to address its demands or its members would resume their suspended strike on Monday, August 17, 2020. While demanding the payment of COVID-19 hazard allowance to members which, it said, was long overdue, NARD called on government and the National Assembly to probe the non-enrolment of healthcare workers for the Group Life Insurance and non-payment of death-in-service benefit to the next-of-kin of its fallen heroes, despite claims of payment to insurance companies. The President of NARD, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, made this known in Abuja on Saturday while reading to journalists a communique issued after its virtual National Executive Council meeting and scientific conference held at the Gombe International Hot...
Zimbabwe journalist arrested amid storm over $60m Covid-19 supplies scandal
Zimbabwean police on Monday arrested an investigative journalist who exposed alleged corruption in the procurement of Covid-19 medical supplies, a matter that involves the first family. Hopewell Chin’ono’s lawyers said he was “abducted” by eight state security agents who did not produce a search warrant. One of the lawyers, Beatrice Mtetwa, said she went to Mr Chin’ono’s residence after getting an “SOS that his home was surrounded by state security agents”. Ms Mtetwa described the arrest as an abduction, saying the state agents broke into the house. Via Twitter, the Committee to Protect Journalists called Mr Chin’ono’s immediate release, saying he was “abducted from his home by police”. It added, “Authorities must stop harassing Hopewell Chin’ono and focus on the real criminals. Do the the...
Family indicts vigilance group over missing man in Rivers
Family members of a missing 22-year-old man, Arinze Obiukwu, are asking the Rivers State Police Command to put pressure on a local vigilance group popularly known as OSPAC in Elele Ikwerre Local Government Area to produce him dead or alive. The elder brother of the missing man, Ifeanyi Obiukwu, said Arinze was arrested on the 27th of April 2020 by members of the vigilance group and efforts to reach him or secure his bail has proved abortive since then. He claimed the family is being threatened by some OSPAC members while some policemen have been inviting and intimidating them while asking for ‘settlement’ over their missing brother. On how his brother was arrested, he said, ‘’On the 27th of April, 2020, along Elele roundabout, my brother Mr. Arinze Obiukwu was arrested by OSPAC operatives ...
Gunmen attack Borno villages, kill five
Gunmen, believed to be either Boko Haram or ISWAP, on Saturday, attacked three communities in Borno State, killing five herdsmen and stealing 480 cows, a government official has said. Sources said the insurgents, who were all armed with assault rifles, attacked three villages – Moduri, Kelewa and Ngudori in Magumeri Local Government Area around 6.30 pm on Saturday. Magumeri is one of the local government areas that share conventional boundaries with Gubio and Monguno where ISWAP staged coordinated repeated attacks that claimed the lives of over 120 persons. The local government is listed among the unsafe communities of Borno State by both the state government and the United Nations. A local vigilante operative, Bunu Malam, confirmed the attack, saying “it was yet another sad day for our pe...
Minister: Nigeria working on plasma of recovered coronavirus patients for treatment
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Sunday said the Federal Government is working on research, using plasma from the blood of recovered Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients to treat people infected with the virus. Ehanire said this while answering questions from journalists in Abuja on the possibility of using plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients to treat serious cases. The minister, who spoke at a news conference to commemorate the World Blood Donor Day (WBDD), said some research institutes were already working on the new research. According to him, plasma of patients recovered from COVID-19 is called Convalescent plasma. “It is believed that persons who suffered COVID-19 and have recovered will have antibodies inside their plasma, which can be used to treat others. “It can be used...
Edo guber: PDP applauds Governor Obaseki’s infrastructural development
The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has applauded Governor Godwin Obaseki’s developmental strides in the various sectors of the state. The Chairman, Edo PDP, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, gave the commendation after inspecting facilities at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, ahead of the party’s forthcoming primary election scheduled to hold on June 19th 2020. Addressing journalists at the stadium, the state PDP chairman expressed appreciation to the governor for approving the use of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium for the conduct of the party’s primary election. He noted that the PDP is very impressed with the transformation of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, adding, “We are going ahead with our preparations and on the 19th of June, we are coming here to do what we know ...
IGP orders officers to respect essential workers
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered respect for journalists, medical personnel and other essential workers who are exempted from the eased restriction and curfews across the country. Doctors and journalists were allegedly being harassed by security agents. This had prompted the Nigerian Medical Association to call on its members to down tools. Force spokesman DCP Frank Mba, in a statement on Wednesday, said the IGP had directed Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and State Command Commissioners of Police to give maximum effect to these orders and extend due courtesies to essential service providers so affected and also ensure that personnel deployed for the enforcement duties respect the fundamental rights of the citizens. Mba stated: “The Force wishes to ...
Journalist suspended for requesting salary on social media
A journalist with the Imo State government has been suspended indefinitely from her job for taking to Facebook to request her three months unpaid salary and the wages of her co-workers. Officials said the Facebook post was an “embarrassment” to the Imo State government. The suspended journalist, Vivian Ottih, is a lawyer and a senior editor with the government-owned IBC Orient FM radio station. She is the chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), in Imo State. Mrs Ottih, on May 4, posted a message on Facebook, appealing to Governor Hope Uzodinma’s media aide, Modestus Nwamkpa, to make a case to the governor on behalf of the workers in the government-owned radio and television stations who were yet to get their February, March, and April salaries. Ottih described ...
Enugu NUJ reject government’s palliative
File Photo The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Enugu State Council on Saturday rejected the palliative from Enugu State Government over alleged interference in the union activities. Newsmen report that problem started when the government representatives led by the state Commissioner for Information, Chidi Aroh, announced that the palliative was for the alleged two factions in the union. Mr Aroh said he heard that there were two factions in the union and the items should be shared between them. But the Acting Vice President of NUJ, South East, Zone C, Ken Ofoma, expressed dismay over the Commissioner’s statement saying that there were no factions in the union. “Enugu NUJ remains one family under the leadership of the state chairman, Rex Arum and under the national body led by Chief Chris...
PTF: Stop stigmatisation of coronavirus patients
Worried by the negative impacts on the society, the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic has warned the public to desist from stigmatization of Covid-19 patients. This warning was given on Friday by Dr. Sani Aliyu, PTF National Coordinator, during the daily press briefing in Abuja. He lamented the growing cases of stigmatization of Covid-19 patients, saying that this state of affairs will not augur well for the fight against the pandemic in Nigeria. “Stigmatization of Covid-19 patients can only make many who have the disease to go underground and by that singular act the virus will continue to spread. When we stigmatize people who have contracted the virus it is obvious that many other people will be afraid to come clean. The carriers will be afraid to come forward fo...
US stands in solidarity with Nigeria to defeat coronavirus – envoy
Following President Donald Trump’s telephone conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari on efforts to defeat Covid-19 in Nigeria, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Berth Leonard, has restated the United States government’s promise to stand in solidarity with Nigeria to defeat the deadly virus. Ambassador Berth who said this at a teleconference with journalists, Tuesday May 12, 2020, stated that President Buhari was the first African Head of State that President Donald Trump spoke with on issues concerning the deadly virus that is ravaging the world noting that the US government is very pleased to work with Nigeria to see the end of the pandemic. She also disclosed that about 237 million USD had been expended on Covid-19 activities with Africa continent and about 32.8 million USD already...
