SABINEWS EVENING NEWS UPDATE FOR MAY 12, 2016
Militants Give Oil Companies 2 Weeks to Shut Down Operations
The Niger Delta Avengers, the new face of violent agitations in the region, on Thursday issued a two-week ultimatum to owners and operators of oil blocs in the area to shut down their business operations and evacuate all their staff or face a ‘bloody’ attack.
The organization had recently claimed responsibility for destroying Nigeria’s oil platforms resulting in the shut-in of several barrels of crude, disruption in power supply and shortage of gas supply. Read more
INEC releases Edo, Ondo gov election timetable
The Independent National Electoral Commission, on Thursday, in Abuja, released the time table and schedule of activities for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
The elections are scheduled for Saturday, September 10, and Saturday, November 26, 2016, respectively. Read more
Meeting Chibok parents not good for my emotional state, Buhari tells CNN
President Muhammadu Buhari has said meeting parents of the schoolgirls abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state, on a regular basis, is not good for his emotional state. Lamenting the plight of the parents in an interview with Chief International Correspondent and host of CNNi’s nightly global affairs program, Christine Amanpour, President Buhari said he could not imagine his own daughter in such situation. Read more
Lagos lawyer, Adegboruwa, arraigned, remanded in EFCC custody
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday arraigned prominent Lagos-based lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, for allegedly dealing in a landed property in defiance of a court order.
Adegboruwa was arraigned on one count alongside one Jonathan Udeagbala, said to be at large, before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of a Federal High Court in Lagos. Read more
South African Hands Self To Police After Killing A Nigerian
A South African man has handed himself over to the police after shooting dead a Nigerian over the weekend. The 37 year old Nigerian, Dewunmi Oladele, was a bouncer at a popular Pretoria night club.
He was shot in the back, as he headed back into the club, after he had quelled a fracas. Read more
Cameron honest about his comment on Nigeria, Buhari insists
President Muhammadu Buhari again on Thursday rose in support of British Prime Minister, David Cameron, saying he was being honest by describing Nigeria as a “fantastically corrupt country.”
According to a news item posted on the website of the Cable News Network, Buhari said this in an interview with the news organisation’s Christiane Amanpour. Read more
Six Suspected Homosexuals in Police Net
The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 5 Headquarters, AIG Musa Daura, on Thursday disclosed that six suspected homosexuals have been arrested in Benin City. He said the arrest was carried out by operatives of the Zonal Anti-Vice Section while acting on credible information. Read more
Ese’s Abduction: Court to Take Victim’s Evidence in Private
Justice Aliya Ngajiwa of the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Thursday granted an application by lawyers to Ese Oruru requesting the court to take the young girl’s evidence in camera.
The law allows judges to take evidence in private or in chambers in cases that would breach trade secrets, national security or matters involving minors. Read more
3 die, 18 injured as suicide bomber strikes Maiduguri
Three persons have died, while 18 others were injured in renewed suicide attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorist in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, on Thursday.
The incident occurred outside the state secretariat around 2pm.
Security operatives intercepted the bomber, a male, at the entrance of the secretariat, but his explosive went off, just as he was being questioned. Colonle Sani Usman, spokesman of the army, confirmed the attack, saying 18 people sustained injuries, while three have been “declared dead”. Read more
Niger PDP Woos Aggrieved Party Members
The new leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Niger state has taken steps to woo back aggrieved members of the party who pulled out of the state congress of the party last Tuesday.
The aggrieved members led by a one-time state chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Enagi, alleged the hijack of the entire congress process by a former governor of the state and BOT member of the party, Engineer Abdulkhadir Kure, a claim the former governor denied. Read more
91 AGM: Unilever declares N189.2 million dividend
Unilever Nigeria Plc has declared a dividend payout of 5 kobo per ordinary share to the shareholders, amidst a challenging operating year. This is after the company declared a dividend of N189.2 million following the approval of the company’s shareholders at the 91st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Company held in Lagos on Thursday, 12th May.
According to the company in the year ended 2015 report, it increased revenue by 6.2 percent from N55.7 billion recorded in 2014 to N59.2 billion as Profit After Tax (PAT) stood at N1.2 billion compared to N2.4 billion recorded in 2014. Read more
Trader docked for allegedly cloning N5m bank cheque
A 55-year-old trader, Lade Obaseki, who allegedly cloned an Access Bank manager’s cheque worth N5 million, was on Thursday arraigned in an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.
