Publication
Zimbabwean vice president accused of soliciting sex at his office
Zimbabwe’s 71-year-old Vice President Kembo Mohadi on Wednesday refuted accusations of sexual misconduct by an online news outlet, saying he is the victim of “political machinations”. An online publication ZimLive has in recent days published audio recordings of phone conversations it claims are of Mohadi apparently soliciting sex from several women including, a married junior intelligence officer in his office. In one of the racy audios, a man can be heard scheduling to have sex at his office. Reading out a statement, at a news conference, Mohadi “categorically” distanced himself from the “imagined immoral behaviour”, and accused unnamed political opponents of waging a voice morphing campaign to discredit him. Victim “I am innocent and a victim of political machinations being peddled thro...
IGP sues Sahara Reporters, publisher over tenure extension bribe report
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has instructed his team of lawyers to commence legal action against the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, over a report by the medium wherein the IGP was alleged to have expended N2 billion on his purported quest to get a one-year tenure extension at the helms of the Nigeria Police Force, spokesman, Frank Mba said on Monday. Adamu was due to retire from the service on February 1 but his tenure has now been extended by President Muhammadu Buhari, albeit under controversial circumstances. Mba, in a statement in Abuja said the three-month extension of tenure of the Inspector General of Police (I-G), Mohammed Adamu, is strictly the prerogative of the President which needed no bribe to effect. He said the reports in some sections of ...
Ex-APC chairman speaks on ‘crisis’ in Ebonyi chapter
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State, Eze Nwachukwu, has refuted media report about leadership crisis in the state chapter of the party. Mr Nwachukwu, who is the commissioner for Inter-Governmental Affairs in the state, is the immediate past chairman of APC in the state. “It has become expedient that I react to the publication alleging leadership crisis in our great party over the appointment of Okoro-Emegha as chairman, Caretaker Committee of APC in Ebonyi. “I am the immediate past chairman of APC and the emergence of Okoro-Emegha as the current chairman, caretaker committee is a welcome development and it followed laid down legal and constitutional provisions of our party,” Mr Nwachukwu said on Saturday at a press briefing in Abakaliki. Continuing, the forme...
Ebonyi governor vows to prosecute officials linked to communal crisis
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has vowed to arrest and prosecute people, including government officials, linked to the communal crisis involving Effium and Ezza Effium indigenes of Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state. Over 60 people have been arrested, according to newsmen. The police have confirmed that eight people died, while several houses have been razed in the crisis caused by a leadership dispute at a local motor park, newsmen reported. Even government officials involved in the carnage would not be spared, Mr Umahi said on Monday during a tour of the affected community. “All political appointments and developmental projects being executed in the crisis area should be suspended until permanent peace returns to the area,” the governor said, adding that a judicial panel of...
Ohanaeze election: Uche Okwukwu, Richard Ozobu risk contempt of court – Ikedi Ohakim
File Photo For asking the court to stop the Ohanaeze general election, former Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, has warned that Mr. Uche Okwukwu and Prince Richard Ozobu, risk being dragged to court for alleged contempt. In a court process filed before an Umuahia High Court, on Wednesday, Okwukwu, an embattled secretary-general of Ohanaeze is seeking an order of court stopping the election committee raised by the Ime-Obi led by Ohanaeze President-General, Chief John Nnia Nwodo from conducting the election. He wants the court to allow his election committee chaired by Prince Ozobu to conduct the election. Looking at the issue, Chief Ohakim, in a press statement, hinged his warning on “an online publication made by Uche Okwukwu, the suspended Secretary General of Ohanaeze”. His word...
Police: Only 10 suspects escaped from Benin facility
The Police Command in Edo on Monday said only 10 suspects -two of whom have been rearrested, escaped from its cell at the Command Headquarters in Benin. A statement from the command’s spokesman, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said the incident occurred at about 02:45 hours of Friday, January 1. Mr. Nwabuzor said the command decided to set the record straight, contrary to publications that had gone viral on social media and other platforms alleging that hundreds of armed robbery and kidnapping suspects had escaped. “Only 10 suspects escaped after the cell break, two of the escapees have already been rearrested while we have intensified hunt for the remaining eight,” the statement read. It said that the publication on social media and other platforms alleging that hundreds of suspected armed robbers and...
