Sabinews Evening News Update for June 29, 2015

Buhari appoints Ladan, Director of DPR

The Federal Government has appointed Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba Ladan, as the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, to take over from Mr. George Osahon whose tenure elapsed June 19, 2015.

According to a statement on the website of the DPR, Monday, the memorandum dated June 19, 2015 stated that the appointment was with immediate effect. Read more

Nigeria’s external debt stock stands at $9.4 trillion – DMO

The Debt Management Office (DMO), on Monday, said Nigeria’s external debt stock profile stood at 9.4 trillion U.S. dollars as at March 31, 2015.

This is contained in a release on DMO’s website, showing the country’s debt stock profile on Monday in Abuja.

The figure shows a decrease of about 300 million dollars from the 9.7 trillion dollars that the country had as its debt stock as at Dec. 31, 2014. Read more

PDP warns Aregbesola over planned sacking of judge

The Peoples Democratic Party has warned Governor Rauf Aregbesola to desist from the alleged plan to sack Justice Folahanmi Oloyede.

The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Osun State, Mr. Bola Ajao, gave this warning in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Monday.

Oloyede, a serving judge in Osun State Judiciary last week petitioned the House of Assembly asking the lawmakers to impeach the governor based on alleged financial recklessnes and his inability to pay civil servants for seven months. Read more

NFF denies abandoning Dream team

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday criticised a report at which national speculated that federation has abandoned the U-23 National Team, Dream Team VI.

This is contained in a statement on the NFF website.

The Dream Team VI has been campaigning for a place in 2016 Olympic Games to be hosted by Brazil in Rio De Janeiro. Read more

Court withdraws from entertaining Babalakin’s case

Justice James Tsoho of a Federal High Court, Lagos, on Monday withdrew from a suit filed by Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN) against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Babalakin, the Chairman of Bi-Courtney Ltd., in the suit, had accused both the AGF and the EFCC of making desperate efforts to prosecute him maliciously. Read more

The NFF, Keshi and Enyeama Brouhaha

Since the inception of the present board of the Nigeria Football Federation, there have been different crisis, causing a great distraction for the players, the Federation and football loving Nigerians.

In Nigerian history,I have never at any time come about or read that the Football Federation fined a Super Eagles player for getting a red card. Ogenyi Onazi who was said to have bought the Chadian football team match tapes (at his own expense) to help Nigerian football was sanctioned. Read more

Enugu Judge disqualifies self over alleged bias in treason case

A Federal High Court judge sitting in Enugu, Justice V. Agishi, on Monday disqualified herself from adjudicating in an alleged case of treason against 11 accused persons. At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, Justice Agishi said she could not continue to preside over the case as the accused persons had accused her of bias.

The judge, therefore, said that she had sent the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and requesting the chief judge to transfer it to another judge. “In view of the fact that the accused persons have accused me of bias in this matter, this case file has been transferred to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to be assigned to another Judge,” Agishi said. Read more

Court jails Ghanian 17 years for marijuana trading

A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a 29-year-old Ghanian, Patrick Mensah, to 17 years imprisonment for dealing in marijuana without lawful authority.

Mensah’s imprisonment followed his conviction on Monday by Justice Okon Abang.

The judge, who pronounced the Ghanian guilty on the strength of his confessional statement and the evidence tendered by the prosecution, said he was “satisfied that the accused person committed the offence and he is hereby convicted as charged.” Read more

Abia issues quit notice to Enyimba hotel occupants

Abia State Government has issued a quit notice to all street urchins illegally occupying the abandoned and dilapidated seven-storey Enyimba Hotel building in Aba.

The state government noted with sadness that “over the years, all manner of miscreants and illegal squatters have turned the place to their abode.” Read more

Be proactive, IG tells police PROs

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, on Monday stressed the need for “social content” policing in police public relations practice, to connect the force with the public.

Arase spoke when he declared open a two-day workshop for Police Public Relations Officers drawn from the 36 state commands, FCT and the 12 zonal commands across the country.

The police boss urged the force image makers, to make social content policing part of public relations in their various commands. Read more

Buhari urges governors to pay outstanding salaries

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday urged state governors who are currently owing salaries to, as a matter of urgency, explore ways of liquidating all unpaid salaries of staff which, he said, have brought untold hardship to thousands of families.

He also encouraged them to restrict themselves to projects that will meet immediate needs of the people, taking account of available resources.

Buhari made the submission while inaugurating the National Economic Council led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Read more

Thailand’s lone MERS patient cleared of virus

Thailand Ministry of Public Health on Monday said a 75-year-old Omani man who was Thailand’s only known MERS patient has recovered.

The ministry’s Head of Disease Control, Sophon Mekthon, said in a statement that the latest tests on the patient showed up negative for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus.

“The man will be released from quarantine but monitored closely,” Mekthon said. Read more

Crash: OOU students block Sagamu-Ore highway, curse driver

Students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye in Ogun State have taken over the two lanes of the Sagamu-Ore Expressway, protesting the death of no fewer than 11 students of the university on Saturday in a crash.

