Sabinews Midday News Update for May 11,2015

Gunmen abduct OAU lecturer, kill driver, demand N70m

Some gunmen on Friday abducted a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr. Femi Omisore, who was on his way to attend a funeral at Oye Ekiti in Ekiti State.

Our correspondent gathered on Sunday that Omisore, a lecturer at the Department of Environmental Design Management of the OAU was abducted in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. Read more

Power-drunk ASP kills tricycle driver dead, flees

The police in Lagos have launched a manhunt for an Assistant Superintendent of Police, identified simply as Mohammed, who allegedly shot dead a tricycle driver, Akeem Aranse, during an argument in the Shasha, Akowonjo area.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Mohammed, who is attached to the Disaster Management Unit of the Department of Operations, Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja, moved out of his apartment on Unity Close, Egbeda, shortly after the incident. Read more

70-year-old nabbed for kidnapping girl, 3

A 70-year-old woman, Zenab Alabi, has been arrested by the Kwara State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping a three-year-old girl, Fatiah Mustapha.

A relative of the girl’s mother, Mrs. Maryam Abdulganiyu, said Mustapha got missing on March 25, 2015. Read more

Pregnant Arepo victim buried as community tightens security

Twenty-five-year-old Damilola Fajana, who was killed by a stray bullet during a clash between members of the Oodua People’s Congress and some Ijaw youths, suspected to be pipeline vandals, in the Arepo community, Ogun State, has been buried.

She was laid to rest at a cemetery in Lagos State on Saturday. Read more

Union urges incoming Govt. in Ebonyi to improve workers’ welfare

The incoming government in Ebonyi State has been implored to ensure that workers’ welfare topped its priority list of programmes.

The Ebonyi State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday. Read more

Boat carrying 400 migrants rescued off Indonesia

A second boat carrying hundreds of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh has been rescued off Indonesia’s far west coast, an official said on Monday, less than a day after nearly 600 others arrived in a wooden vessel seeking refuge.

“Our search and rescue team found another boat with more than 400 migrants, Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladeshis, drifting off the waters off east Aceh early this morning,” Aceh provincial search and rescue chief Budiawan told AFP. Read more

CAR militias agree to disarmament deal

Rival armed groups in Central African Republic agreed on Sunday to a peace agreement requiring them to disarm and potentially face justice for war crimes committed during two years of conflict.

The agreement signed between 10 armed groups and the Defence Ministry during a peace forum in the capital, Bangui, aims to draw a line under a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced nearly a million people in the impoverished former French colony. Read more

TAN boss, Ifeanyi Ubah denies assassination attempt

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), Ifeanyi Ubah, has refuted the report of an assassination attempt on him and the alleged killing of his aide in the process.

The former Anambra governorship aspirant noted that contrary to the report, he was not in Abuja but Taraba where he watched his football club, Ifeanyi Ubah FC in action, stressing that he is hale and hearty . Read more

Only the guilty needs to be afraid, APC tells Jonathan

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that only the guilty needs to be afraid and that incoming Buhari Administration will not persecute anyone, contrary to statements credited to President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said, however, that those who have played poker with the nation’s destiny must be willing and eager to clear their conscience before man and God. Read more

Governors should not get salary or allowance until all workers are paid

Determined to make a difference, Senator-elect and media mogul, Ben Murray-Bruce, has continued his campaign for reformation, urging that no state governor or aide should get salary or allowance until all workers in the state are paid. He also frowned at the ‘wastage’ of state resources to sponsor elite on pilgrimage while the poor in the society are not care for . Read more

Mediterranean crossing: Nigerian beaten, abducted by armed gangs in Libya

Migrants in Libya face “cruelty” and abuse, driving many people to risk their lives in dangerous Mediterranean crossings aimed at reaching sanctuary in Europe, Amnesty International said on Monday.

For years Libya has been a stepping stone for Africans seeking a better life in Europe. Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict at home are also making their way to Libya to try to reach the West. Read more

PDP jittery over six arrested INEC staff in Abia —APGA

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has alleged that the ruling party in Abia State is working round the clock to compromise the Assistant Inspector-General, AIG, of Police, Zone 9, Umuahia, Mr. Usman Gwary, to release unconditionally the six members of staff of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, arrested in Umuahia for allegedly attempting to take away seven card readers and result sheets from the Commission’s office.