The accused, who resides at No. 8, Otaja St., Mowe, Ogun State, is facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, fraud and forgery. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Nicholas Akpene, told the court that the accused and some others still at large committed the offences on April 26 at 2:00 pm at Access Bank PLC, Lagos. Read more
Fulani Killings: Forensic Experts Storm Nimbo Community
The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, has despatched forensic experts and a team of investigators to Ukpabi Nimbo in Uzouwani council of Enugu state where scores of people were killed last month when suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded the community.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said during his maiden press conference that the team has been mandated to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the invasion and ensure that all those involved in one way or the other were not only fished out but made to face the law. Read more
FIRS seals NICON Luxury
The Federal Inland Revenue Service has sealed NICON Luxury Abuja.
The FIRS, according to a notice, at the entrance of the hotel’s reception, stated that it sealed the facility because of the alleged failure of its management to pay tax. Read more
Subsidy removal would end hardship faced by Nigerians- Lawmaker
Lawmaker representing Mainland Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr Jide Jimoh, on Thursday said that subsidy removal on petrol by the Federal Government would end the hardship being faced by Nigerians. Read more
Container kills 1, injures 2 in Lagos
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) on Thursday advised haulage companies to put in place adequate safety measures during operational activities to forestall accidents. Mr Akin Akindele, the General Manager, LASEMA, gave the advice in a statement he issued after a container killed a lady simply identified as Ezinne at Sifax Container Terminal, Ijora, Lagos. Read more
Unilever Nigeria holds AGM, declares N189.2m dividend
Unilever Nigeria Plc., has declared a dividend of N189.2 million following the approval of the company’s shareholders at the 91st Annual General Meeting of the Company held in Lagos on Thursday, 12th May. The dividend declared amidst a challenging operating year translates to a dividend payout of 5 kobo per ordinary share to the shareholders. Read more
South Africa just lost its spot as Africa’s second largest economy
New data from the International Monetary Fund shows that Egypt is now Africa’s second largest economy after Nigeria, pushing South Africa into third place, according to a report from KPMG on Wednesday (May 11).
South Africa was already struggling with its demotion from first place after Nigeria rebased its Gross Domestic Product Data in early 2014. Now, it may have to settle for the title of “most advanced economy,” holding on to the infrastructural and regulatory advantages it enjoys. Read more
Arsenal lose interest in Ighalo as West Brom step in
Arsenal reported interest in Odion Ighalo has gone cold after he struggled in the second half of the season, but the Nigeria striker will still not be short of suitors in the summer as West Bromwich Albion have joined the race for his signature. Read more
African Bank Investments Report Says Ex-Directors Failed Duties
The former directors of African Bank Investments Ltd. failed in their duties to protect the company, according to a report compiled by John Myburgh, who led an investigation into the South African lender’s collapse in August 2014.
“The directors of the bank acted in breach of their fiduciary and other duties to the bank” and the business of the bank was conducted “negligently” in some respects, Myburgh said in a summary of findings, which was published on the South African Reserve Bank’s website on Thursday. Read more
Stockholm introduces rainbow-coloured postboxes in honour of gay pride
Stockholm is introducing a series of rainbow-coloured postboxes as the city prepares to host the Eurovision song contest.
Organised by postal company PostNord, the traditional blue and yellow boxes will be replaced by the colours of the gay pride flag in six key locations across the city. Read more
Universal basic income goes to public vote in Switzerland
Switzerland is preparing to vote on proposals to introduce a universal basic income, which campaigners say would erase poverty and remove dependence on welfare.
The initiative’s founders have suggested each adult should receive 2,500 francs (£1784) a month with children receiving 625 francs (£446) a month until they reach 18. Read more
Closing the world’s largest refugee camp
Kenya says go home
THE world’s largest refugee camp looks permanent. The first tents were pitched in the desert almost 25 years ago. Dadaab now sprawls over more than 50 square kilometres (20 square miles) on the arid Kenyan-Somali border. It is home to some 344,000 people, mostly Somalis who have fled their war, as well as shops, makeshift cinemas and a football league. The Kenyan government now wants to dismantle what is in effect a medium-sized city, along with Kakuma, a second smaller camp of 189,000 refugees close to South Sudan and Uganda. Neither task will be easy; either would provoke outrage. Read more
Explosion near military barracks wounds eight in Istanbul
A car bomb went off near a military barracks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Thursday, wounding at least eight people, as Turkey was on high alert for attacks.
The blast took place close to a vehicle carrying military personnel in Istanbul’s Sancaktepe neighbourhood on the Asian side of the city far from the city centre, according to Turkish media. Read more
Egypt’s Sisi moves to bolster support for Libyan militia-leader
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is looking for international support to bolster controversial Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, after Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord [GNA] announced the creation of a new military force.
Sisi has reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin to back the self-proclaimed commander-in-chief as the rightful head of Libya’s military, an Egyptian diplomat has said. Read more
