cover Archives - Page 462 of 632

BREAKING: IGP Takes Over Murder Case Of Super TV CEO From Lagos Police

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered the transfer of the case of the murdered Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, from Lagos to Abuja.

SaharaReporters learnt that the IGP ordered that the case be taken up by the Force Criminal Investigation Department, while the murder prime suspect, 21-year-old Chidinma Ojukwu, would also be brought to Abuja.

“IGP has approved the transfer of Usifo Ataga’s murder case to Abuja. It will be handled by the FCID,” a top source told SaharaReporters.

SaharaReporters had on Wednesday reported that the family alleged that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, might be shielding the killers of their son, with the police’s suspicious handling of the matter.

They had claimed that Chidinma, the prime suspect in Ataga’s murder, was arraigned in a Yaba Magistrate Court without the family being informed.

The family of the murdered Super TV CEO had last Sunday hired human rights’ lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to ensure that justice was served for their slain son.

Ataga’s family in a letter to Ozekhome also accused the police of stifling efforts to ensure those behind the Super TV CEO murder were brought to book.

The family, in the letter, accused the Lagos CP of “attempting to protect the killers of Ataga.”

The Usifo family also decried the alleged comfortable movement of Chidinma from prison to court and from court back to the prison.

The family said Chidinma was moved in an Uber ride without handcuffs.

The family alleged that the man who had claimed to be Chidinma’s father and was charged for obstructing police investigation was her (Chidinma) “sugar daddy” and not her biological father.

They had faulted the N1million bail granted to Chidinma’s father and one Babalola Disu, another suspect in the case by the magistrate court.

The family had alleged that Disu was “highly suspected to have carried out the murder”.

Ataga’s family premised its suspicion on information they received to the effect that Disu’s short rental apartment was directly opposite the apartment where Mr Ataga was killed.

The family, however, urged Ozekhome and his chambers to take up the case and see that justice is served through a very professional prosecution of all those involved in the crime.

Ozekhome also confirmed that he is now representing Ataga’s family

In a statement on Sunday, Ozekhome had said the bereaved family hired him “to protect and defend the interests of the Ataga family and his teeming friends, admirers, kinsmen, and business associates, to ensure that justice is duly served in the matter.”

Pictorial: Kano Agog As Atiku, Jonathan, Ooni of Ife, others Storm Yusuf Buhari’s wedding

The wedding Fatiha of Yusuf Buhari, the son of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and Zahra Bayero, the daughter of Nasiru Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi took place in Kano State today.

The ceremony was attended by President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Other dignitaries in attendance include former president, Goodluck Jonathan; former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; former Niger president, Mahamadiu Isoufou; Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi; Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, amongst others.

Townhall meeting: Why we must urgently curb drug abuse in Nigeria, Obasa, stakeholders speak

Speaker says Lagos Assembly passing vital laws against drug abuse

Egunjobi pleads for more efforts in fight against substance abuse

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday decried the increasing rate of drug abuse among youths and even parents in Nigeria.

The Speaker, who spoke at the 7th Annual Constituency Stakeholders‘ Meeting in his Agege Constituency 1, warned that this menace must be urgently checked to prevent its devastating effects on the growth and progress of the country.

According to Obasa, the Lagos State House of Assembly has been at the forefront of the fight against drug abuse through various legislations.

“At the Lagos State House of Assembly, the leadership and members of the House have always taken matters affecting residents and especially the youths very passionately.

“The House has continued to be proactive in the consideration of viable laws and policies that would enhance youth potentials and development.

“Some of the recent laws that are passed attest to government’s efforts on this matter and these include the law to amend the Lagos State Sports Commission law of 2015 to promote youth and sports development in Lagos and for connected purposes.

“The law will ensure that youths are provided with great opportunities not only in the area of recreation but where they can nurture, explore and utilise their potentials in sporting activities to become professional sportsmen and women.

“This would also take the minds of many of them off drug abuse and criminal activities,” the Speaker said.

Obasa listed other youth-oriented bills considered by the House to include two recent ones for the establishment of a university of education and another for the establishment of a university of science and technology, which aims to address the inadequacies in polytechnic education system in Nigeria.

“While the passage of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps is aimed at ensuring the safety of all in our neighbourhood, the prevalence of drug abuse amongst adults and youths, if not effectively addressed and curbed, will jeopardise the entire efforts of the House in the establishment of a safe, peaceful, and livable society.

“Consequently, we call on all stakeholders, residents, parents, teachers, students, school proprietors, religious organisations, celebrities, social media influencers, professional bodies, the academia, civil society organisations and community leaders to work in concert with the government for the common good of our society by saying ‘no to drug abuse trafficking’,” he said.

In his address at the event, the chairman of Agege Local Government Area, Alhaji Ganiyu Egunjobi, lamented that drug abuse had become so alarming that Buba Marwa, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), recommended tests for public office holders, intending couples and admission seekers.

“If we continue in this manner and fail to salvage the situation, in no distant future, there would be an increase in the population of persons with drug abuse-induced health problems,” he warned.

Guests, who spoke at the event, commended the Speaker for the various projects he had attracted to the constituency. They also emphasised the need to effectively curb drug abuse with the clergy promising to carry the campaign to worship centres.

