Trailer kills conductor in Lagos this morning

A trailer conductor was killed this morning at Coker along the Badagry expressway in Lagos. Eyewitnesses say the unidentified conductor had called on a trailer driver to help him move his own trailer forward so he can offload the goods in his trailer. As the driver tried moving the vehicle, he suffered brake failure and pressed the conductor against another trailer. The deceased died instantly.

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Photos: 23 year old Benue State first female Nigerian pilot

Rosemary Sugh, a 23-year old graduate of Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, was born on November 14, 1992...and according to an interview she granted last year, she has flown three planes so far, a TD9, a TD20, and a Multi Engine, B68. Speaking about why she became a pilot, Rosemary, who is from Kwande local government area of Benue state. said;

It was my childhood determination. When I look up and see planes flying and making noise , I was like, God, I have to be a pilot. And it helped me in the sense that the kind of movies I watched, one of the movies was Starship Trooper. There was a lot of discouragement from my parents and other people. They assumed that if you are a lady and you are a pilot, you may not marry, you can’t cope with marriage. So, when I saw a lady in that Starship Trooper, I was moved. I said wow, if this girl can fly, then I can fly. And I put it into prayers, despite all the obstacles and discouragement."

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Photo: 3 students to face murder charges over dormitory fire that killed 3 students

Following a school fire that killed three students of Stephjoy Boy High School, Kenya, (read here), 3 students of the school have been arrested and will be charged with murder.

The initial death toll rose from two to three when another severely injured student, Zachary Njoroge died while undergoing treatment at the Kenyatta Nation National Hospital on Monday night.

According to NationFM, nine other students who were arrested alongside the three were released by police this morning after investigations vindicated them.

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We won’t stop ex-militants’ meeting – Presidency

The Presidency on Friday said there was no plan to disrupt a meeting of top ex-Niger Delta militants previously scheduled to hold in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Saturday (today).

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this in an interview with Saturday PUNCH.

One of the top ex-militants in the Niger Delta, Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo), had on Thursday called the ex-commanders of militant groups in the oil rich region to an urgent and “crucial” meeting.

There has been apprehension that the meeting could lead to another violent protest in the Niger Delta.

But Adesina told Saturday PUNCH that the government would not stop the meeting because of its respect for the freedom of association.

When asked to comment on the fact that the meeting was convened amidst complaints of perceived neglect of the Niger Delta amnesty programme by the present administration, the presidential spokesperson said he would not pre-empt the meeting.

He said he would make a comment when the meeting comes out with a resolution and he felt he must react to it.

Adesina said, “Let us not pre-empt that meeting. Let it hold because there is freedom of association.

“When they meet and come out with a position, if there is the need to respond, we will do so.

“This is a democracy. We will not stop them.”

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I won’t short-change any zone –Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Presidency on Friday said that President Muhammadu Buhari would not short-change any part of the country on account of the voting pattern in the March 28 presidential election.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said this in an interview with Saturday PUNCH in Abuja.

He stated that contrary to the news making the rounds on a statement made by the President in the United States, no part of the country would be denied of the dividends of democracy.

But the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, advised the President against neglecting any part of the country, no matter how insignificant the contribution of such area to his victory.

The spokesperson for the group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, stated this in a telephone interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, when he commented on a statement attributed to Buhari in the US.

Buhari, had during a question and answer session with journalists in the US on July 22, said, “(Going by election results), constituencies that gave me 95 per cent cannot in all honesty be treated, on some issues, with constituencies that gave me five per cent. I think these are political realities. While, certainly there will be justice for everybody but the people who voted, and made their votes count, they must feel the government has appreciated the effort they put in putting the government in place.”

But the Presidency said those who have been making issues out of the comment had deliberately refused to include the President’s concluding statement on the issue.

He said the balanced perspective of what the President said was that it is natural politically to give more to those who supported him but then those who did not support him would not get anything less, because the constitution already protected them.

The presidential spokesman said, “People should just have been patient to listen to the entire trend.

“The President said it truly that people who gave him 95 per cent may get more attention in terms of reward and all that.

“But he also said that fortunately, the constitution has guaranteed the rights of every part of the country.

