VANG Ondo guber poll: Mimiko floors Oke, Akeredolu at S-Court ABUJA — The Supreme Court, yesterday, declined to order the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct fresh governorship election in Ondo State. In their unanimous judgment, a seven-man panel of justices of the apex court, affirmed Governor Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party as the bonafide winner of the gubernatorial election held in the state on October 20, 2012. Following the ruling, Chairman of Nigeria Governor’s Forum, NGF, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi, congratulated Governor Mimiko on his victory, saying the judiciary had come of age. The Supreme Court dismissed as lacking in merit, two separate appeals filed before it by Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and Chief Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. VANG Man, 22, docked over attempt to rape 80-yr-old blind woman GOMBE — Officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have arrested 22-year-old Mohammed Inuwa of Herwagana quarters, Gombe for attempting to rape an 80-year-old blind woman, Malama Hannutu Baba. The Gombe State Commander of NSCDC, Mr Joel Khestossen said, Tuesday, that the suspect was arrested on August 23. Khestossen said the suspect was charged to Kasuwan Shanu Magistrates’ court and later remanded in prison custody on the orders of the magistrate. According to him, the suspect gained entry into the blind woman’s house under the pretext of looking for one Kabiru Sani, a student of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Gombe. VANG 9-month-old baby burnt to death in Sapele SAPELE — A nine-month-old baby locked up in a house by her parents has been reported burnt to death. The girl’s mother was said to have gone to the market to earn a living by plaiting peoples’ hairs at Sapele yam garage while the father was also at work. The incident occurred at about 7.00pm, Wednesday. The whole building was brought to ruins as neighbours could not put out the fire while men of Sapele Fire Fighting Service arrived late. It was reported that the grand-father of the infant who was alerted of the incident was later involved in salvaging other parts of the building without knowing that his grand child had been consumed by the fire. When Vanguard visited the scene, neighbours and sympathizers where seen wailing over the loss of the baby just as household items littered the place. VANG Firms paid N6m ransom without police’s knowledge – CP YENAGOA — The police in Bayelsa State, yesterday, said the dredging firms whose workers were abducted last Friday by gunmen in the creek of Opuama in Southern Ijaw council area of the state paid N6 million ransom to the kidnappers without alerting them. The state Commissioner of Police, Hilary Okpara, who expressed dismay at the action of the firms said his men had fine-tuned strategies to storm the hoodlums’ hideout and effect the release of the workers, when the companies, Beks Nigerian Limited and Sidom Limited, went ahead to pay the ransom. Okpara disclosed this in Yenagoa while parading 20 suspects among them the alleged kidnappers, pipeline vandals and some of the killers of the 11 policemen in the creek of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. VANG Customs officer killed as mob avenges shooting of smuggler LAGOS — A Customs officer on his way to office at the Seme border post was, yesterday, killed while his car was burnt by a mob in revenge of the alleged shooting of a smuggler by another officer at the border post, earlier in the day. The deceased officer was said to have been accosted by the mob shortly after the shooting of the smuggler in front of Operation Two Area at the border. The smuggler, Vanguard gathered, attempted to bring bags of rice into the country from Benin Republic. The development was confirmed by the Seme Customs Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ernest Olottah, in a statement. VANG Police arrest 4 fake EFCC officials, 6 others The Kogi State Police Command on Thursday arrested four persons for allegedly attempting to defraud the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, posing as officials of the EFCC. The Acting Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Austin Evbakhavbakun, made the announcement in Lokoja when he paraded the suspects before newsmen. The suspects are Samuel Ogbebor, Daniel Njaiji, Agwai Peter and Jackson Umosen. Evbakhavbakun said that the suspects had also claimed to be officials of the Federal Ministry of Education who were on inspection in the institution. He said that the case was reported at the Idah Divisional Police Headquarters by the Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Matthew Akpata, on Aug. 28. THISDAY Strike: NLC Wades into FG-ASUU Impasse Worried by the turn of events in the lingering crises between the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would convince ASUU to return to the negotiation table and seek a permanent solution to the crises. Negotiations between the union and the government had been deadlocked with the union accusing the government of insincerity and the government accusing the union of deliberately frustrating peace moves. The President of the NLC, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, said this at a media briefing after an emergency meeting of the congress in Abuja yesterday where he lamented that the ongoing strike by ASUU had been allowed to drag this long. "We will engage ASUU in consultations to ensure that they return to the negotiation tables, not only to come back to the negotiation table but to engage in negotiations that