BREAKING: Five killed as gunmen ambush farmers in Modakeke

Gunmen on Friday morning ambushed and allegedly killed five farmers who were on their way to the farm at Modakeke town in Osun State.

It was gathered the incident happened around 7 am when the farmers were heading to their farms along Toro road in Modakeke.

The incident caused tension in the community as residents and policemen visited the scene to evacuate the corpses of the farmers.

Osun police spokesperson SP Yemisi Opalola said according to The Nation: “I heard some people were killed and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olawale Olokode has deployed more of our men to the scene.

“Our men are doing everything possible to restore peace in the area.”

Gory videos of dead persons from the attack was sighted.

The attack happened on “Isese Day” 2021, as the Osun government declared Friday a public holiday to mark the festival. The festival is celebrated by Yoruba traditionalists globally. They call it ‘World Isese Day’.

Atiku Faults Buhari govt, Describes it As monumental failure

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for not making concerted efforts at nation building.

According to him, the administration had not been able to fix the country and made it work.

Atiku who spoke on Thursday in Abuja at a public presentation of a book titled, “Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices” edited by Chido Onumah, condemned the increasing insecurity and banditry in the country.

Insisting that Nigeria must be restructured to ensure accelerated development, the former presidential candidate said fixing Nigeria “would prevent the country from sleep-walking into disaster.”

Atiku said the government was making what he described as “utterly confusing and unproductive” efforts at economic development, adding that it was unfortunate that calls for restructuring have not been heeded by the government.

“When people see their leaders making those efforts genuinely, and experience improvements in their lives, they are likely to follow. Over the past six years, the leadership of this country at the federal level has failed and has hardly embarked on nation-building.

“They may have been making utterly confusing and unproductive efforts at economic development. However, it can be rightly argued that they have been un-building the nation by taking conscious and deliberate actions that not only make nation-building more difficult but also undo the achievements made in that regard by previous administrations.

“As we all know there were deliberate attempts made since the 1960s to forge a nation out of Nigeria: states creation, federal character, the NYSC, power rotation, unity schools, and multiple federal agencies.

“However imperfect, these were genuine attempts at giving each segment of the country a sense of belonging and a semblance of justice and equity and promote interactions among our peoples.

“All it has taken is one administration in six short years to tear up the fabric of that unity and make more Nigerians lose faith in Nigeria and question the rationale for having one united country.

“One lesson there for all of us is the need to always be vigilant and be prepared to defend our democracy, for it is through the democratic process that we can more easily promote the unity of our country.

“I strongly believe that Nigeria can and will remain one strong and united nation with significant strides in economic development to improve the lives of our peoples. However, we must not take it for granted,” Atiku said.

Battle Against Insurgency: Buhari threatens to replace security chiefs

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his readiness to change the security architecture in Nigeria.

Buhari said he would continue to change the security architecture until he is satisfied with the outcome of his actions.

The President, who spoke at the National Security Council (NSC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, said the intended move is aimed at wiping out insecurity from Nigeria.

Buhari’s resolution was disclosed by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babangana Monguno, in a chat with State House Correspondents after the meeting.

Munguno said the President was determined to win the battle against insurgency.

He said: “So, the president was briefed, the president is quite happy that there’s been tremendous success, especially with the advent of the new service chiefs and Inspector General of Police.

“He has made changes and he is ready to make further changes if he is not satisfied.

Kebbi abduction: Sen. Abdullahi blames poor security architecture in Nigeria

“He is completely determined to ensure that there’s a turnaround in the fortunes in the theatre of operations.”

Glamour As Buhari’s Son Ties The Knot With Kano Princess Today

All roads today lead to Bichi town, the seat of Bichi Emirate in Kano State as Yusuf Buhari, the only son of President Muhammadu Buhari, ties the knot with Zahra, the daughter of Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi.

The wedding, which has been the talk of the town and subject of talks and controversies on the social media for months, has been tagged the merger of presidency and royalty.

The president, who just returned from work and medical trip abroad, is expected to grace the occasion, according to the planning committee raised by the Bichi Emirate.

As such, heavy security is being expected to be deployed from Kano City, from the nation’s commercial centre, to Bichi town – a distance of about 30km – for the wedding Fatiha which will be held at the Bichi Central Mosque by 1:30pm.

In June, no fewer than seven governors visited the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, the elder brother of Zahra’s father, to formalise plans for the wedding.

Following the visit, the Bichi Emirate Council set up a 145-man committee to plan both the wedding and the formal coronation ceremony of the emir, the bride’s father, scheduled for Saturday.

While Yusuf needed little or no introduction, little was known of Zahra until the news of her engagement to Nigeria’s ‘first son’ broke.

The 20-year-old bride is a final year student of Architecture in a university in the United Kingdom, where she and Yusuf were said to have met. She is the second daughter of Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi.

Zahra’s mother, Farida Imam, is the daughter of a famous Kano educationist, Mal Abubakar Imam (Imamu Galadanci), a former Executive Director at Afribank Plc. Her aunty (Farida’s biological sister) is married to the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust as part of the preparation for the twin event, the Emir of Bichi spoke on how painful it is for him to give away any of his children in marriage because of how close he is with them.

