Kano blast: Police yet to ascertain casualty figure

The Kano State Police command said on Friday it was yet to ascertain the casualty figures in the bomb attack at Dakasoye village in Garun Malam Local Government Area of the state. Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Muhammad Katsina, told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Kano on Friday that the members of the Shi’ite Islamic sect had taken away the corpses and injured persons. “I cannot give you the official figure of casualty and the injured because the members have taken them away. “So, since I have not seen them physically, I cannot tell you the number of persons affected,” he said. He, however, said the leader of the Shi’ite movement in Kano, Malam Muhammad Turi had told some journalists in his presence at the scene that 21 persons lost their lives and many others injured in the blast. According to him, the command had directed its officers to check at the various hospitals in Kano if they had taken the corpses to any. He said the suspected member of Boko Haram said to have been arrested by the sect had not been handed over to the police. Katsina added that police would make official figure of casualty public as soon as it was available. He said the police anti-bomb squad had defused one bomb which was planted on the road.

Mali arrests two suspects linked to Bamako hotel attack

Mali’s security ministry arrested two people suspected of links to an attack on a luxury hotel in the country’s capital that killed 20 people, the ministry said on Thursday. At least two armed men attacked the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako on Friday in a dawn raid, killing six Russians, three Chinese and an American among others, in the worst jihadist strike on the West African country in years. The siege ended hours later when Malian commandos stormed the hotel and freed 170 hostages. Two attackers were killed. “There are two suspects arrested,” said Amadou Sangho, a spokesman for the ministry. The two attackers have not yet been identified. Three Islamist militant groups have claimed the strike. A source close to the probe investigation said the suspects had been brought in for interrogation, based on information found in one of the attacker’s mobile phones. One of them had been regularly in touch since August while another sent telephone credit to an attacker, he said.

Three killed, nine injured in Colorado shooting

Three people were shot dead and nine others injured in a shooting on Friday in the city of Colorado Springs, the United States, according to authorities. After more than five hours of standoff, police arrested a gunman, who stormed a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Colorado Springs and opened fire with a rifle. Those killed includes one officer and two civilians, Colorado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey told reporters about an hour after the suspect had been captured, adding that all nine surviving victims, five police officers and four civilians, were in good condition at area hospitals. Colorado Springs Police spokeswoman Lt. Catherine Buckley told local media that later in the afternoon, officers were able to get close enough to the suspect who holed up in a clinic of Colorado Springs’ branch of Planned Parenthood and exchanged gunfire with police. At that point, officers were able to get him to surrender. The suspect was seen escorted by police out of the clinic in handcuffs just before 5:00 p.m. local time. The identity and motive of the suspect are not revealed yet. The suspect said he acted alone. “We do not know about this person’s mentality or ideology,” Buckley said. About 150 police officers from the city and the state police departments were sent to the scene after gun shots were reported at around 11:30 a.m. At 2:15 p.m., police tweeted that officers were “encountering gunfire” from a suspect inside the Planned Parenthood building. More than a dozen police vehicles and ambulances were at the scene. SWAT members managed to evacuate some 20 people from the clinic before the suspect surrendered.

Boko Haram kills 18 in Niger

Nigerien authorities said that Boko Haram militants killed 18 people, including a local religious leader, in an attack on a village in the nation’s southern border area of Diffa . Justice Minister, Marou Amadou, who disclosed this in a statement said “Boko Haram has once again sent us into mourning. “Eighteen villagers were killed, including the Chief Imam of the village whose throat was slit by his own nephew,” he said. Amadou said eleven people were injured and a three-year-old girl was abducted, adding that the army was pursuing the “terrorists in all nooks and crannies of Lake Chad.” According to him, the gunmen stormed the village of Gogone near the shores of Lake Chad on foot and fired indiscriminately on residents. The Diffa region had suffered dozens of cross- border strikes since January by the extremist group whose stronghold in North-East Nigeria lies a few kilometres away. A state of emergency has been declared there in a bid to boost security, but the attackers often managed to flee across the River Komadougou, marking the border with Nigeria.