will lead to lasting solution to the prolonged crises," he said. THISDAY Alison-Madueke: Nigeria, Angola Maintain Lead in Gulf of Guinea Oil Production The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said Nigeria and Angola are still the two dominant producers of crude oil from the Gulf of Guinea region. Alison-Madueke stated that out of the 15 countries, which make up the Gulf of Guinea region with about 5.4 million barrels per day (mbpd) of crude oil production in 2012, both countries accounted for 47 per cent and 34 per cent of its production respectively with Nigeria ahead of all. A statement from acting Group General Manager Public Affairs of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Tumini Green, yesterday in Abuja, quoted the minister as saying that oil supply from the Gulf of Guinea region in 2011 was equivalent to 27 per cent of European Union (EU) consumption and 29 per cent of total US petroleum consumption in the same year. Alison-Madueke, however, stated that such production capacity was been threatened by increasing insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, which had also seen ceaseless cases of hijacks, unauthorised vessel boarding and kidnapping in the region. She spoke at the First Nigerian Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel Africa Conference (OPV) in Lago, where she was represented by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Andrew Yakubu. THISDAY NRC Acquires New Locomotives, Machines In line with the transformation drive of President Goodluck Jonathan to effectively resuscitate the railway transport subsector, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has procured some new equipment including container traffic train, four new locomotives and two telescopic 100-tonnes cranes, which according to it, will enhance its operations and service to Nigerians. Managing Director of NRC, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, in his address at the recent inauguration of the machines at the Apapa port, explained that the container traffic train facilities would enhance train haulage services, thereby reducing carnage on the road caused majorly by trucks. He noted that the 4 locomotives acquired, known as the 23-class locomotives, which would be used for the goods and passenger train services would enhance the corporation quest to take its services to a new level, adding that the two telescopic 100-tonnes railway cranes, will help immensely in emergency situations on the tracks, as experts from China and Germany will arrive Nigeria soon to train the operators on how to efficiently handle the sophisticated cranes. THISDAY FG Urged to Reduce Cost of Aviation Fuel Managing Director, Med View Airlines, Mr. Munir Bankole, has called on the Federal Government to intervene in the scarcity and high cost of aviation fuel in Nigeria which is arguably the highest in any country that is in peace in the world. Bankole, who made the call in Lagos when he took delivery of an additional Boeing 737-500 series aircraft with registration No. 5N-BQM from France, remarked that the paucity of aviation fuel and the attendant high cost is the major challenge airline operators grapple. He said the high cost of fuel influences air fares which is said to be on the high side and thus reduce the number of Nigerians who travel by air. Bankole also noted that the problem of inadequate and high cost of aviation fuel has reached a national issue. He therefore, called on the government to help domestic airlines in the country by giving the major fuel suppliers some window that would make the products easily accessible and available to airlines operators in the country. PUN French to be part of UTME from 2014 – Minister Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’I, said on Thursday in Abuja that French language would be part of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as from 2014 for interested candidates, the News Agency of Nigeria reports. Rufa’I said this at a reception held in honour of the French Language Project Manager, Mr. Jean-Phillipe Roy. She said that being multi-lingual in the 21st Century was essential as it helps individuals to operate more effectively in the international community. “For Nigeria, the study of French language is quite key, considering the fact that our neighbouring countries are French-speaking. Apart from the English language, French language is one of the major international languages,” she said. She said Roy came to Nigeria in 2009 under the second Bilateral Agreement between Nigeria and French. PUN Two brothers arrested for beating tailor to death The Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State, has apprehended two brothers, Wasiu Bada and Nurudeen Bada, for the alleged murder of a 32-year-old tailor. According to the police, the suspects and others at large were seen beating the deceased, Quadri Busari, with iron rods and clubs. PUNCH Metro learnt that the fight broke out after Busari had a disagreement with the culprits over the location of a grave on Ogun River Road, Isheri Oke, Church area of the state. A lawyer, Mr. Lekan Odunsi, who spoke on behalf of the Busari family, said the fight was also related to a scuffle between Olofin and Oshorun families over the right to the monarchy in the area. Odunsi said, “Two families are involved in a scuffle over the kingship title in the area. The Olofin of Isheri ruled from 1901 to 1923 and he was buried next to Busari’s house. Busari happens to be a descendant of the late king.
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 10:26:08 +0000
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