Zahra’s elder sister was married off earlier in the year, he said.

“I’m very close to my children, so sending away Zahra is also an issue for me, but we thank God.

“She’s a young girl, only 20; and she’s in her final year in the university studying architecture.

“I would have loved for Zahra to stay and finish her school and live with me a little longer, but we cannot change what God has ordained, we can only pray and wish them a successful married life,” he said.

The business tycoon turned monarch, who seats as chairman of the Board of 9mobile as well as several other companies, said he took solace from the Hadiths, especially the part where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, ‘When you successfully raise three daughters and marry them off, Allah will give you a place in paradise’.

“This is my prayer and hope that through them God will give me Aljannah,” he said.

Controversy generated over bride’s pictures

As with events of its nature, the days before the wedding have not been without some issues about it dominating social media.

Daily Trust reports that pictures of the bridal shower of Zahra a few weeks ago had got many talking on social media platforms, with critics describing the outing as another double standard in the way Hisbah, the Islamic police in force in Kano and other Northern states, treats issues when it involves high profile personalities and the masses.

While some berated the emir’s daughter for ‘wearing a bare-chest gown and not covering her head as expected of a Muslim lady”, others complimented her beauty and prayed for a successful wedding.

But the couple’s pre-wedding pictures had shut the mouth of even the harshest of their critics, as social commentators noted.

The concept behind the pre-wedding pictures was a blend of the rich Hausa culture with its royalty as the groom is not just the son of the country’s president but a high ranking titleholder in his home town of Daura in Katsina State.

He was recently turbaned as Talban Daura by the Emir of Daura and his bride is a daughter of a first-class Emir in Kano State, who is also a consummate business magnate.

Ceremony a torch of hope?

Speaking on the preparation for the twin event, Emir Nasir Ado Bayero told Daily Trust that everyone had been in a celebratory and preparatory mood for a while because there were lots of things to be done.

“We are on top of it I believe with the help of everybody… So, I think we would and I pray we would succeed,” he said.

In an era known for its digression from the culture of modesty to ostentatious display of opulence during ceremonies like weddings and funerals, the emir said his daughter’s wedding to the president’s son (and his own coronation ceremony) is not just about the celebration itself.

“It is about the progression, the hope we put in people; the ability to drive them and change their lives and make them happy to the best of our ability.

“So, celebration to me, I wish I can fast-track it and get on with what I have to do,” he said.

See What President Buhari Discussed With Security Chiefs In Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met with the various heads of Nigeria’s security agencies over rising cases of banditry and kidnappings.
Society gazette reports that the meeting was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) stated that Buhari vowed not to exit the government as a failure in 2023.

He disclosed that security chiefs briefed the president on the success recorded so far against insecurity.

“He’s (Buhari) made changes and he’s ready to make further changes if he is not satisfied. He is completely determined to ensure that there’s a turnaround in the fortunes in the theatre of operations,” Monguno said.

He stated that a lot has happened in Nigerian in relation to security since the last National Security Council meeting held on June 8.

According to the NSA, the security chiefs briefed President Buhari on the current security situation in the country.

The former military general stated that many successes have been recorded in the theatre of operations.

“Large numbers of people are surrendering in the North East as a consequence of the relentless efforts of the Armed Forces, intelligence and security agencies.”

“We’ve never had such large numbers of people defecting from the other side back to the Nigerian side, mainly as a result of many issues within the theatre, issues of infighting among the various factions of the terrorist groups,” he added

Yoruba Nation: Igboho Wins Big As Court orders Malami to Pay Him N50,000

A high Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state has awarded the sum of N50,000 against the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami.

The court also extended an order restraining the Department of State Security Services, DSS from arresting Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Igboho.

Justice Ladiran Akintola issued the order against the AGF at a resumed hearing on Wednesday.The AGF, who was represented in court on Wednesday by his counsel, Abdullahi Abubakar, prayed the court to vacate the restraining order.

Igboho’s lawyers had asked for a cost of N250,000 to be awarded against Malami for filing his response to the suit late but the court awarded only N50,000.

Malami, through his lawyers also prayed the court to dismiss the case filed by Igboho before the court altogether because the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.

They argued that Igboho’s claims of unlawful killing, the tort of trespass, assault, and battery could not be brought under Fundamental Right (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.

Justice Akintola adjourned the ruling on Malami’s application to August 30.

JUST IN: Twitter deletes Simon Ekpa’s Tweet threatening Joe Igbokwe with Death

Social Media giant, Twitter has deleted a tweet by a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu and ranking member of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Simon Ekpa.

On Wednesday, Ekpa made headlines after he tweeted that Lagos APC chieftain, Joe Igbokwe should get ready to die.

“Joe Igbokwe get ready to die because Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Tongue is powerful, his friends and families should take note and don’t accuse innocent people when nature takes its stand. He should’ve done spiritual consultation first.”

Igbokwe, who is an aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is known for opposing the position of IPOB and Kanu.

The micro-blogging platform deleted the tweet for violating its rules.