Nine professors shortlisted for LASU VC contest

Nine out of 14 professors have been shortlisted to contest for the post of the Vice-Chancellor at the Lagos State University. A competent source, who pleaded anonymity at the University’s Registrars office, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lagos. The source said that 14 professors had applied for the position within the six weeks of the advertisement. “Nine were shortlisted after several considerations of their qualifications and pre- requisites for absorption,” the source said. The source noted that among the five candidates who were not shortlisted was the immediate former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa, whose tenure ended on October 31. According to the source, the candidates who were not shortlisted do not possess a PhD certificate, while others had not spent up to 10 years as professors. “Although the advertisement had outlined that the professorship of the candidates must have lasted seven years, it was extended to 10 years during the screening as it applies in federal universities,” it added. The source said that while six of the shortlisted professors were from LASU, the other three were from outside the institution. It named the shortlisted professors as Dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof. Abolade Adeniji; Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Senna Bakre; and Prof. Olatunji Bello, Lagos State University College of Medicine. Others are Prof. Nurudeen Olasupo, Department of Microbiology, Prof. Hamidu Sanni of the Islamic Studies Department and Prof. Babajide Elemo, Science Faculty. The professors from outside LASU are a professor from Texas, U.S., simply identified as Oki, Prof. S.A. Tella, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun, and a former LASU staff now in the University of Lagos, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun. The source also said that the interview for the shortlisted candidates had been scheduled to hold on December 7 at LASUCOM, Ikeja. NAN reports that the post of the Vice-Chancellor at LASU had been vacant, following the expiration of the tenure of the former, Obafunwa on October 31.

Former FIFA chief hospitalized in Rio

Former FIFA president Joao Havelange, a controversial figure who spent more than two decades in charge of world football, is being treated in a Rio hospital with respiratory problems. A spokeswoman for the Samaritano Hospital, Andresa Feijo, told AFP that the 99-year-old’s condition was “stable.” There was no further information available but a statement was expected later Friday, she said. Havelange, a two-time member of Brazil’s Olympic team, headed FIFA for 24 years and was also on the International Olympic Committee for half a century. He resigned as honorary FIFA president in 2013 under a cloud of corruption allegations.

Three Chinese activists jailed in China

Three Chinese rights activists were sentenced to jail by a court on Friday in Guangzhou in southern China. Guo Feixiong was jailed for six years while fellow activists Liu Yuandong, 37, and Sun Desheng, 32, were sentenced to three years and two-and-a-half years in prison, respectively. They were found guilty of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place”. Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the three activists. “It’s a dark day when people advocating for press freedom and democracy are subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and sentenced to lengthy prison terms after sham trials,” Amnesty’s Roseann Rife said. Guo, 48, had previously been jailed for nearly five years for his activism. “He wasn’t guilty of anything at all. This sentence is unacceptable and unfair,” Guo’s lawyer Zhang Lei told Reuters. Under fire from free-speech advocates, a Beijing court on Thursday gave medical parole to a 71- year-old journalist jailed for “leaking” an official document warning against liberal political ideas. Beijing’s high court ruled veteran journalist Gao Yu would receive treatment outside prison for a “serious illness”, her lawyer, Mo Shaoping, told the AFP news agency. SOURCE:Al Jazeera

