SABINEWS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE JULY 21, 2017
Kidnappers shot dead during ransom negotiation
The Police have smashed a four-man armed kidnap syndicate terrorizing Aba and its environs. Police detectives attached to Omoba Division got the upper hand on the syndicate on Wednesday at Ovungwu, Isiala-Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.
The syndicate had on July 18, 2017, in Osisioma Ngwa abducted a man identified as Onyemaechi Mbamaonyeukwu Ijeoma, the Managing Director of Mba Hotels Aba in his ash colour Nissan Infinity SUV with Reg. No. GWA 807 DH and held him hostage in an uncompleted building at Umuajuju Ovungwu, Isiala Ngwa South LGA while negotiating for a ransom. Read more
PDP seeks to woo Alao-Akala, Ladoja into party
Members of the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, on Thursday, resolved to rebuild the party by bringing back former governors Rashidi Ladoja and Adebayo Alao-Akala into the state chapter of the party.
At the meeting in Ibadan, the state capital, the party equally decided that it would bring back state governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2015 elections, Seyi Makinde, ahead of the 2019 general elections. Read more
We’ll support passage of Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill, says Dogara
The Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has clarified that the “Not-Too-Young-To-Run’’ Bill was not removed from the report to be considered soon by the House.
He made the clarification at the backdrop of outcry that the Bill had been removed from the Constitution Amendment Report, which was laid at plenary on Thursday. Deputy Speaker, Mr Yussuff Lasun, who is chairman of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Review of the Constitution, had said that there was a rumour that the bill had been removed from the report.Read more
PDP proposes to stop chairman from controlling party funds
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has begun moves to whittle down the power of its chairman, The PUNCH has learnt.
Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday showed that the proposal to strip the national chairman of some of his enormous powers was contained in a memo to the National Executive Committee of the party by the Chairman of its National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi. Read more
I have seen the future o for Nigeria’s economy … – Osinbajo
“The business of making our country truly great is not just the business of government. Government is transient, it passes away but it is the business of every one of us.’’
“I can assure you that whatever it takes to make our country truly where it should be in the comity of nations in Africa and anywhere in the world, we will give it.’’ Read more
Nigerian judges’ vacation ‘too lengthy,’ group says
The yearly recess period for Nigerian courts which lasts between eight and 12 weeks contributes to delayed trials, an advocacy group, Access to Justice, has said.
Adenike Aiyedun, the group’s deputy director, said in a statement Thursday that an immediate review of the courts’ vacation is needed for the efficiency of Nigeria’s judicial system. “From the outset, we acknowledge that Nigerian judges face enormous challenges, as with many other Nigerians, with regards to a lack of proper infrastructure and difficult working conditions, and also understand that many judges often extend their official working hours into their private time in order to meet the exigencies of their dockets,” Ms. Aiyedun said. Read more
Nigeria not ripe for State Police – IGP
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, says Nigeria does not yet have the political maturity for state police.
Instead, the country should improve funding for the agency under the current arrangement, Mr. Idris stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum.
The I-G said he was not unaware of the agitations by some groups for the creation of state police, but argued that the federal police arrangement still remains the best. Read more
Nasarawa doctor transfuses HIV-infected blood into boy
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps in Nasarawa State have arrested an alleged fake medical doctor, Jonathan Sidi-Ibrahim, for allegedly infecting a six-year-old boy with HIV.
The incident reportedly took place in Iwashi, Dogo of Sarkin Dawaki ward in the Doma Local Government Area of the state. Read more
Third man named in Diezani’s alleged $1.7bn US corruption case
Court documents filed in Houston by the US Justice Department in the assets forfeiture proceedings against former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and her business associates, Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore, have revealed the third man in the $1.7 billion swindle of Nigeria, according to online portal, Premium Times.
He is Igho Sanomi, one of Nigeria’s young billionaires, who owns the Taleveras Oil Group. Taleveras, along with oil traders, Arcadia and Glencore, were found to have paid $1.2 billion into Kola Aluko’s account in Switzerland, proceeds from crude oil lifted from Aluko and Omokore’s company. Read more
NLC faults Gov Bello on Kogi ASUU
President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, yesterday, berated Governor Yayaya Bello of Kogi State over his purported proscription of activities of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, of the state university, saying the governor lacked such powers.