VP Osinbajo urges destination countries to insist on repatriation of illicit funds
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged leaders of destination countries to insist on repatriation of illicit funds and proceeds. Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the Vice President made the submission at the virtual inauguration of a publication by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the impact of illicit financial flows (IFFs) on African Development. Osinbajo called for an overhaul of the international tax system in order to tackle the scourge. “The enormity of efforts required to tackle illicit financial flows is evident in the many dimensions the scourge presents itself. “It manifests through harmful tax policies and practices, abusive transfer pricing, trade mis-pricing and mis-invoicing illegal exploitation of natural resou...
Lagos financially, economically viable – official
Contrary to the publication by BudgIT, a public finance analyst, the Lagos State Government said it is economically and financially solid. The state Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, made the assertion in a statement on Monday in reaction to BudgIT, publication, titled: ‘Ability of States to Meet Monthly Recurrent Expenditure and Loan Repayment Obligations, 2019’, which the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, administration described as “misinformation”. According to Olowo, BudgIT has apologized for its error in the report. According to Olowo, the facts are: “Lagos State continues to meet all its recurrent and loan service obligations and the information that was published in incorrect, inaccurate and a gross distortion of the actual facts. “The accurate information that ought to ...
NPA: 20 ships discharging petrol other items at Lagos port
Agence France-Presse The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Monday said that 20 ships at the Lagos ports were discharging petroleum products and food stuff. The NPA made this known in its publication, `Shipping Position’, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Lagos. It listed the contents of the ship as general cargo, containers, bulk wheat, petrol, frozen fish, butane gas, bulk sugar, maize, bulk salt and automobile gasoline. It said that other 12 ships had arrived the ports, waiting to berth with containers, bulk wheat, and general cargo. The authority said it was expecting 13 other ships with petroleum products, food items and other goods from Sept. 21 to 30. It said that the ships contained bulk wheat, bulk sugar, petrol, bulk gypsum, frozen fish, maize, bulk salt and general...
NDLEA clarifies stand on drug integrity test for intending couples
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has shed light on the “drug integrity test” for intending couples. The Head of Public Affairs, NDLEA, Mr Jonah Achema, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja said that what the agency proposed was totally different from what was reported. Achema said that the clarification became necessary following the report circulating on the media that the agency was to conduct drug tests for ladies before marriage. NAN gathered that a report had been circulating on social media by an online publication that the NDLEA would conduct a drug integrity test for ladies before marriage. According to Achema, the attention of the NDLEA has been drawn to the barrage of reactions to a report by an online publication. “This in which was wrongly credited to the Chairma...
South West NULGE disowns former secretary over inauguration of caretaker committee
File Photo The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) weekend disowned a retired Deputy National secretary of the Union, Comrade Rasaki Lawal, for putting in place a caretaker committee. It expressed worries over Lawal alleged activities to create unnecessary leadership crisis in the Union even after his retirement. This was contained in a communiqué issued by the Southwest leaders of the union at a meeting attended by the six Presidents in the zone in Akure. In a Communiqué signed by the leaders, the Zone explained that despite the hands of brotherhood extended to Rasaq Lawal, he never rescinded on his anti-union actions of allegedly creating rancour within the rank and file of the union in the zone and throughout the country in general The Southwest Leaders, therefore, enjoi...
France to tighten legislation on incest – president
France will tighten its laws on incest, President Emmanuel Macron said in a series of tweets on Saturday, after publication of a book accusing a top French political commentator of abusing his stepson sparked outrage across the country. Macron said on his Twitter account that France needs to adapt its laws to better protect children from sexual violence and he had asked the justice minister to chair a consultation aimed at quickly making legislative proposals. “We will go after the aggressors,” Macron said. Macron said France had already increased the statute of limitations on incest to 30 years, counted from the legal age of majority of the victim, and had tightened controls on people working with children, but he said much more needed to be done. He said that as part of current routine m...