Terrorism is our common enemy – Hollande, Putin

Russian President, Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised efforts by his French counterpart, Francois Hollande to set up a coalition to fight the Islamic State terrorist militia. “You’re putting a great deal of attention and effort into the creation of a broad anti-terrorist coalition. “What’s more, we think this coalition is absolutely necessary and that’s where our positions coincide”, Putin said in a meeting with Hollande. The meeting became imperative owing to Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, Oct. 31 downing of the Russian A321 passenger jet in Egypt, both attacks claimed by the Islmaic State. “All of this prompt us to pool efforts in the struggle with this common evil, as we are mourning together with you over the losses France has suffered’’, he added. For his part, Hollande thanked all Russians for their reaction to the Paris terrorist attacks. “I have come here so that we could find a solution and move together on this path, effectively fighting the common enemy and searching for political solutions to settle the situation in Syria”, Hollande said. Hollande travelled to Moscow for a meeting and working dinner with Putin as part of a week long campaign by Hollande to push for a more aggressive approach to fighting the Islamic State. Prior to Hollande’s arrival, Putin made calls on Thursday for a unified, powerful force to combat terrorists in Syria, indicating a willingness to work jointly with France.

UNFAIR: Palestinian shot dead after alleged car attack

A Palestinian man was shot and killed on Friday after allegedly ramming his vehicle into Israeli soldiers at a bus stop near a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Two Israeli soldiers were wounded in the incident near the Kfar Adumim settlement on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israeli police and military said. The shooting comes a day after three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank – two shot dead during protests. The latest attacks have raised the death toll to 100 Palestinians killed since early October. Twenty- one Israelis have also been killed. The violence began when Israeli police and military forces began to crackdown on Palestinian protests against Israeli incursions into the al-Aqsa mosque compound, and the failure of US- brokered negotiations for a separate Palestinian state. SOURCE: Al Jazeera

Miss World contestant prevented from entering China

A Chinese-born Canadian model says she was barred from entering China to participate in the Miss World pageant. Anastasia Lin, an outspoken critic of China’s religious policy, said on Friday she was unable to board her connecting flight from Hong Kong after a Chinese official told her by telephone she would not be granted a visa on arrival. “If they start to censor beauty pageants – how pathetic is that?” Lin told The Associated Press in Hong Kong. In a pre-departure statement, Lin said denying her entry would mean China was trying to prevent her from speaking out about human rights issues. Lin, who moved to Canada when she was 13, is an outspoken critic of Chinese religious policy, and a follower of the Falun Gong meditation group. Dubbed a cult, Falun Gong was outlawed by China’s ruling Communist Party in 1999. Lin said after she won the Canadian beauty title, Chinese security agents visited her father – who still lives in China – in an apparent attempt to intimidate her into silence. SOURCE: Al Jazeera

Climate crunch to dominate Commonwealth summit

The 2015 Commonwealth Summit kicks off on Friday to a grand opening ceremony with Queen Elizabeth, followed by intense working sessions where world leaders will grapple with climate change. As the clock ticks to a UN climate conference in Paris starting Monday, leaders including France’s Francois Hollande, Britain’s David Cameron and the UN’s Ban Ki-moon will try to open the door to a landmark accord for taming greenhouse gases. “We look towards Paris and an agreement that will determine the survival of our species and all those who share this precious planet with us,” Britain’s Prince Charles said in a speech in Malta on Thursday, as leaders arrived on the windswept island from four continents. “We do not have the right to steal our children and grand-children’s inheritance. We do have a responsibility to act now… and I’m sure that the Commonwealth will play a critical and leading part in this endeavour,” the heir to the throne said. Born out of the British empire, the Commonwealth of Nations brings together around a quarter of the world’s countries and a third of its population. The 24th biennial summit is expected to focus on the issues of extremism and migration as well as the environment. Prime ministers attending include Canada’s new leader, Justin Trudeau, Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif and Pakalitha Mosisili from Lesotho. The hope is that by finding common ground in Malta, among countries which differ enormously in terms of culture, size, GDP and diplomatic muscle, the COP21 talks in Paris can break through a logjam of connected and highly contentious issues. Potential stumbling blocks in Paris abound, ranging from financing for climate-vulnerable countries to scrutiny of commitments to curb greenhouse gases and even the legal status of the planned accord. The last attempt to get a global climate deal, at the ill-tempered 2009 Copenhagen summit, foundered upon divisions between rich and poor nations.

