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Lagos begins plea bargain session for Kirikiri inmates
In an effort to decongest correctional centres, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice on Thursday held a plea bargain session for some inmates at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre. The plea bargain session was the first of its kind to be held at a correctional centre in Lagos State. Newsmen reports that the previous practice was for counsel to incarcerated inmates to write to the Attorney-General of the state to consider plea bargain agreements for their clients. A total of 27 inmates – 16 males and 11 females – were beneficiaries of Thursday’s plea bargain session. The Lagos State Attorney-General, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), the state Solicitor-General, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, and some of the ministry of justice staff kick-started the initiative. The state Directorate of Public Prosecuti...
Official: PDP focused on taking over government in Anambra
File Photo The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra, Ndubuisi Nwobu, said the party remains focused to take over the state in the upcoming governorship poll. Nwobu said this in an interview with newsmen in Awka on Tuesday, adding that he would not be distracted by those trying to destabilise the party in the state. He lauded the National Executive Committee of the party for organising successful ward congresses in the state which he said was a sure step to the party’s free, fair and credible primary election. “We want to conduct our primary election, where party people will freely vote and produce a candidate that will be acceptable to Anambra people at the November 6 poll. “This is not (the) time for distractions. We are focused on taking over the government from the ...
June 12: MKO Abiola represented hope, liberty – Gani Adams
File Photo Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Chief Gani Adams, has said that the late Chief MKO Abiola represented hope, liberty and freedom during his lifetime. Adams stated this at the commemoration of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election by Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) on Saturday in Lagos. According to him, Nigeria’s democracy is still not in tune with the ideals, which Abiola, winner of the election, lived and died for. He said that the democratic ideals of the late business mogul enabled him to win the presidential election, even in the North where his main opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, came from. Adams, who decried what he called disunity, rivalry and senseless killings, said that these challenges had had adverse effect on the nation’s democracy. He said: “This present d...
Cocaine worth $8.2m found in Poland banana shipment
Polish police on Friday announced the seizing of 160 kilograms (350 pounds) of cocaine hidden inside several shipments of bananas delivered to a branch of the French retail chain, Carrefour. Carrefour Polska said its employees had found “suspicious packages in a fresh delivery of bananas” on Thursday in central Warsaw. “They immediately notified the police, who quickly secured the consignment and launched an investigation, which is currently ongoing. Our chain is fully cooperating with investigators,” Carrefour Polska was quoted as saying by Poland’s PAP news agency. A police video published on Twitter showed green-coloured packages containing the cocaine hidden in cardboard boxes of bananas. Police, who valued the seizure at more than 6.7 million euros ($8.2 million), did not say where th...
Minister: Why Twitter, other platforms must register to operate in Nigeria
The Federal Government says its directive that Over the Top (OTT) and social media platforms operating in the country must register and obtain license to operate is in conformity with global trend. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this on Friday when he featured on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme “Good Morning Nigeria’’ monitored by newsmen. NAN reports that the Federal Government recently suspended operations of Twitter and directed that all OTT and social media platforms operating in the country must register with Corporate Affairs Commission. The Federal Government said they must also apply for licensing with the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC). NAN reports that OTT media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via t...
US to give 500 million Pfizer coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries
The US is to distribute half a billion shots of the Pfizer vaccine to nearly 100 poorer countries. Some 200 million doses will be given out this year and 300 million in 2022. It comes as US President Joe Biden said before leaving for the G7 summit in Cornwall that he would be announcing a vaccine strategy for the world. The US would pay for the doses at a “not-for-profit” price, according to the New York Times, which said the plan could be officially announced on Thursday. The shots will go to 92 lower-income countries and the African Union, sources told the Reuters news agency. Pfizer and the White House have so far not officially commented. America is well advanced in its vaccine rollout but campaigners have called for richer countries to do more to help protect developing nations. It’s ...
JUSUN strike: How we decongested our cells – Police
The police in Lagos say they have devised means to decongest their cells amidst the prolonged strike by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). The police spokesperson in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the decongestion was carried out in collaboration with the office of the Chief Judge and Attorney-General of the state. NAN reports that JUSUN, on April 6, directed its members to shut down all courts across the country, demanding the implementation of the law granting financial autonomy to the Judiciary. “The command had been managing the situation in collaboration with the office of the state chief judge,” Mr Adejobi said. He, however, did not give the number of suspects that had been granted bail. “We work with the office of the CJ an...
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...
Farmer arrested ‘poisoning’ wells in Yobe
The police in Yobe on Thursday confirmed the arrest of a farmer, Mohammad Mohammad, 25, for allegedly poisoning nine wells in Kasesa village near Damaturu. ASP Dungus Abdulkarim, the Command Spokesman disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Damaturu. ”On May 25, he poured insecticide into nine wells which are sources of water to residents and herds in the area. “ When we collected the well eater as sample and conducted laboratory analysis, we discovered that they were contaminated with fecal Coliforms, which can cause cholera , typhoid and other water borne diseases. “ Therefore, we identified and arrested the suspect today. He will be charged to court soon,” Abdulkarim said. The spokesman said Mohammad confessed to committing the offence, but said his intention was to deter herders...
Governor Umahi: Ebonyi government to immortalise late commissioner
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi Wednesday paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Commissioner for Housing, Mrs Uchechi Okah, at the deceased’s Abakiliki residence. Umahi, who was accompanied by top government functionaries, described the deceased as a dependable ally in his administration’s success story. He promised that the state government would immortalise her, saying he would name a street after her at the new David Umahi University of Medical Sciences, Uburu. “There are things that are beyond words and I don’t know how to start talking about Uchechi, who was like my daughter. “It is a fact that without her and Chioma, we would not have realised the Ebonyi Ring Road project but her legacies will be with us,” the governor said. He further promised that the government would contin...
IPOB sit-at-home: Black marketers sell petrol at N300 per liter in Ebonyi
Black marketers on major streets of Abakaliki cashed in on the sit-at-home order by the Proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday to make brisk business. They sold the premium motor spirit, otherwise called petrol, for between N200 and N350 per litre, following the closure of fuel outlets in the city due to the IPOB order. In separate interviews with newsmen, a cross-section of the hawkers expressed happiness over the development. Chidi Onu, who said he “made good business”, frowned at the restriction on business activities by IPOB. “Well, it is not my fault that these things are happening. It is high time we sat on a roundtable as citizens to discuss many issues affecting us as a nation. “Yes, the IPOB order has favoured me. I only came out to sell and have something for my ...
Borno government shutdowns another IDP camp in Maiduguri
The Borno government has shutdown another Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp located at the state NYSC orientation camp in Maiduguri. Newsmen report that the closing of the camp, housing about I,464 households was done by officials of the state government on Monday in Maiduguri. The camp was the second to be closed by the government in three days in its bid to return all IDPs back to their communities. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Mustafa Gubio, the state’s Commissioner for Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, said the closing of the camp was to allow for renovation work to take place at the NYSC orientation camp. Also speaking, the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr Bukar Talba, said government has established mega farms in Auno and Damasak for allocated...
