Politics

The police in Lagos State have arrested a 28-year old man and his girlfriend for allegedly demanding N2 million ransom after  kidnapping a teenager within their neighbourhood in Ikotun.

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Umar Manko, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday that the suspects were arrested by the Special Anti -Robbery Squad (SARS).

He said SARS operatives rescued the 14-year old victim, Daniel Olumide, who was allegedly kidnapped on Feb. 2 at Ikotun.

NAN learnt that the man allegedly kept the victim for two days in his girlfriend's apartment.

The police said the arrests followed a tip-off by a resident within the neighbourhood, who told the police that he saw the victim walking with the suspect before he was declared missing.

Two estranged local government chairmen in Bayelsa State who engaged in battle of wits with governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, were yesterday impeached and acting chairmen sworn-in by the state chief judge, Justice Kate Abiri. Those impeached by the legis...

Edo State chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Thomas Okosun, escaped death by the whiskers yesterday when factional angry ACN youths stormed the party’s secretariat and unleashed mayhem on the chairman and other party officials. ...

Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, yesterday described the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with other opposition political parties in the country as inevitable. The governor while briefing newsmen at the end of the state ACN Eld...

The Police in Zamfara have intercepted 4,800 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Indian hemp, at Hayin Alhaji Village in Tsafe Local Government Area of the state. Mr Lawal Abdullahi, the command’s Public Relations Officer...

The Court of Appeal Lagos, on Friday fixed April 29 to hear an appeal by Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, sentenced to death for masterminding the murder of late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

Al-Mustapha, who was the Chief Security Officer to the late Gen. Sanni Abacha and Lateef Shofolahan, a Personal Assistant to late Abiola, are challenging their conviction by a Lagos High Court on Jan. 30, 2012.

The appellate court, presided over by Justice Chima Nweze, fixed the hearing date after counsel representing both convicts had applied for a regularisation of their briefs of argument.

Counsel representing the appellants, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN) and Mr Olalekan Ojo, had both applied for leave to file their  brief of arguments and serve same on the respondent.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convicts were arraigned sometime in October 1999, on a four-count charge of conspiracy and murder of Abiola on June 4, 1996 on the Ikosi-Ketu Road.

The trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada had found both appellants guilty of the offence and sentenced them to death by hanging.

However, Daudu and Ojo, counsel to both the first and second appellants respectively, appealed against the conviction 24-hours after the sentence.

In the notice of appeal filed by Ojo, the appellants were contending that the death sentence handed by the lower court was unwarranted, unreasonable and a manifest miscarriage of justice.

The appellants further contended that the trial judge erred in law by arriving at the conclusion that they conspired to kill Abiola on June 4, 1996.

The appellants are therefore praying the Court of Appeal to entertain the appeal, set aside the judgment and discharge them of the charges of conspiracy and murder.

NAN further reports that Al-Mustapha's appeal was premised on four grounds, while that of his co-convict (Shofolahan) was hinged on five grounds.

They faulted the trial judge’s admissibility of the ``contradictory statements'' of Barnabas Jabila (aka Sgt. Rogers) and Mohmamed Abdul, and the reliance on the testimony of Dr Ore Falomo on the bullet extracted from the corpse.

The appellants also faulted the rejection of portions of Jabila's testimony which they felt favoured them and applying only areas which did not favour them. (NAN)

Adamawa Government on Friday in Yola said it had set up a screening committee to flush out unqualified teachers in its public schools.

Mr Musa Kaibo, the state Head of Civil Service, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the measure followed a recent mass recruitment of teachers by the state Post Primary Schools Board.

``A report reaching my office is that government had decided to set up a powerful investigation and screening committee with the aim of flushing out unprofessional teachers from the sector." 

Kaibo noted that government had invested a lot in the education sector.

He said that what happened during the last teachers’ recruitment needed to be reviewed, to facilitate proper implementation of education policy in the state.

He said the screening was not meant to witch hunt any body or group, but rather, was a step forward to address the issues militating against the development of education.

The head of service, therefore, urged those involved to exercise patience as their salaries would be paid after the exercise.

The state government had in the last two years established 230 new junior secondary schools and recruited more than 5,000 teachers.(NAN)

The Rivers Commissioner for Transport, George Tolofari, has said that the state government will spend N74 billion on its monorail project to ease traffic in Port Harcourt.

Tolofari made the remark while conducting the team of Good Governance Tour, led by Information Minister Labaran Maku, round the project site.

He said that out of the amount, N19 billion had been spent so far on the first phase of the project, covering 6.5 km.

Tolofari said that all the equipment needed for the completion of Phase 1 had been acquired, including the train with seven coaches, out of which one would be dedicated to the handicapped.

According to him, the second phase has five coaches.

``The monorail is designed in such a way that people from the town will park their vehicles at Lagos bus-stop and use the train to go wherever they want to go in the city.

``We are expecting that this first phase will be completed by September,'' he said.

The team also visited Kesley Harrison Hospital and Dental Maxillo Facial Hospital, built by the state government at a cost of N2 billion each.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Sampson Parker who conducted the team round the two hospitals situated in Port Harcourt, said that they were referral institutions.

Parker said that the institutions have the state-of-the-art equipment with Kesley Hospital having 150 beds. (NAN)

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar has said that the police management team’s decision to decentralise pension and insurance payment was informed by the need to improve on the welfare of officers and men of the Nigeria Polic...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has de-registered two more political parties, bringing the total number of de-registered parties to 38. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the affected political parties are Change Advoca...

Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa said on Thursday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would present a credible candidate for presidential election in 2015. Lamido gave the assurance in Dutse when he received members of Arewa Youths Forum who paid him a c...

The Controller of Prisons Service in Jigawa, Mr Muhammad Bedi, on Wednesday decried the level of prisons congestion in the state. Bedi said this in Dutse when he paid a courtesy visit to Mr Yakubu Ruba, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for J...

Plateau Government House Chapel on Wednesday started a three-day ``solemn assembly prayers’’ for the healing of the state and the return of peace. The programme, being held at the chapel, would have 24 ministers offering prayers f...

The former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, said on Wednesday in Ibadan that the gang up against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would fail. Alao-Akala, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while reacti...

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday announced a gift of N5 million to the Football Supporters Club of Nigeria, for cheering the Super Eagles to the Africa Cup of Nations victory. The President announced the gift when the Minister of Sports, Mallam...