Persons
FCTA prosecutes 20 for breaching coronavirus protocol
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) yesterday arrested 20 persons for flouting COVID-19 protocols. The offenders were charged before Chief Magistrate Raphael Egbe of the FCT Mobile Court, sitting at the Eagle Square Abuja, and slammed with a one-count charge of violating COVID-19 protocol by not wearing face masks. The 20 accused persons, who were arrested by FCT TaskForce on COVID-19 were given an option of fines that ranged from N1,000 to N5,000, depending on their conduct during and after the arrest. Chairman of the FCT COVID-19 Taskforce, Ikharo Attah, said seven parks were shut within two days of the exercise for operating in stark violation of the new guidelines on the control of the pandemic. However, an officer of Nigeria Police Force, attached to the taskforce, sus...
Lagos governor recovers from coronavirus, urges precautions
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday announced his recovery from COVID-19 infection, having tested negative, following 14 days of treatment. Addressing State House correspondents at ‘Lagos House’, Marina, Sanwo-Olu said that he experienced moderate symptoms like headache, cough, among other COVID-19 symptoms. He thanked the people of Lagos and the medical team for their care, prayers, and concern throughout his isolation. “I was fortunate to have had a relatively moderate COVID-19 experience. About one in every 10 persons who contracted the disease in Lagos State were not so lucky; they have to go into intensive care, and some of them did not make it out alive. “For this reason, my gratitude is deep and profuse. And it is also for this reason, that I am here to app...
#EndSARS: Police arrest 67 for looting armoury, recover 6 rifles
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 67 persons for allegedly looting and burning Police Stations during the #EndSARS protest in the state. The police said six AK 47 rifles, and several ammunition which were carted away from Police armouries of Ebut-Ero and Ilemba Hausa police stations were also recovered from the suspects. Also recovered from some of the suspects were electronics and exortic cars hijacked from owners during the protest. The suspects were among 103 persons arrested for various criminal acts in the last one month. Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command , Mr Hakeem Odumosu, who paraded the suspects, said , many crimes were busted and many suspects arrested. He said the Command had put in place more strategies which are in tune with modern and international...
Fuel tanker loses control, kills 16, destroys 30 houses in Kwara
A fully loaded lorry tanker with fuel, lost control in Gaika area of Jebba in Moro local government area of Kwara state, on Wednesday, killing about sixteen persons while no fewer than thirty buildings and properties worth millions of naira gutted fire. Newsmen gathered that the incident occurred at about 9 am when the tanker was driving along the popular Gaika road in Jebba and suddenly lost control . The tanker was said to have violently hit the car in its rear which instantly caught fire, before it ran into the nearby buildings, not less than thirty, and burnt them all. The petrol substance which reportedly spilled on the floor after the crash, inflamed the fire inferno. “The entire Jebba is in deep mourning, we have never seen this kind of thing before, so tragic.”said a source. Kwara ...
NHIS recovers N2 billion debts from HMO’s
File Photo The National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, on Tuesday says it has recovered the sum of N2 billion debts from Health Maintenance Organizations, HMOs, and unpaid bills to Health care facilities. NHIS General Manager, Enforcement Department, Pharmacist Mohammad Ghali, disclosed this during a stakeholders sensitization workshop held in Kano to strengthen effective operations of the scheme. Ghali said it received complaints from the health care providers over HMO’s non-payment of services rendered to enrollees and to that effect, the scheme came up with a principle of reconciliation between the HMO’s and healthcare facilities leading to the recovery of the monies, N2 billion, which was later paid to the healthcare facilities. According to him, “over some period, what the NHIS witnes...
Bandits kidnap village head, wives, others in Katsina
Bandits on Monday night kidnapped the village head of Kaigar Malamai, Kabir Muhammed Ajiya, his two wives and 14 other peasant farmers in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina state. The bandits were said to have also ransacked the entire village, injuring six other persons and rustled unspecified cows in the village. A survivor of the attack, Umar Abdulsalam, who spoke to newsmen in a telephone interview on Tuesday, said the villagers had relocated to Dan-Musa town and other nearby villages in the local government. Newsmen report that bandits had earlier kidnapped 80 pupils of Hizburrahim Islamiyya School in Mahuta village of Dandume Local Government Area of the state but were rescued by a team of security operatives. He said, “yesterday (Monday) at about 9pm some armed Fulani people r...