“What that means then is that even those who voted five per cent will get their dues and will not get things commensurate with five per cent votes.

“Some people deliberately decided to take part of what he said and refused to balance it.

“The balanced perspective of what the President said is that it is natural politically to give more to those who supported him but then those who did not support him will not be given the shorter end of the stick because the constitution already protected them.”

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Don’t intimidate us with EFCC, PDP senators warn FG

Senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have warned the Federal Government against using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to intimidate them, vowing to resist such attempt.

They asked President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that some people do not use his name to misuse state machinery in fighting their perceived political opponents in the guise of waging anti-corruption war.

A statement on Friday by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, on behalf of PDP Like Mind Senators, said any attempt to unleash the anti-graft agencies on members of the National Assembly as a result of the leadership crisis rocking the legislative chamber would not only be constitutionally and lawfully resisted, but could have dire consequences on governance in the country.

The statement read, “As much as we are not against the anti-corruption agencies performing their statutory duties, the invitation by EFCC to the wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, clearly indicated that the threat by a group within the National Assembly to use all means to fight the National Assembly leadership is now being carried out.

“Nigerians should ask the EFCC what it was waiting for all this while before realising that it would need to invite Mrs. Saraki when she left the Government House with her husband in 2011. And why should the invitation come a few days after a senator threatened that his group would bring the senate president down?

“We also think that the same witch-hunt that the wife of the senate president is suffering now is the same thing happening to his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who the police have been disturbing. But at the right time, we will jointly make our opinion known on the harassment of our leaders.”

The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Friday said the invitation of Mrs. Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was politically motivated.

But during a media briefing in Ilorin after the state APC’s executive meeting, the state APC Chairman, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, described the EFCC’s invitation as a calculated attempt to dent the image of the senate president and his wife.

He cautioned EFCC to avoid being used for political vendetta.

Balogun-Fulani said, “The EFCC’s invitation of Mrs. Saraki was a shock to the APC in Kwara State because five years after her husband left office as the governor, the anti-graft agency thought it wise to invite his wife for questioning.”

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NASS crisis: Pressure mounts on Lasun to step down

The All Progressives Congress is said to be mounting pressure on the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, to step down to allow another zone other than the South-West occupy the position.

This, it was gathered, was part of the options being considered to end the leadership crisis in the House of Representatives.

Towards this end, the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; his deputy Lasun and the Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, held separate meetings with the party chairman in his office in Abuja, on Friday.

After Dogara’s meeting with the chairman, neither he nor the chairman agreed to speak with journalists at the party’s secretariat.

Odigie-Oyegun later met with Lasun before they were joined by Aregbesola. They also declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.

Although details of the meeting are still shrouded in secrecy, it was learnt that Lasun was being urged to step down to enable the South-West where he comes from produce the Majority Leader of the House.

Attempts to reach the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, were unsuccessful, as he had yet to return from his trip abroad.

When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Wale Oladimeji, said, “While it is true that the deputy speaker, Aregbesola and Odigie-Oyegun met,   I don’t know where information asking Lasun to step down is coming from.”

Dogara had earlier written a letter to the party’s national chairman explaining his position on the distribution of the remaining leadership positions after the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

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Buhari’s anti-terror strategy working – APC

National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Lai Mohammed

The National Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the recent successes recorded against Boko Haram is a product of a methodical and focused approach adopted by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

Mohammed explained that unlike what obtained in the recent past, the sect no longer controls an inch of Nigerian territory; hence members of the sect had resorted to “lone wolf” suicide attacks on soft targets.

The APC Spokesperson said this in an address he presented at a dinner organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja, on Thursday.

Mohammed, who was conferred with the award of Fellow of the NUJ for his contributions to the advancement of the journalism profession, said the Nigerian media had come of age.

According to him, the Nigerian mass media deserves all the accolades given to it because practitioners have over the years contributed immensely to nation building.

While commending the media for its coverage of the insurgency in the North-East, he said, “It is not just enough for the media to daily chronicle the attacks and the death tolls there from, they must also contextualise such reporting.