Wabba, who spoke at a meeting with the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, in Lagos, said Kogi State was one of the states being governed upside down in the country. Read more
Apapa mayhem: Killer cop, 18 alleged arsonists arrested
The mobile policeman, who allegedly shot a truck driver to death on Wednesday at Creek Road, Apapa, and 18 others, who allegedly took part in the burning of two banks have been arrested.
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Fatai Owoseni, who revealed this yesterday, frowned at the action of the Mobile policeman, saying he acted on his own. Read more
Bauchi governor sacks cabinet, appoints new SSG
Gov. Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi on Thursday dissolved his cabinet , sacked the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Bello Ilelah and disengaged his Special Assistants.
A statement to that effect, signed by Permanent Secretary, Special Duties and Political Affairs, Malam Saidu Maikobi, directed the affected appointees to handover the affairs of their ministries to their Permanent Secretaries, latest July 21. Read more
We must end the hunger in Nigeria – Andy Uba
The Senator representing Anambra South in the upper legislative chamber has called for concerted effort to end the hunger in Nigeria. Uba, a governorship aspirant in the forth coming Anambra state election disclosed this when he dined with thousands of his people in Anambra at an event sponsored by the senator.
With particular reference to Anambra state, Senator Uba said that economic hardship in the country has left many in the state hungry. Read more
‘Feel free to visit Nigeria House’, envoy urges Nigerians
‘Prof. Tijjani Bande, Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, has asked Nigerians to feel free to visit the Nigeria House when in New York, saying it belongs to them.
Bande, who stated this when he hosted Nigerian delegates at various events at the UN High-level Political Forum, said officials at the house were there to serve Nigeria and Nigerians. Read more
Aregbesola, Ajimobi, Ambode, celebrate Akande’s wife at fidau
Governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Akinwumi Ambode (Lagos) were among dignitaries at the eighth day prayer for Madam Sikiratu Omowumi Akande, wife of the former interim chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande.
Others at the fidau were: Osun State Geputy Governor Mrs. Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori; Osun State Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Moshood Adeoti; Chief of Staff to Osun Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; Osun State Head of Service (HoS), Olayinka Sunday Owoeye; former Ogun State Deputy Governor Segun Adesegun and former Osun State Deputy Governor Adeleke Adewoyin. Read more
Four investments that keep your money secure
You know all the rules about getting ahead financially. You understand that you’re supposed to keep your expenses under control, stay out of debt, and save as much of your salary as you can. And you know that if you stick to these rules for long enough, you’ll eventually end up with a nice big balance in the bank. At that point, you’re left with another question: What should you do with it?
If you just let it keep piling up in the bank, your money stays safe and is available to you if you need it – but at today’s interest rates, it won’t earn much. Read more
African Nations Cup to be moved to June/July from 2019
The African Nations Cup will be moved to June and July and the size of the competition will grow from 16 to 24 finalists from the next edition in 2019.
These decisions were made by the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) executive committee on Thursday. Radical changes to Africa’s leading competitions were formalised as CAF’s executive committee met in Rabat . Read more
US Open Badminton: Parupalli Kashyap sets up blockbuster quarter-final meeting with Sameer Verma
A blockbuster all-Indian quarter-final clash was set up as Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap and fifth seed Sameer Verma both won their respective third round matches at the $120,000 Yonex US Open Grand Prix Gold in Anaheim, California on Thursday.
Verma, seeded fifth, had a tough encounter against the ninth seed Ygor Coelho of Brazil. The Syed Modi International winner had to come back from a game down to notch up an 18-21, 21-14, 21-18 win in 1 hour. Read more
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 takes center stage at Leaders Sport Business Summit in Beijing
The internationally renowned Leaders Sport Business Summit took place on Friday in Beijing, China where basketball was a major talking point.
A FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 panel explained the thinking behind hosting a revamped and bigger than ever before edition of FIBA’s flagship event on Chinese soil in two years’ time. Read more
Chelsea keen to hijack Man City’s move for Benjamin Mendy after they pinch Danilo
The French left-back is a target for Manchester City who are shaking up their full-back department this summer. City have had a £44.5m bid rejected for the 23-year-old who looks destined to move this summer.
