The identity of an operative in the Oyo State Police Command that was killed in the armed robbery attack on a bullion van in Ibadan on Thursday has been revealed.
Naija News had earlier reported that armed robbers attacked a bullion van at the Idi-Ape area of Ibadan.
There were claims that the robbers killed some innocent citizens, while several others sustained an injury in the attack.
The deceased was identified by his close associates as Mr Sulaiman Mubarak Olanrewaju.
A close associate to the police officer that was killed, Ridwan Abiola, in a message forwarded to Daily Post to confirm the identity of the victim.
According to Abiola, he has lost a brother and friend.
He said, “I lost a brother and friend to this incident. This happens when we have a government that condones the excesses of thugs.
“This happens when we have in government people who think they are capable but play politics with people’s lives.
“From Ibarapa to Shasha, Iwo Road, Idi Ape and other places not reported. May Allah have mercy on my brother and other deserving servants of Allah killed in these avoidable killings.
“May Allah take our rights from this nonchalant government and give them to us.”
Abel Damina, the senior pastor of the Power City International Church in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has advised politicians who are serious about taking power in 2023 to prepare to snatch ballot boxes and rig elections.
Damina gave the advice in a video currently trending on social media.
“Somebody said they are rigging elections. There’s no government that doesn’t rig elections, including America. That is the way the system works. It is survival,” said the popular Uyo pastor.
“So, if you are thinking of politics, start thinking of contending as survival. So, they are stealing ballot boxes, steal your own. That’s the way the system works. It means all of us are thieves – steal, I steal. The man that steal pass (sic) becomes governor.”
To back his teaching, Damina quoted verses from the eighth chapter of the first book of Samuel in the old testament of the Bible which records the rise of the monarchy in Israel.
But a Facebook user, Ifiok Udoh, disagreed with the preacher, saying “I am sure there are many other scriptures to overturn this assertion. You don’t lift a particular scripture and make a doctrine out of it. Dr. Damina is good at that and I respect his candid opinion but this and as always is not absolute.”
The cleric has similarly stirred controversies with his sermons in the past. One such was when he claimed that “sin can’t take a man to hell.” This, he said, was because Jesus Christ died for sin.
Pandemonium broke out on Thursday afternoon when robbers attacked a bullion van in Idi-Ape area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital city.
Sources said the masked gunmen carried out the attack on the unsuspecting convoy of two vehicles suspected to be conveying cash from one of the new generation banks located on the Idi-Ape-Agodi Gate axis.
Four persons were confirmed dead after the attack.
The victims, according to eyewitnesses, included two police officers in the bullion van, a yet-to-be identified driver in a private car and a female student said to be on her way home from school.
The gunmen began to shot sporadically few minutes around 1pm.
It was gathered the assailants, apparently on the trail of the two-car convoy, took advantage of the traffic light at the Idi Ape junction which stopped oncoming vehicles from Iwo-Road enroute Agodi and the slow traffic at the Foodco/Maryhill Convent School Junction to unleash mayhem on the bullion van.
Heavy gunshot marks were seen on the bullion van with the back damaged, an indication that the robbers successfully carried out the operation.
No official statement has been released on which bank the bullion van was coming from and amount of money lost during the operation.
The heavy gunshots caused many of the business and office complexes in the axis to immediately shut down while many drivers took cover, abandoning their vehicles.
For more than the 20mins the operation lasted, the entire axis was completely deserted, making escape easy for the robbers.
Security operatives including Police, members of the Oyo State Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps, officials of the Oyo State Road Transport Management and officials of the State Joint Security Task Force Team codenamed Operation Burst, later took over the scene to enforce law and order.
During an on-the-spot assessment, Oyo Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko said she could not confirm yet the number of police officers who died during the attack.
Onadeko, who arrived the State from an official assignment shortly before then, however confirmed that no fewer than two officers sustained gunshot wounds.
According to her, the gallant officers also killed one of the robbers but the corpse was taken away by the gunmen.
She promised to make more information available to the public as soon as the police lay hands on it.
The CP said: “You can see the Amotekun, the police men, everyone is here working hand in hand so that we can get the people involved and get the root of what has happened today.
“I will give more information on this when we finally get the details of what actually happened.
“One of the police men on escort with the bullion van shot dead one of the robbers and they carried the robber that was shot with them.
“First of all I have to say it’s an unfortunate incident, we just finished the retreat and I am coming from the airport directly here.
“It was a coordinated attack but we are still trying to find out what actually happened because they trailed the bullion van from where it took the money and where it went to dispense it, we could see the shot they made, they were indeed prepared.
“”We can’t actually say what went wrong now but all the exits and borders that lead to Oyo state have been blocked so we are trying our possible best to get them to know what actually happened.
“Nobody was killed as of now and in fact, I can’t really say anything now because I am still trying to access the situation and to find out what actually happened but I can tell you sure that two of my men were shot on the leg.