“In other words, whereas there appears to have been a spike in Boko Haram attacks in recent times, what is indeed happening is that the terrorists have been forced to change tactics, because they have been weakened and put on the run.”

He also said, “Lone wolf suicide bombings and the choice of soft targets by retreating Boko Haram members are now the order of the day, as against the terrorists’ previous coordinated actions of seizing and holding territories.

“Today, not a single local government in Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram, unlike in the recent past when they held a huge swath of territory, installed their own emirs and even collected taxes.

“This is not an accident. It is a result of the more methodical and focused approach of the present administration to the anti-terror fight, which includes the tightening of security at border locations that has made it difficult for the terrorists to manoeuvre. This approach is a far cry from the previous haphazard activities.”

Mohammmed also noted that the necessary structures for the effective coordination of the battle against the terrorists have been put in place both within and outside the country. He said credit for this should go to the regional rallying efforts of the Buhari administration.

The APC spokesman explained that vital international input and support have become more real and are adding value to the counter-terrorism campaign.

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Osun got N204bn in four years, says Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbsola, on Friday insisted that his administration got N204bn from the Federation Accounts and Internally Generated Revenue since the inception of his administration to the end of 2014.

The governor stated this in reaction to a claim by a former Head of Service in the state, Mr. Segun Akinwusi, over the revenue status of the state.

Adewusi, who contested the governorship election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party in 2014, had said in a speech he delivered at the summit organised by the Osun Stakeholders that the state got N317bn in four years.

But in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo, the governor’s media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said, “Segun Akinwusi is inconsistent and that is highly nauseating considering the fact that he rose to become the Head of Service of Osun State.

“In May, he raised a false alarm that Aregbesola should account for N846bn he had collected as allocation in the last four years.

“The same Akinwusi said Aregbesola had collected N317bn in four years. Which one does he want Nigerians to believe?

“The facts that are verifiable state that Osun got from the Federation Account N177bn and when you add the unprecedented about N27bn IGR in the same period to that, you get the N204bn.”

Meanwhile, the governor said Osun State still remained investors-friendly despite attempts by the opponents to speak ill of his administration.

The Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, disclosed the position of the governor while opening the 42nd edition of the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria which commenced in Osogbo on Friday.

He said, “You have come to Osun State and you can see for yourselves whether the impression of a famine-gripped state painted by our political opponents are reflected in the faces of the accommodating people you see around.

“The economic challenge of Nigeria must be seen for what it is: a general crisis for which a state or a governor cannot be picked as the scapegoat. Unfortunately, that has remained the agenda of those who feel it is possible to destroy the efforts that had in recent years advertised our state as a pride of the Black race.”

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FG’s probe is selective, says Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said the announcement by the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to probe the immediate past Peoples Democratic Party government headed by Goodluck Jonathan is mere “playing to the gallery.”

The governor, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said, “There is no need announcing the intended probe in the media. Rather, the Federal Government should just go ahead and carry out the probe.”

The governor, who advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to embark on selective probe, said it was obvious the probe was selective.

The statement said, “From all indications, it is obvious that the probe they are talking about is targeted at some people and if the activities of anti-graft agencies during the tenure of President Buhari are going to be selective, the president should know that the world is watching.

“Nigerians should not be probed on the pages of newspapers. Rather, the anti-graft agencies should do their jobs quietly, diligently and in accordance with the laws of the country, not as dictated by any individual or political party.

“If there must be any probe, Nigerians want a general probe, not a probe targeted only at PDP supporters, those who served in Jonathan’s government and those seen as not agreeing with the APC positions on the National Assembly.

“However, if what they believe should be done is a selective probe, those now holding power in Abuja should know that what goes around will surely come around and it is just a matter of time.”

Fayose urged the President to pay more attention to governance, especially the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, the waning fortunes of the naira and most importantly be guided by the rule of law.

“This is because four years is a very short period and time is already going. Before you sleep and wake up, four years will be gone and Nigerians will rate the government based on how well the government bettered their lives, not how many perceived enemies were hunted with anti-graft agencies.”

Fayose noted that God was already vindicating Jonathan by elevating those who worked with him, saying, “As opposition party, the APC disparaged Jonathan and those who worked with him. Now that the party is in power, they are still doing the same, behaving as if the party is still in opposition.”