Chelsea could gazump City in the race for Mendy, just like City appear to have done so for Real Madrid’s Danilo. Read more
Ozil to sign new Arsenal deal
Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil is close to signing a new contract with the Gunners, according to British media reports on Friday. The German World Cup winner’s current deal runs out at the end of the 2017/18 season, but Arsenal are confident of wrapping up negotiations in the next couple of weeks.
According to reports, the terms for the 28-year-old’s proposed new deal are around £280,000 ($363,000, 313,000 euros) a week, which would make him the club’s top earner, although it’s believed that Ozil was originally holding out for closer to £350,000. Read more
Leicester reject Roma’s bid for Mahrez
Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare confirmed on Friday that the club had turned down an offer from Italian side AS Roma for winger Riyad Mahrez.
The Paris-born Algeria forward is likely to command a fee of around £50 million ($65 million, 55.8 million euros), with Roma’s offer believed to be some way short of that figure. Read more
Siemens to exit Russian power joint venture
The German industrial giant will also halt deliveries of power generation equipment to Russian state-controlled customers for the “time being”.
Siemens said it had received “credible information” that its turbines had been diverted from the original destination. It said this breaches EU sanctions against Russia. Read more
Indonesian religious ministry to propose tougher blasphemy laws
Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs is preparing revisions to the country’s so-called Religious Rights Protection Bill that would significantly expand the definition of blasphemy and allow harsher punishments for the crime of insulting religion.
A major change to the law would be a broadened classification of the offence of blasphemy – which is currently “showing hostility, abuse, or desecration” towards a faith, its scriptures or institutions – to seven different kinds of blasphemy with varying periods of imprisonment from six months to five years. Read more
Wounded National Front seeks way back after French poll failures
Top officials from France’s far-right National Front gather on Friday to find a way back from successive election failures, and senior members said everything from the party’s name to its vow to restore the franc currency were up for review.
Leader Marine le Pen vowed to “deeply renew” the party after she lost the presidential election to centrist Emmanuel Macron in May. Read more
Ex-China’s securities regulator assistant chairman to be prosecuted – graft watchdog
The former assistant chairman of China’s securities regulator, Zhang Yujun, will be prosecuted for serious violations of discipline, the country’s graft watchdog said on Friday.
Zhang, who was put under investigation in 2015 after the stock market crash, will be prosecuted for offences including obstruction of investigation, and “disturbing the order of capital markets”, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement on its website. Read more
United States to ban American citizens from travel to North Korea, tour groups say
A tour operator that runs organized trips into North Korea (DPRK) announced Friday that it had been told the United States would soon ban its citizens from traveling to the “Hermit Kingdom.”
Young Pioneer Tours, the company with which American student Otto Warmbiertraveled to the DPRK, released a statement via Twitter which said that the ban would come into force within 30 days of July 27. Read more
No word from surviving Tiananmen ‘Gentlemen’ about Liu Xiaobo’s death
Liu Xiaobo was one of the “Four Gentlemen” of Tiananmen Square, the group that staged a hunger strike in the final days of the 1989 pro-democracy protests in China and tried to hold off tanks and troops moving in to crush the student-led movement.
Liu, who died in state custody last week, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 and was regarded as China’s best-known dissident. But the other three have largely faded from the public eye and none have publicly commented on Liu or his death. Read more
Merkel may win election, but lose her finance minister
Wolfgang Schaeuble has won his parliamentary seat a dozen times, survived an attempt on his life and guided Angela Merkel through the euro zone crisis. Now, the German chancellor may have to sacrifice him to secure a coalition deal.
Merkel’s conservatives are likely to win a national election on Sept. 24, but lack of an overall majority could force them to continue their alliance with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). Read more
US to ban travel to North Korea
The United States will bar Americans from travelling to North Korea in the coming weeks, two travel agencies said Friday, a month after US student Otto Warmbier died following his imprisonment by the Stalinist regime.
China-based Young Pioneer Tours, which had taken Warmbier to North Korea, and Koryo Tours said the ban will come into force on July 27 — the anniversary of the end of the Korean War — with a 30-day grace period. Read more