IS claims attack on Shiite mosque in Bangladesh

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on worshippers at a Shiite mosque in northern Bangladesh that killed one and wounded three others, the US-based monitoring organisation SITE said on Friday. The attackers struck during evening prayers on Thursday, a day after police shot dead a top Islamist militant accused of hurling grenades at the country’s main Shiite shrine in the capital Dhaka last month, killing two people.

Russia raid Turkish firms, send exports back

Russian police have been raiding Turkish companies in different regions of Russia and, in some cases, have suspended their operations, two Turkish businessmen with investments in the country have told Al Jazeera. Moscow has also started sending back Turkish trucks loaded with exports at the border and stopped Turkish tourists – who normally do not need visas – entering the country, at least two businessmen said. Turkish and Russian foreign ministries, contacted by phone, had not replied to Al Jazeera’s questions at the time of the publication of this story. Moscow’s move comes after Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 warplane on Tuesday for allegedly violating Turkish airspace. The two sides, who are at odds over the Syrian crisis, have opposite claims over whether the airspace breach is true or not. “Turkish companies in Russia, particularly construction companies, are being raided,” a Turkish executive with a manufacturing company active in Russia told Al Jazeera, on condition of anonymity. “They check if anyone with expired or no working visas is actively working in these companies or not. They check if working regulations were implemented or not. “There have been serious breaches in this area within construction companies and Russian authorities know it. Activities of some companies have been frozen on these grounds.” Cevdet Seylan, a businessman with trade relations in the city of Kazan, also confirmed that police had been raiding Turkish companies there. SOURCE: Al Jazeera

UN commences assessment of IDPs in North-East

UN Special Representative of the Secretary- General for West Africa, Mr. Mohammed Chambas, said on Thursday that the UN had commenced assessment of the humanitarian situation of internally displaced persons in North- Eastern Nigeria. Chambas told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in West Africa on Humanitarian Affairs had recently visited the area for the assessment. He said, “The UN is already supporting many Nigerians who are today refugees in different parts of the North East Zone and neighbouring communities. “With this assessment of the humanitarian situation in the North-East, the UN can now work with federal authorities and begin to address the consequences of Boko Haram’s activities on these persons. “After the assessment, we also can begin to think of embarking on a long term development of the affected communities.” The UN Special Envoy restated the UN’s readiness to continue to work with the different emergency management agencies in Nigeria, in providing more humanitarian support for the affected persons. Chambas also said that it was imperative for the governments of Cameroon, Niger, Chad and other neighbouring countries, to work closely with the Nigerian government in ending the activities of Boko Haram. He said that the UN was so far impressed with the support being provided by the Multi-National Joint Task Force in fighting terrorism in the region. “The UN is happy that countries appreciate the need to deploy significant troops dedicated to fighting Boko Haram in Nigeria and across the region. “We believe that with this effective collaboration from these contributing countries, we can begin to see significant gains against Boko Haram,” he added.

No ‘apologies’ from Turkey over downed warplane says Putin

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had not received any apology from Turkish leaders over the downing of a warplane, nor any proposals to compensate Moscow for the damage. “We still have not heard any articulate apologies from Turkey’s highest political level nor any proposals to compensate for the harm and damage, nor promises to punish criminals responsible for their crimes,” Putin said at the Kremlin in televised remarks.

Court remands 64-year-old man for drug trafficking

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered the remand of a 64-year-old man, Andrew Nwaochichi, at the Ikoyi Prisons for dealing in cannabis sativa, popularly called Indian hemp. Nwaochichi was arraigned on a charge of drug trafficking by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. He pleaded guilty to the charge. Following his plea, the prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, prayed the court to issue a remand order against the accused. “In view of the plea of the accused, I pray my lord for an order of remand against the accused,” he said. Consequently, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, ordered the accused to be remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons, and adjourned the case till January 14, 2016, for a review of facts and sentencing. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the prosecutor had told the court that the accused committed the offence on September 15. He said that the accused was arrested at Monkey Village in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, where he engaged in the sale of cannabis sativa. The prosecutor said that the accused was arrested on a tip off and consequently, taken into custody by the NDLEA. He said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation, 2004. NAN reports that the offence of drug trafficking attracts up to a term of life imprisonment if convicted.