“Let’s just do our investigation and then we will be able to tell you and give you more details.”
Super Eagles of Nigeria have been ranked third in Africa and 32nd in the world in the latest FIFA Ranking released by the World Football Governing Body on Thursday.
Society gazette reports that Nigeria came third in Africa behind Morocco and the winner of the recently concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON), Senegal, rising four places in the World ranking.
The top 10 best teams in Africa are Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Cameroon, Algeria, Mali and Ivory Coast in the same order.
While the top 10 best teams in the World include Belgium, Brazil, France, Argentina, England, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and Netherlands.
In a statement on its website, FIFA said the new ranking method named “SUM” relies on adding/subtracting points won or lost for a game to/from the previous point totals rather than averaging game points over a given time period as in the previous version of the World Ranking.
The statement reads: “The points which are added or subtracted are partially determined by the relative strength of the two opponents, including the logical expectation that teams higher in the ranking should fare better against teams lower in the ranking.”
Recall that Nigeria, who exited AFCON at the Round of 16, commanded an impressive display during the group stages by collecting all available 9 points.
Heirs Life Introduces Annuity Campaign Promises Retirees a Guaranteed Pension for Life
Specialist digital life insurance company, Heirs Life Assurance (HLA) has rolled out an awareness campaign for its pension-regulated Annuity Plan, promising retirees a steady income for as long as they live. The premise of the plan is for people to retire without financial worries as the plan pays policyholders a guaranteed pension for life.
Last year, Lagos State Government announced Heirs Life as one of the few life insurance companies providing Annuity plan to its pensioners, demonstrating the government’s confidence in the company which only launched last year. Since then, the company has partnered with several organisations to provide the Annuity plan to their employees.
According to the Managing Director, Niyi Onifade, these partnerships are testament to the confidence regulators and other partners have in the company’s capacity to fulfil its promises and its consistent delivery of service excellence.
In his words, “Pensioners have every reason to live life confidently as the Annuity Plan takes care of the worries of retirement, specifically, the uncertainty of the future. We are delighted to provide Annuity to pensioners in Nigeria. We consider this as a big win because it is an indication that our customers, regulators, and government agencies are confident in our promise of service excellence. At Heirs Life, we continue to address the specific needs of different audience segments in line with our mission to make insurance accessible to everyone.”
Speaking on the campaign, the Chief Marketing Officer, Ifesinachi Okpagu, identified awareness as an important step to get more retirees signed onto this beneficial plan. “Everyone needs to understand the options open to them as they build their retirement plan. Hence, our campaign “The Fun Begins at Retirement” addresses the option of planning a wholesome retirement with the benefit of the Heirs Annuity Plan,” she said.
Heirs Annuity Plan pays retirees a steady amount, monthly or quarterly for as long as the annuitant lives. This way, the individual is assured of a great future even during retirement.
Beyond the Heirs Annuity plan, Heirs Life has introduced a variety of interesting life assurance plans for different customers. Heirs Life continues to transform life insurance in Nigeria through its digital service delivery and by providing simple, quick, reliable, and accessible financial security plans to individuals and businesses. Heirs Life is a subsidiary of Heirs Holdings, a pan-African investment group.
Alongside other products, the Heirs Annuity plan can be purchased via the company’s website www.heirslifeassurance.com and other digital channels or through the company’s accredited representatives.
GTCO Plc acquires the Mutual Fund and Pension Subsidiaries of Investment One Financial Services Limited; Investment One Funds Management Limited and Investment One Pension Managers Limited.
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO Plc or the Group), a diversified financial services provider, today notified the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and the investing public that GTCO Plc has concluded the acquisition of the 100% equity stake in Investment One Pension Managers Limited (IOPM) and Investment One Funds Management Limited (IOFM) (together, the Companies) held by Investment One Financial Services Limited (IOFS or the Seller).
IOPM is licensed by the Nigerian Pensions Commission (PenCom) to operate as a Pension Fund Administrator in Nigeria. On the other hand, IOFM is licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to undertake fund management and investment services on behalf of clients and manage collective investments schemes as a corporate investment adviser. The Seller is regulated by the SEC and offers a wide range of services including Investment Management, Trust Services, Financial Advisory Services, Security Brokerage and Pension Funds Management. Forthwith, the Companies cease to be subsidiaries of the Seller and have become wholly owned subsidiaries of GTCO Plc.
In line with GTCO Plc’s aspirations to operate across the financial services sector value chain in Africa, these acquisitions would expand the product and service offerings of the Group into the Assets and Funds management segments whilst positioning GTCO Plc as a dominant player for all critical financial services.