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Army retires 11 generals

Retired generals of the Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps being pulled out in Lagos ...on Friday

The Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps has pulled out 11 generals in Lagos on Friday.

Of the retired officers were eight Major-Generals and three Brigadier-Generals, who were said to have retired between 2013 and 2015.

The Major-Generals are Manhood Yerima, Abiodun Amao, Olayemi Abidoye, Boniface Azurunwa, Adekunle Martins, Christian Ugwu, Bode Ogini and Mashudy Adekanye.

The Brigadier-Generals are A.O Kachallah, Godfrey Nwafor and Gabriel Oladipo.

In a valedictory speech, a former Chief of Training and Operations, Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Manhood Yerima, expressed appreciation for the gesture.

Yerima pledged that the retired officers would continue to keep the Nigerian flag high.

He advised the serving military personnel to continue to be loyal and be extra-vigilant.

He said, “Your loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria can best be given through vigilance and security consciousness.

“You must continue to demonstrate total commitment to your duty to the nation just as you have exemplified in your recent successes in the fight against terrorism in the North-East.

“The Nigerian people, especially the retirees are expecting a lot from you in the face of the current insurgency.

“Your secondary role is to assist the government in ensuring internal peace and your involvement in internal security duties demand all of you to be non-partisan.’’

Yerima expressed the conviction that the Nigerian military would overcome the current security challenges in the country.

Other retirees also expressed their gratitude to the army and Nigerians for the opportunity to serve the country.

The Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, who was represented at the event by the General Officer Commanding, 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Tamunomiebi Dibi, wished the retired officers well in their post service years.

The PUNCH had reported that the appointment of Buratai as the new Chief of Army Staff would lead to possible retirements in the Army because there is a difference of five years in hierarchy between the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, and his successor.

Apart from a few members of the Course 25 who are still in the service, there are also other officers from Courses 26, 27, 28 and 29. Buratai’s emergence may affect some of them.

Investigations revealed that about 30 Major-Generals who are either senior in hierarchy or who belonged to the same course as Buratai may retire from the service.

It is the tradition of the Army that a senior is not left in the service to salute his subordinate.

A source, who confided in one of our correspondents, said not all the Major-Generals in that hierarchy would go as some of them who are junior to the Chief of Defence Staff, who is of Course 26, could be moved to the Defence Headquarters and other tri-service institutions of the Armed Forces.

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We’re changing tactics on B’Haram – CAS

THE Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, has said that the Nigerian Air Force is developing a strategy in its fight against Boko Haram and other threats to security of lives and property in the North-East and Niger Delta regions.

Abubakar, who was on an operational visit to 97 Special Operations Group in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, as part of his tour to the units under his tactical commands, expressed the need for the Nigerian Air Force to evaluate past performances and improve on areas of necessity.

He stated that such a step would provide an effective force to tackle security challenges in both regions, adding that he was in the state capital to have a look at the officers, men and assets of the Nigerian Air Force.

“What I can assure you is that we are doing everything possible to evaluate what has been done in the past with a view to re-strategising so that we have a very effective force to deal with security challenges both in the Niger Delta and the North-East.

“We are trying to look at processes. What have we been doing in the past? What do we need to do more to be more effective? That is why this is the second unit I am visiting since I came into office.

“I am in Port Harcourt to look at our men, look at our assets, officers and men who have been contributing so much in terms of dealing with the security challenges; to also see what assets we need to bring in more to enhance our effectiveness in dealing with these challenges,” Abubakar said.

The Chief of Air Staff, who spoke on the rot in the system, explained that there was no perfect system anywhere in the world, maintaining that evaluation was necessary to identify areas of deficiencies with a view to improving on them.

Abubakar pointed out that pilots operating in the North-East were careful in order to avoid collateral damages, adding that such a measure was in line with international laws.

He disclosed that the Nigerian Air Force was still attacking Boko Haram enclaves with caution so as not to breach international laws.

He said, “There is no system that is perfect. We can look at the system we are operating and evaluate it with a view to identifying areas of deficiencies and recognising that there are deficiencies.