FG stalls Orubebe’s trial, CCT adjourns till Jan 27

The Federal Government again on Thursday stalled the commencement of the trial of a former Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, with a proposal to amend the four counts of N70m bribery and false assets declaration preferred against him. Earlier on November 9, 2015, the prosecution asked for two weeks to prepare its witnesses when asked to commence the trial shortly after the accused pleaded not guilty to the four counts. The Danladi Umar-led tribunal had then adjourned till Thursday for the commencement of trial. However, on Thursday, the prosecution led by Mr. Peter Danladi, rather than call its first witness, proposed to orally amend counts two, three and four, an application which the defence lawyer, Mr. Selekowei Larry (SAN), opposed. Danladi while applying for the amendment of the charges cited section 216 of the Admini stration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which he said allowed the prosecution to amend or alter the charges it filed at any time before judgment was delivered. He said, “The matter was adjourned till today for hearing. But before we proceed, we are applying to amend counts two, three and four. “The applications is brought pursuant to section 216 of the ACJ Act and pursuant to the inherent jurisdiction of this honourable tribunal.” The prosecuting counsel was about to give details of his proposed amendment when Larry raised an objection. In opposing the application, Larry said it could only be done through motion on notice and not orally. He said, “This is serious business. You can’t just jump up and say you want to amend the charges. You have to notify us about what you want to do. You have to do it through motion on notice. You cannot come and take us by surprise. We have to know what you are doing. “This is a court of record. Whatever they want to do let them do it properly by way of motion on notice.” In response, Danladi said the use of word, “anytime” in section 216 of the ACJ Act showed that an application for amendment of charges by prosecution could be done orally. However, while the tribunal chairman agreed that the prosecution had the right to amend the charges as it wished, it needed to put the defence on notice. Danladi then asked for two weeks to file the necessary processes for the amendment. But Umar said since the year was already winding up, the tribunal would only be able to entertain the case in January. The matter was then adjourned till January 27, 2016.

Kogi poll: APC, DPP chieftains laud INEC, security agencies

Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress and the Democratic People’s Party have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for ensuring smooth accreditation of voters in the Kogi Governorship election. The APC governorship running mate, Mr. James Faleke, , told the News Agency of Nigeria in an interview, shortly after being accredited at his Oja Ode polling unit in Ekinrin-Adde ward of Ijumu Local Government Area, that the arrangement by INEC was impressive. He commended INEC and security agencies for the measures put in place at making sure that the processes were peaceful. Faleke also thanked the people of Ekinrin Adde and the entire Okun land for coming out en- masse for the accreditation. ‘’Victory belongs to God. “All power belongs to God and I am optimistic that victory was sure.’’ In a separate interview with NAN, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim, DPP’s Governorship Candidate in the state, also commended the INEC for ‘’job well done’’. Ibrahim also made the commendation shortly after being accredited at the polling unit located within the Crowther Memorial Anglican Church in Lokoja. He expressed happiness over the timely arrival of INEC officials and election materials. He said that with the Kogi experience, INEC had laid a foundation for the conduct of free, fair and credible election in the country. Ibrahim was also full of praises for the voters for their enthusiasm, describing the whole situation in Lokoja as calm and peaceful. The candidate was full of praises for the Inspector-General Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, for deploying over 16, 000 policemen to the state, describing the measure as reassuring. Also speaking with NAN in separate interview, a chieftain of APC in the state, Alhaji Kassim Mabo, lauded the peaceful nature of the exercise in the state. Mabo, who spoke after undergoing accreditation at the polling unit at Maigari palace in Lokoja, said that no single negative incident was recorded since the exercise commuted at 8 a.m. He also commended the security arrangement put in place by the police and other security agencies.