But the PDP in a quick reaction, dissociated itself from the activities of the INEC staff. Read more

Ogboru is welcome to APC, but… — Emerhor

Notwithstanding that the All Progressives Congress, APC lost the April 11 governorship election in Delta State, its political relevance has shot up because of the enthronement of General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) as President-Elect.

Unexpectedly, the development has led to intrigues as politicians from other parties seek relevance in the new dominant party, APC. The party’s governorship candidate in the last election in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, in this interview spoke on his plans to overturn the result, the growing influence of the party in the state and on how the minister to represent the state in Buhari’s government will emerge Read more

EU refugee quotas to be proposed

The European Commission will make the controversial proposal that European Union member countries should take in refugees under a quota scheme.

The United Nations estimates that 60,000 people have already tried to cross the Mediterranean this year.

Migrants are being driven to make the journey by “horrific abuse” in Libya, according to Amnesty International. Read more

Buhari to diversify economy from oil to agriculture, mining

The President-elect, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday in Abuja said he would shift attention from oil to agricultural and mining sectors to create jobs.

Buhari said this while receiving Northern Elders led by Nigeria’s permanent representative at the United Nations, Alhaji Maitama Sule, visited him. Read more

Jonathan is humble, detribalized statesman, say Kefasi, Turner

The Head of Service of the Federation, Mr Danladi Kefasi, on Sunday described President Goodluck Jonathan as a detribalised Nigerian with abundant traits of humility, fairness, equity and justice.

Also, the President’s Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr George Turner, said the president was a statesman, who Nigerians would run to for advice and counselling. Read more

Okogie urges Buhari to focus on providing good governance, avoid distractions

The Catholic Archbishop Emeritus, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, on Sunday urged the President-elect, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari to focus on providing quality governance on assuming office, and pay less attention to distractions.

Okogie gave the advice in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. Read more

Ohaneze Ndigbo wades into controversy over Ilomuanya’s appointment

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has waded into the controversy surrounding President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent board appointment of the Chairman, Southeast Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya.

In a statement yesterday, in Enugu, Ohanaeze Ndigbo viewed Ilomuanya’s appointment as “meritorious”, insisting that the monarch has all it takes to contribute to the development of the country’s education. Read more

Crisis in Enugu House of Assembly unsettles PDP

THE current feud between Governor Sullivan Chime and a faction of the State House of Assembly led by Speaker, Eugene Odo may have unsettled the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Authoritative sources close to the leadership of the party in the state told The Guardian that a sharp division has set into the party executive following the decision of its chairman, Ikeje Asogwa, to support the nine-member faction that “impeached” Odo and elected a new Speaker, Chinedu Nwamba. Read more

PDP Crises: Muazu, others must resign, says Anenih

Following the abysmal performance of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP where it was defeated by the All Progressives Congress, APC during the March 28 Presidential election after sixteen years in government, the Alhaji Adamu Muazu led National Working Committee has been asked to resign honourably as the way forward for the party now.

In a statement yesterday by PDP Pioneer National Woman leader and member, PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Iyom Josephine Anenih, and made available to Vanguard said that the party should not at the moment think of reclaimimg power, just as she stressed that the PDP should first reclaim itself from the woeful defeat before planning for any election. Read more

Senate presidency/House Speakership: APC Govs back down, return slot to N-Central, S-west

Incoming Governors of the All Progressives Congress, APC may have finally ceded the offices of Senate president and the Speaker, House of Representatives to the north central and south west-zones of the country respectively, Vanguard has learnt.

This followed a meeting of the self appointed 5 man committee of the governors on Thursday last week. Read more

One killed in Turkish ship attack off Libya

One seaman was killed and several wounded when a Cook Islands-flagged cargo ship belonging to a Turkish company came under attack off the coast of Libya, the Turkish foreign ministry said Monday.

The ministry said the vessel was shelled Sunday from the coast 13 nautical miles off the eastern Libyan port of Tobruk and then twice came under air attack. Read more