Commenting on the completion of the Corporate Reorganization, Mr Segun Agbaje, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), said: “We are very excited to get started on the next phase of our incredible journey to driving Africa’s growth by making end-to-end financial services easily accessible to every African and African Businesses by leveraging Technology and Strategic Partnerships. As a bank, we were always looking to meet every customer need; with our corporate reorganization, we will be able to do more to help our customers thrive in this new world of digital technologies and unprecedented possibilities”.
He further stated that, “Whilst we are evolving as an organization, we remain committed to our founding values which have endeared our brand to millions of people across Africa and beyond, and which continue to drive our financial success. As a Proudly African and Truly International brand, we will continue to live by these values — of excellence, hard work and integrity, even as we create faster, cheaper, safer and products for people and businesses through every stage of life.”
The acquisitions were facilitated by Exotix Advisory Limited and Vetiva Capital Management Limited as Financial Advisers, Aluko & Oyebode as Legal Adviser and Deloitte & Touche (Nigeria) as Financial Due Diligence Adviser.
GTCO Plc is a diversified financial services company with N5.144trillion in assets, providing commercial banking services and non-banking financial services across eleven countries, including the United Kingdom. The Group offers a wide range of banking as well as non-banking financial services in Nigeria, West Africa, East Africa, and the United Kingdom. The Group is rated B- by S&P, a reflection of the Group’s stability and reputation of being a well-established franchise with strong asset quality and consistent excellent financial performance.
Transcorp Hilton Abuja wins Traveller Review Award 2022
The award is given to brands who have exceeded travellers’ expectations
Transcorp Hilton Abuja, the flagship hotel of leading hospitality brand Transcorp Hotels Plc., has won Booking.com’s Traveller Review Award 2022. This award celebrates businesses that consistently exceeded travellers’ expectations, having earned great traveller reviews.
“We are honoured to receive this award which highlights Transcorp Hilton Abuja as consistently delivering quality experiences while navigating changing guest expectations during a pandemic.
“Our ability to evolve and adapt to changing guest preferences has been key to making our hotel a top destination for business and leisure travellers, as well as locals who want a luxurious hospitality experience.”
“We remain committed to providing exceptional services across all our touch points,” the Transcorp Hotels Plc MD/CEO added.
According to an Award letter signed by Glenn Fogel, President & Chief Executive Officer of Booking.com, the Dutch Online Travel Agency said it understood how difficult it is to exceed the expectations of travellers.
“We know that’s never easy – let alone amid a global pandemic. It takes a lot of hard work, vision, coordination, and attention to detail, and you’ve excelled,” said Fogel.
Transcorp Hotels Plc. has always maintained that its mission is to redefine hospitality standards in Africa and the company has been doing this through innovation and exceptional services as it creates value for its customers and other stakeholders.
The company is developing a word-class event center at Transcorp Hilton Abuja, as it seeks to increase its market share in the conference and events space. Transcorp Hotels Plc is also working on a lifestyle center in Lagos that will rival the best of its kind globally. As part of its continuous expansion plans, the hospitality giant is planning developments in Lagos and Port Harcourt, even as it continues to build its online accommodation booking platform Aura by Transcorp Hotels, where guests can book both hotels and short let homes. Transcorp Hotels Calabar is also currently being upgraded to maintain the high standards the hospitality brand is known for.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, has disclosed that four companies were responsible for the importation of adulterated fuel into the country.
Speaking on Wednesday during a media briefing at the NNPC Headquarters in Abuja, Kyari said MRS, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, Oando and Duke Oil brought the substandard fuel into Nigeria.
He disclosed that the investigation carried out by the company revealed that the presence of Methanol which was above Nigeria’s specification was detected in four petrol cargoes imported by the listed companies
Kyari said the Methanol blended petrol was imported into the country by the four oil suppliers through its Direct-Sales-Direct-Purchase arrangement.
The NNPC GMD, however, said he has since ordered the withdrawal of all the affected products in transit (both truck and marine), disclosing that the adulterated fuel was imported from Antwerp in Belgium.
Kyari disclosed that the NNPC had ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes of the contaminated fuel that led to the disruption of the petrol distribution value chain, in order to prevent further distribution.
He stressed that the NNPC and other stakeholders were making serious efforts to resolve issues generated by the supply and discharge of methanol blended fuel in some Nigerian depots.
He said: “In order to prevent the distribution of the petrol, we have ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine).
“All defaulting suppliers have been put on notice for remedial actions and NNPC will work with the authority to take further necessary actions in line with subsisting regulations.
“NNPC wishes to reassure Nigerians that we are currently sourcing additional cargoes to ensure product sufficiency.”
The NNPC boss asserted that petrol brought into Nigeria usually does not include the test for the level of methanol content, adding that cargoes’ quality certificates issued at the loading port in Belgium, by AmSpec Belgium, indicated that the product complied with Nigerian specifications.
However, Kyari disclosed that the NNPC first received a report on January 20, 2022, from its quality inspector of the presence of “emulsion particles” in petrol cargoes shipped to Nigeria from Belgium.