Nigerians slam Buhari, marketers over fuel scarcity

Many Nigerians, including civil society organisations, analysts and individuals have expressed anger and disappointment over the ongoing fuel scarcity across the country, blaming oil marketers and President Muhammadu Buhari, who doubles as the Minister of Petroleum, for their plight. Nigerians have had to endure long hours at the few fuel stations that sell Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol, for about a week, with no end in sight to the problem. There are also reports that the scarcity is compounded by oil marketers hoarding the product to sell at prices above the official pump price of N87 per litre. Findings by Saturday PUNCH show that the product sells for between N100 and N150 per litre in most fuel stations across the country, with the product going for as high as N400 per litre in the black market. Unusually long queues of vehicles and customers with kegs characterise the few stations that sell the product at the official pump price. President Buhari recently announced himself as the Minister of Petroleum and this seems to have put him at the forefront of public criticisms over the issue. Civil society groups, among other Nigerians, said that President Buhari, whose presidential campaign had promised to bring change to the country, has failed to deal with the problem of fuel scarcity. For instance, the Northern Elders’ Council Chairman, Tanko Yakasai, blamed Buhari for failing in his promise to Nigerians to revive the oil sector, saying his tenure as Minister of Petroleum was kicked off on a bad note. He said, “I’m buying from the black market. The start does not show a good signal for the new minister of petroleum resources. Buhari came to power on the strength of the change slogan. He promised to change what was happening in the country, so what we expected was change and not this. “But look at what is happening under Buhari as the minister of petroleum resources. He came to power on the platform of change but there has been no change. If the same situation we used to experience has continued, so where is the change? What has he done better? We still have queues at fuel stations all over the country. He has been in power for many months and we are still grappling with fuel scarcity in the country. Is that change? Where is the change?” Chairman, Civil Liberties Organisation, Bayelsa State, Nengi James, also said that the expectation of people in the Niger Delta was that the welfare of the people in the region would change for the better with Buhari’s government. He said, “When we say change, we expect the security and welfare of the people to change for the better, but presently, apart from suffering from sea piracy and environmental pollution in the Niger Delta, there is environmental degradation. “We are really suffering. The fuel situation is biting harder. The artisans who need the fuel to manage their lives are crying. No light and still no fuel. The illegal refineries have been shut down and they are the ones who cushion the effect of such crises.” James expressed hope that the situation would improve, but warned Buhari that the wait for change should not take forever. He said, “We are waiting to see what will happen, but we still expect that there will be changes over time but the wait for change cannot be endless. We need action; we are tired of talk with no action.” A statement made available by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congreess, Ayuba Wabba, also urged Buhari to put an end to the suffering of Nigerians, saying the scarcity had persisted in spite of government’s assurance that it would be resolved within 72 hours. It stated: “We note that this is happening despite assurances from government and its agencies that there is enough fuel being distributed around the country and that citizens need not go into panic buying. “That the situation has not visibly improved after more than 72 hours of such assurance means that the marketers and other groups that have held the country hostage over the years for their unearned profiteering from the petroleum sector are still determined to continue as if it is business as usual.” An environmental rights activist, Alagoa Morris, said he “thought the perennial fuel scarcity would have been a thing of the past,” adding that he was “surprised to learn that the Federal Government was still owing marketers and for that reason, the importers could not release fuel.” He, however, advised the Federal Government to look inward for solutions, which he said include “encouraging the establishment of modular refineries in our creeks.” He said, “All the refineries need is proper environmental impact assessment. Then they should be given licences to operate. It will give us enough refined products, take care of unemployment, boost local economy and reduce crime in our creeks.” However, the National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said Nigeria was facing a huge economic crisis, describing the change mantra of the APC as deceptive. Speaking on the fuel crisis, Odumakin said, “I will not condemn the President as a person. I would rather indict those around him who have been lying to Nigerians that there will be miracles overnight, and that every of our problems would disappear. “They said he would do this and that, promising impossible things during electioneering in the name of the President. Anybody who was sober enough would know that there is big crisis in Nigeria because over the years, we have relied on just one product, which is oil.” Advising government on the way out of the problem, he said, “This lazy culture of governors going to Abuja to share money every month can no longer work. Let every state start looking at its resources; that is the only way out. But we cannot do that without discarding the national constitution, which says that everything belongs to the Federal Government.” Some citizens, who spoke to our correspondent from across the country, also shared the frustrations of motorists and other fuel users in their various states. Also, on social media platforms, Nigerians have been blaming Buhari and fuel marketers for the ongoing scarcity. Ismael Ibrahim, a resident of Sokoto State, said a litre of petrol sells for about N140 in the state, adding that its residents have solely put the blame on President Buhari and the marketers. SOURCE: PUNCH.