The protesting students, who converged on the Ilishan Remo/Sagamu Junction, the scene of the accident, on Monday, blocked the road, forcing motorists both from the Benin and Lagos/Abeokuta ends of the highway to either turn back or stay on same spot at a safe distance. Read more

Illegal oil deal: Court adjourns trial of 14 foreigners

A Federal High Court in Lagos has further adjourned till July 7, 8, 9 and 10, 2015, the trial of 14 foreigners arraigned for allegedly dealing in petroleum products within the Nigerian territorial waters without lawful authority.

The accused persons include citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Japan and the United Kingdom.

They include Artur Pakhladzhian, Sergo Abbgarian, Vasily Shkundich, vitaliy Bilours, Hlarion Teofilo Regipor, Laguta Oleksiy and Cadavis Gerarado. Read more

Armed men attack Mali’s southern town of Fakola

Armed men attacked the town of Fakola in the southern part of Mali, about 300 kilometres from Bamako, an official source said on Monday.

The official said that no loss of human life was reported from the attack.
“The assailants ransacked local gendarmerie offices, as well as the local administrator’s office,” the statement
affirmed. Read more

Stakeholders hold parley on operation of Malabo Declaration on agriculture

“The importance of operationalising the Malabo Declaration for transformation of African agriculture for shared prosperity cannot be overemphasised. Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy, as well as many other African countries,” saysRebecca Wahome, CAADP Focal Person for Kenya in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Ms. Wahome was speaking today at the Permanent Secretaries Leadership Retreat on operationalising the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated African Agricultural Growth and Transformation (3AGT) convened by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the NEPAD Agency. Read more

Cech joins Arsenal from Chelsea

Petr Cech has agreed to join Arsenal from Premier League champions Chelsea on a “long-term contract for an undisclosed fee”, the Gunners announced on their website on Monday.

The 33-year-old Czech international goalkeeper made over 400 appearances during 11 years at Stamford Bridge, but has recently found himself playing understudy to Thibaut Courtois. Read more

Chadian dictator’s trial to feature 4,000 victims: lawyers

More than 4,000 victims have been registered in the trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre for atrocities committed during his presidency, their lawyers said Monday.

Once dubbed “Africa’s Pinochet”, the 72-year-old has been in custody in Senegal since his arrest in June 2013 at the home he shared with his wife and children.

5 suspects in Kuwait mosque attack face legal action

Kuwait’s interior ministry on Monday referred five suspects linked to the suicide bombing of a Shiite mosque to the prosecution service for legal action, a security official said.

“We have referred five suspects accused of assisting the suicide bomber to the public prosecution,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

They include the driver who took the Saudi bomber to the mosque and the car’s owner and his brother, all stateless people or bidoons. Read more

Spain, Portugal bake in heatwave

Temperatures soared above 40 degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across Spain and Portugal on Monday, prompting heat alerts, raising the risk of wildfires and drawing crowds to beaches and fountains.

Spain’s national weather office placed one province, Cordoba, on red alert, the highest level in the scale, meaning soaring temperatures posed an “extreme risk” to health. Read more

Israel approves extending security fence to Jordan border

Israel has approved extending a security barrier to part of its eastern border with Jordan in a bid to keep out militants and illegal migrants, the prime minister’s office said Monday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the new barrier was a continuation of the one built along the Egyptian border, which “blocked the entry of illegal migrants into Israel and the various terrorist movements”. Read more

‘President is cleaning the rot left by PDP’

THE Presidency has described the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the administration of Muhammadu Buhari of lack of direction as baseless and lacking in substance.

Instead, it said the administration is taking time to clean the rot left behind by the PDP last month.

Reacting to the statement credited to the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh urging Nigerians to pray for the ruling APC and Buhari because one month after its take off, the Buhari administration had shown all motion but no movement, the Presidency said the development was attributable to the quantum of problems left behind by the PDP government, including high level of corruption. Read more

N25m Scandal Hits Nasarawa United FC

The management of Nasarawa United Football Club has denied reports that it has received N25 million from the orgnanisers of the Nigeria Professional League, the League Management Company, (LMC).

The LMC had disclosed that it has dolled out huge sums of money to support the 20 clubs currently participating at the on-going Nigeria Premire Football League.

But the club chairman of the Nasarawa state United FC,Barr. Isaac Danladi debunked the claims in an interview with members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, (SWAN) in Lafia, the state capital, further explained that the LMC earmarked about N20million from sponsorship deals to clubs. Read more

Kano Cancels Distribution Of fertilizer Through Mobile Phone Alerts – official

The Kano State Government has cancelled its earlier plan to distribute fertilizer to farmers for the 2015 cropping season through mobile phone alerts.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Malam Garba Yunusa, made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Monday. Read more

Housekeeper, 1 Other In Court Over Alleged Theft Of N1.7m Jewellery

A housekeeper and one other, on Monday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over alleged conspiracy and stealing of jewellery.
The accused, Grace Eno (25) and Abdullahi Adamu (32), who reside in Surulere, Lagos are both facing a three count-charge of conspiracy, stealing and receiving stolen goods. Read more