“The Air Force is still attacking even this morning (Wednesday). We have been avoiding collateral damages and that is very important to us. We have been stressing on this to our pilots; we are telling our pilots to respect the international laws in regard to arms conflicts.”

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First class graduates to serve in varsities — NYSC

The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig.-Gen.Johnson Olawumi, said on Wednesday in Kaduna that prospective corps members with First Class degrees would henceforth be posted to universities for their primary assignments.

Also to be posted to the universities, according to Olawumi, are corps members who graduated with distinction from polytechnics.

This is just as the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, stressed the need for positive orientation of corps members across the country.

The governor, through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youths and Sports, Kaduna State, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe-Musa, also hailed the decision to deploy first class graduates to tertiary institutions to serve.

He added that with the lack of lecturers in the nation’s institutions of higher learning, the decision was a welcome development.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 2015 Batch ‘B’pre-orientation workshop, the DG also disclosed that Nigerian universities had been banned from offering postgraduate admission to serving corps members.

Olawunmi noted that doing so had over the years violated the NYSC Act and brought in unwarranted distraction to the programme.

The pre-mobilisation workshop was tagged, “ICT and NYSC mobilisation process: Towards eliminating identified challenges.”

“All first class graduates will be posted to the universities for their primary assignments,” the DG said.

He also appealed to vice-chancellors to retain first class/distinction gradautes after their NYSC programme.

He noted that the use of ICT had eliminated registration by proxy, reduced costs, curbed avoidable accidents, fast-tracked the payment of corps members on relocation and made deployment and relocation easier and faster.

Also speaking, the Director of Corps Mobilisation, Mr. Anthony Ani, explained at the event that the pre-mobilisation workshop would enable the corps members to “resolve critical issues arising from poor data entry for the Senate Approved List of prospective corps members.”

Ani said, “The workshop would equally review the list of approved corps-producing institutions and the list of accredited courses of such institutions and resolve issues of identified discrepancies arising in the process.

“The workshop would also revisit problems associated with JAMB numbers, wrong entry of dates of birth of prospective corps members and admissions into our higher institutions as well as issues of outright manipulation of data sent to the NYSC by the corps-producing institutions.”

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DSS releases Obua after six days in detention

The Department of State Services has released Gordon Obua, the Chief Security Officer to former president Good luck Jonathan, after spending six days in detention.

Obua was released on Tuesday night hours after addressing a press conference to dispel rumours that he had died in custody.

Sources said that the DSS operative was allowed to go home around 10pm.

The CSO had told journalists that he was being debriefed by the agency after completing his tour of duty at the Presidential Villa.

There had been reports that Obua’s detention was in connection with investigation into security vote, alleged financial mismanagement and money laundering at Aso Villa under his watch as CSO.

The DSS operative, who suffers from diabetes and hypertension, took ill on Monday and was reportedly treated at a hospital.

His ill-health raised speculations that he might have died in custody prompting the management of the DSS to hurriedly organise a press conference to debunk the rumours and anxiety.

Obua had told journalists that he was alive and healthy, adding that the DSS management treated him well.

“This morning, my attention was drawn to the fact that I have died in detention. This has caused serious anxiety within the public. I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians, members of my family and all concerned citizens that I’m healthy. I’m an employee of the Department of State Services and having completed my tour of duty as the chief security officer to the last President, the service feels that I should give account of my tenure,” he had said.

The DSS could not be reached for comment on Wednesday as it had yet to appoint a spokesperson.

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Alleged killer of Lagos lawyer pleads not guilty

The 24-year-old man, Oluwaseun Oladapo, charged with the killing of a Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Kunle Fadipe, said on Wednesday that he was not guilty.

The accused has also been charged with the killing of Fadipe’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Cecilia Owolabi.

He was re-arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.

He pleaded not guilty to each of the five counts filed against him by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

The said counts bordered on murder, robbery and assault occasioning harm, said to be contrary to sections 221, 295 (2)(a) and 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The prosecution had alleged that the accused person, while armed with a knife on the night of July 4, 2014, invaded Fadipe’s house at Harmony Estate, Ifako-Ijaiye, robbed the victim of huge sums of money and thereafter stabbed him with a knife, leading to Fadipe’s death.