Coronavirus: Schools to remain close till January 18 – PTF
The Federal Government has said schools in the country would remain shut till January 18, 2021. The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, also announced the closure of bars, night clubs, pubs, event centres, and recreational venues for the next five weeks. He further urged religious centres to maintain 50 per cent capacity at all times and as well as ensure strict compliance to Covid-19 protocols at all gatherings. According to him, the measures were important to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease as the country battled the second wave of the pandemic. He said, “All government staff on Grade Level 12 and below are to stay at h...
Nigerian government orders civil servants to ‘stay at home for five weeks’
The Federal Government on Monday ordered all federal civil servants on Grade Level 12 and below to stay at home for the next five weeks from Monday. The chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, made this known in a statement on Monday. He also announced that all schools would remain closed till January 18. Mustapha also said restrictions have been placed on social and religious gatherings for five weeks. He said, “Encourage virtual meetings in government offices. The leadership of such offices are to ensure that all offices are well-ventilated offices, and encourage staff to work from home where possible; “All government staff on GL.12 and below are to stay at home for the next 5 weeks; Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives are to be held accountable for enf...
Airtel begins initiative to feed 5,000 displaced persons
Airtel Nigeria has announced the commencement of the 2020 edition of its annual ‘5 Days of Love’ Yuletide initiative with a focus on providing palliative packs to 5,000 persons across five Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the country. Speaking during a virtual press conference to announce the initiative, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, said despite the pandemic and a difficult year, Airtel would continue its long standing tradition of celebrating and empowering the vulnerable and underprivileged during Yuletide. “Our resolve to Nigeria and Nigerians is unshakeable. Despite a difficult year, we are committed to making lives better for many Nigerians and we will not rest on our laurels as we will continue to create opportun...
Imo governor orders workers to stay home over spike in coronavirus
Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, yesterday ordered the workers in the state, to stay home from Monday next week till further notice, ahead of the festive period. The governor in his state-wide broadcast to Imo people in Owerri, said that the reason was that due to the expected influx of people coming home for Christmas that there could be a surge in the cases of covid -19. Uzodimma while wishing his people fruitful Christmas celebration noted that the wearing of facemask would be compulsory and that mobile courts would be deployed to within the state, to enforce the order. He continued: “My dear good people of Imo State, it is with a great sense responsibility that I address you on this auspicious season of Christmas.In normal times, with just a few days to Christmas, I should be saying ...
Official: Amotekun corps never killed anybody in Ibadan
The Commandant of Oyo State Security Network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, Col Olayinka Olayanju (retd), has dismissed the media report that operatives of the agency opened gunfire on some residents of Ibadan, killed two and injured many. He confirmed that there was a crisis around Born Photo and Isale Osi area, where the men of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) faction of late Dr Frederick Fasehun, was trying to deal with some hoodlums. According to him, the operatives of Amotekun Corps were invited and its operatives went to the scene. The personnel of the agency that went to the scene, he said were returning from an operation, where a Lebanese man was rescued from his abductors on December 15. The incident reportedly occurred at Asaka area of Ibadan. But two persons and many other people, a...
Nigerian National Assembly spends billions of naira on constitution review
The perennial constitution amendment exercise by the National Assembly is characterised by proposals that keep resurfacing despite gulping billions of naira yearly, an analysis has shown. The federal parliament had from the 5th to the current 9th National Assembly made several attempts to amend some provisions of the 1999 Constitution to no avail. At every session, the parliament officially spends N1 billion shared equally between the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are reports that the lawmakers spend more than what is appropriated for the exercise. While some amendments were successful, several others suffered serial failures but kept appearing in new proposals. Considering the huge spending, lawyers and civil society groups have pointed out that no significant amendments ...