State
Oyo joint security outfit nabs seven armed robbers
The Oyo State joint security outfit, Operation Burst, has apprehended seven suspected members of an armed robbery gang in Ibadan. The Director-General of the outfit, Col. James Ajibola (rtd.), while parading the suspects on Friday in Ibadan, said that they were nabbed by the operatives at Olomi area, Ibadan, during a night patrol. He said that his team was making frantic efforts to ensure that they fulfilled the mandate given to them by Gov. Seyi Makinde to combat crimes in the state. He said that Operation Burst came up after credible intelligence reports that areas like Olomi, Olodo and Olose, all in Ibadan, were being terrorised by armed robbers. Ajibola said that men of the outfit carried out surveillance of the areas during the day and later swung into action. He warned other armed ro...
Imo governor abolishes pensions, gratuities for former governors, speakers, deputies
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has assented to a bill repealing the law that created pension allowances and gratuities for former governors, deputy governors, assembly speakers and deputy speakers. Signing the bill into law in Owerri on Friday, the governor noted that the erstwhile law runs contrary to the 1999 Constitution as amended, which stipulates that a pensioner must have worked for at least 10 years and must be up to 45 years of age. He regretted a situation where some of the beneficiaries of such payments also get a huge amount of money as salaries and allowances in other positions they occupied, such as serving as senators or members of the House of Representatives. He said: “Apart from the inconsistency of such a law to the provisions of the ground norm, which is the Consti...
Sudan’s coronavirus cases climb to 3,378
Sudan’s Health Ministry on Friday announced 235 new infections with COVID-19 and 16 more deaths, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 3,378 and the death toll to 137. And 63 more patients have recovered, taking the total recoveries to 372, it said. On April 18, the Sudanese government imposed a three-week curfew on Khartoum State. The curfew had been extended for 10 days from May 9 and again for two weeks from May 18. Sudan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments on Friday said the Eid al-Fitr prayers will not be held at mosques and squares. The minister of religious affairs and endowments Nasr-Eddin Mofarah instructed all Muslims in the country to perform the prayers at home, saying that the decision was made to protect the citizens against the virus. Get more stori...
NAF deploys special forces, additional platforms to boost ongoing operations in Katsina
Authorities of the Nigerian Airforce on Friday said that following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive on the launch of a major crackdown against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in Katsina and other States in the North West of the Country, the NAF on 22 May 2020, injected Special Forces (SF) operatives and deployed additional platforms to Kastina State. NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said, “The arrangement is to consolidate on the already existing security architecture in the State to ensure the success of the ongoing renewed offensive against the armed bandits under the auspices of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ)-led Operation Hadarin Daji. Speaking during the deployment, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sa...
Eid-el-Fitri: Oyo governor felicitates Muslims, calls for prayers for state, Nigeria
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has congratulated Muslims in the state and beyond on the successful completion of the month-long Ramadan fasting. The governor expressed gratitude to Muslims and residents of the state for remaining steadfast despite the situation imposed on the state by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor equally rallied them to use the auspicious occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri to make supplications for themselves, the state and Nigeria. A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, quoted Governor Makinde as saying that it was regrettable that Muslims in the state and across the country cannot observe Eid-el-Fitri prayer this year the usual way, adding that the situation should be seen as “part of the sacrifice we all have to make at thi...
NIMASA dispatches team to investigate Ondo offshore fire
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has sent an investigative team to unravel the circumstances surrounding a recent fire incident at a wellhead offshore in Ondo State. The NIMASA Director-General, Dr Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this in a statement signed by Mr Philip Kyanet, NIMASA Head of Corporate Communications on Thursday in Lagos. Jamoh pointed out that the incident involved a barge belonging to Michharry and Company Nigeria Limited, an offshore and onshore facilities provider for the oil and gas industry. He noted that the officers from the Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standard Department (MSSSD) and Marine Environment Management (MEM) Department of the Agency would conduct both on-the-spot assessment and detailed analysis of the incident. “As the national agenc...
Minister lauds Kaduna, Imo, Katsina, Plateau governors for complying with right of way resolution
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has commended Governors El-Rufai, Uzodimma, Masari and Lalong for implementing Right of Way Resolution. The Minister in a statement signed by his Technical Assistant (Information Technology), Dr Femi Adeluyi, on Friday expressed delight with the strides that have been made by the Governors which he said aligned with the resolution of the State Governors under the auspices of the Governors’ Forum. Recall that the Governors’ Forum had on the 22nd of January 2020 agreed to address the lingering issue of Right of Way (RoW) charges in a bid to deepen broadband penetration in the country and promote a Digital Economy for a Digital Nigeria. At that meeting, the Executive Governors had resolved to adopt the 2013 reso...
Oyo state records 28 new coronavirus cases
Oyo State has recorded 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Thursday night. The 28 cases in the state were among the 339 figures recorded in 18 states on Thursday. The latest figure has increased the total number recorded in the state to 190. The recent daily increase in the number of people who tested positive to COVID-19 has created fear among residents, though the majority of them still go out without the use of face masks against the directive of the government. This nonchalant attitude of some of the residents had prompted the state COVID-19 Task Force to intensified sensitisation programme in the Oke-Ogun area of the state on Thursday, where it threatened to sanction erring members of the publ...
INEC approves new policy framework for Edo, Ondo states
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday approved a new policy framework known as Policy on Conducting Elections in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic. The commission, in a statement issued by Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in Abuja said the policy document would be released on May 25. Okoye said that the provisions would be applied to the conduct of governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States scheduled for Sept. 19 and Oct. 10, respectively, as well as other by-elections to be conducted soon in seven states. “The general purpose of the Policy is to enable officials and staff of the Commission to understand and respond adequately to the challenges of conducting elections in the context of the COVI...
Lagos discharges 13 more coronavirus patients
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced the discharge of 13 more Coronavirus patients who recovered from the virus. The governor said those discharged included nine male and four female, all Nigerians. Sanwo-Olu said they were discharged from the Onikan, Eti-Osa (Landmark), Lekki and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Isolation facilities to reunite with the society. In his words: “Good people of Lagos, today, 13 more COVID19Lagos patients; 9 male and 4 female, all Nigerians have been discharged from the Onikan, Eti-Osa (Landmark), Lekki and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Isolation facilities to reunite with the society. “The patients, 1 from the Onikan, 4 from Eti-Osa (Landmark), 3 from Lekki and 5 from LUTH Isolation Centres were discharged having...
Police arrest 413 lockdown violators, impound 98 vehicles in Kano
The Police Command in Kano State has arrested and prosecuted 413 violators and impounded 98 vehicles in one week, following the enforcement of total lockdown operations to control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Habu Ahmad, told newsmen on Thursday in Kano that the violators were held for disobeying interstate movement restriction order. Ahmad noted that the arrests were made after mapping the state, strategic deployments of both human and material assets of the command were made to 34 strategic points/areas across 17 front lines. “The front lines bordered Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa and Bauchi States and are mapped out to checkmate and enforce the interstate movement restriction order,” he said. According to him, 289 violators were arrested from Kaduna/Kano bou...
NCDC lauds Kwara over testing centre
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has commended efforts of the Kwara State Government in the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the state. The NCDC Team Leader, Dr Okoli Innocent, made the commendation when he led other members of the agency to inspect laboratories in preparation for establishing of Molecular Testing Centre in the state to test for the virus. Okoli explained that the Director-General of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, was appreciative of the present administration’s strides in the health sector. The team leader pledged NCDC’s support to the state in the fight against COVID-19. He added that NCDC was not surprised that the state was ranked fourth in preparation for health emergency in the country, given the availability of modern medical equipment. Kwa...