The charges read in part, “That you, Oluwaseun Oladapo, on the 4th day of July 2014, at about 3am, at No. 1 Harmony Estate, Ifako-Ijaiye, Iju, Lagos, in the Ikeja Judicial Division, while armed with a weapon to wit; a knife, and murdered one Cecilia Owolabi by stabbing her in the chest; and assaulted one Abiola Owolabi and Folahanmi Fadipe by stabbing them with a knife.”

After the plea of the accused had been taken, the prosecution, led by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Idowu Alakija, informed the court that it was ready to open trial.

But counsel for the accused, Worer Obuagbaka, told the court that he needed time to study the file and prepare for the defence of his client.

Obuagbaka said, “The proof of evidence was served on me this morning. My perusal of the proof of evidence showed that there was autopsy report available. This is a serious offence and the defendant needs adequate time to prepare for the trial.”

After listening to the parties, Ipaye adjourned till August 17 and 18 for trial to commence.

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Buhari insincere in his corruption fight, says PDP

THE Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being selective and insincere in his fight against corruption.

The state PDP said in a statement that its allegation was based on the President’s inaction over the looting of public facilities and siphoning of state funds by the administration of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

It said that Buhari had continued to shield the former governor, citing Amaechi’s inclusion in the Presidential team to the United States of America as evidence of presidential cover.

The statement read, “Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party frowns at the manner President Buhari appears to be carrying on his anti-corruption activities, describing such action as selective, insincere and ill-conceived.

“The PDP says its position is based on the fact that in spite of the obvious cases of looting of public facilities, siphoning of Rivers State funds, fraudulent sales of state-owned establishments and monumental financial frauds committed by Rotimi Amaechi and his administration in Rivers State and for which a Judicial Commission of Inquiry has been duly set up by the present administration to investigate the former governor. The President has continued to shield the former governor, the latest of which is his inclusion in the Presidential team to the United States to meet with President Obama.”

The state PDP argued that if the President had been sincere and dispassionate in his efforts to bring to book corrupt leaders in the country, Amaechi would not be ‘dining’ and having ‘complimentary handshakes’ with Buhari at the Presidential villa.

“If President Buhari was also serious and had not marked certain citizens, particularly members of the PDP and those that served under former President Goodluck Jonathan for his selective punitive actions, Rotimi Amaechi will not be flying abroad with him, but would be made to answer corruption charges against him and his administration,” the statement added.

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One dies in Ogun explosion

One person was killed on Wednesday while two other persons were injured in an explosion at a government underground petroleum storage facility in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The petroleum storage site under construction was located within the old premises of the Ogun State Road Maintenance Agency, along Quarry Road in Abeokuta.

According to eyewitnesses, mainly the bricklayers working at the construction site, the victims were working on the three underground tankers being relocated from the government fuel dumps at the old secretariat when the explosion occurred.

Other workers around the scene of the incident told journalists that the explosion could be due to the improper management of the welding works by the contractor.

It took the timely intervention of the men of the state fire service to put off the fire from the explosion.

Some of the fire service personnel, who briefed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Kayode Ademolake,   and other government officials at the scene of the incident, blamed the explosion on the non-observance of rules guiding welding works around such facility.

The corpse of the dead victim was evacuated from the underground tunnel by policemen from the Adigbe Police Station, with the assistance of the fire fighters.

Those injured were also taken to the State General Hospital at Ijaiye, Abeokuta.

The explosion also reportedly damaged the windows of some structures within the old OGROMA complex.

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Nigerian girls rescued from prostitution in Burkina Faso

Six Nigerian women have been sent back to the country from the Burkina Faso where they were allegedly taken to for prostitution by a woman, named Balikis.

While re-uniting the girls with their parents in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Oyo State Command, Innocent Akatu, said the girls were tricked to leave Nigeria, adding that the victims did not tell their parents about the journey.

Akatu said the girls refused to engage in prostitution in Ouagadougu, Burkina Fasso, and were locked in a room by the trafficker.

He added that their journey back home after three weeks began when one of them escaped and alerted the Burkinabe police.

He said, “The victims, after being smuggled to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, discovered that they were going to be used for prostitution. They were not even told that they were going to Burkina Faso. These girls were told that they would be given lucrative jobs abroad; one of them was told that she was going to manage a jewellery shop owned by her trafficker.

“One of them was taken from her home in Ikorodu, Lagos State, and driven to Saki in Oyo State. When she asked why it had taken them so long to reach the airport, she was told that the plane had left and that they would have to travel by road.

“The Nigerian embassy assisted in arranging emergency travelling documents for them to return to Nigeria after their lucky escape. We have taken them to the hospital for screening and they are HIV negative.”

One of the returnees, Ganiyat Samuel, said she lived with her grandmother in Ikorodu before she embarked on the journey.

She said, “A woman, called Balikis, came to me and said that I would make more money as a fashion designer if I travel outside Nigeria. I told her that I had no passport, but she said that she would take care of it. I did not tell any of my parents.

“When we got to Saki, she said she could not get a passport for me because the office had closed. We travelled for two days to get to Burkina Faso. She took me to her house and told me that I would have to do HIV test. The test revealed that I was pregnant, but HIV negative. She told me that she brought me to the country for prostitution and that I would have to abort the pregnancy. I refused and she locked me in a room. When she brought another Nigerian a week later, I helped the girl to escape and she alerted the police. The police rescued us and arrested the woman.”

Samuel’s mother, Olasunkanmi Afuwape, said her father had died and after she re-married, she took the girl and her brother to live with her mother in Ikorodu.

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Man jailed for stealing battery, attempted escape

The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned a man, Dayo Abdullahi, before an Ogudu Magistrate’s Court for allegedly stealing a car battery.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the battery, which belonged to one Musa Sanud and valued at N14,000, was allegedly stolen at about 6.30am at the Ojota area of the state.

The charge read, “That you, Dayo Abdullahi, of no fixed address, on July 21, 2015, at about 6.30am at Ojota, Lagos, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did steal a Volvo car battery, valued at N14,000, property of one Musa Sanud, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”

The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year imprisonment by the magistrate, Mrs. O. Sule-Amzat.

However, in a dramatic twist, Abdullahi allegedly attempted to escape from custody, while his papers were being processed at about 2.40pm.

It was gathered that the convict attempted to escape by breaking the ceiling of the court cell where he was kept.

The 40-year old was, however, apprehended and arraigned again before the court on two counts of felony.

The charges read in part, “That you, Dayo Abdullahi, of no fixed address on July 21, 2015, at about 2.40pm, at Ogudu Magistrate’s Court, Ogudu, in the Ogudu Magisterial District, being a convict and while in the Ogudu court cell, did attempt to commit felony to wit; escape from lawful custody, by climbing the court ceiling and breaking it and thereby commited an offence punishable under Section 404 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011”.

The defendant pleaded guilty, and was sentenced by Sule-Amzat to another year imprisonment, making two years in all.

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Police parade 10 for robbery, fake currency dealers

The police in Borno State on Wednesday paraded 10 suspected armed robbers, fake currency dealers and a suspected rapist.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aderemi Opadokun, said the suspects were arrested from the Maiduguri metropolis and Kwaya/Kusar town.

Opadokun said N4.59m fake currency was recovered from one Adam Ajid, in the Fulatari ward of Maiduguri.

He said, “The suspect’s supplier, who is alleged to be from Cameroon Republic, is on the run, but we will get him.”

Another suspect paraded for spending fake currency, Ba’ana Musa, was reportedly arrested on July 16, 2015, for paying his tricycle fare with a fake N1,000 note.

The CP said, “When he was arrested, about 69 pieces of fake N1,000 were recovered from him.”

Also paraded was a 20-year old, Bakura Njidda, who was arrested for raping a nine-year old girl (name withheld).

The commissioner said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as doctor’s report was obtained.”

He added that the suspected robbers ─ Mohammed, Ishaku Abdu, Buba, Dahiru Adamu and Lavvali ─ robbed one Umar and told him to make N5m available at a later date or be killed.

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