Ogun bank robbery: IG deploys helicopters

The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has deployed the Air Wing Unit of the force along with officials of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad to track down the gang that robbed a Zenith Bank branch in Agbara, Ogun State on Thursday, killing a policeman and injuring many others. Saturday PUNCH learnt that the multi-agency manhunt launched to search for the robbers also includes the Federal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau. Spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, said the Ogun and Lagos states’ commands were also working together on the operation. He assured that the robbers would soon be tracked down by security operatives. Adejobi said, “Let me make it clear that they will be caught soon. I cannot give too much information for now. But people don’t rob in Ogun and go scot-free. I want to also clarify that it is untrue that they killed more than one policeman. Only a policeman attached to the bank was killed. “Another policeman was injured but did not die. He is currently receiving treatment. No nursing mother was killed as earlier reported. Members of the public who were shot are receiving treatment.” The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said on Thursday during a news briefing that the robbers might still be holed up in creeks in the area. He, however, added that it would be impossible for the robbers to escape through Lagos because the state’s end of the creeks had been cordoned off by the police. SOURCE: PUNCH

EFCC sets up 27-man team to probe Dasuki

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd). Saturday PUNCH learnt that the anti-graft commission sent the letter of invitation to Dasuki earlier in the week to answer questions in connection with the ongoing probe into procurement of arms during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. A source said the EFCC also put a 27-man strong team of operatives on standby since Thursday for the mission to Dasuki’s residence. The source said that the operatives had been given a directive to be on standby and were waiting for the final directive from the Acting Chairman of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, for the commencement of the assignment. The source said, “The commission has invited the former NSA to appear before it. Already, a team of 27 operatives has been told to remain on standby. “They are waiting for further directives. They are told not to go anywhere.” However, a source close to the former NSA, who confirmed the invitation, said that Dasuki had not honoured the invitation because of the continuing siege on his house by operatives of the Department of State Services. The source explained that he could not leave his house because he was under house arrest. “It is true that the EFCC sent an invitation letter to him. The man would have honoured the invitation by now, but the DSS’s siege on his house is still in place. “As we are talking, the DSS operatives are in the place. So, how can Dasuki come out to the EFCC? Our correspondent could not get the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, to comment on the story as the calls to his mobile telephone line did not connect. SOURCE: PUNCH.

Dasuki: Jonathan denies awarding $2bn arms deal

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied claims that he awarded a $2bn arms procurement contract, contrary to reports of a presidential investigations committee into arms procurement under his administration. The committee had said that the Jonathan administration claimed to spend $2.2bn to procure arms that were never bought. It also accused the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, of supervising the contract. Dasuki had said in response to his current indictment over the alleged embezzlement of funds meant for multi-billion naira arms deals for Nigeria’s anti-terrorism war that allegations against him were simply unfounded and that all arms contract were approved by Jonathan, who was his boss. He said the allegations from the presidency were “nothing short of propaganda.” “There were no fictitious contracts; contract sums were not diverted and the relevant services acknowledged delivery of equipment. There was no contract awarded or equipment bought without approval from the then President and Commander-In-Chief. I am not a thief or treasury looter as being portrayed,” Dasuki said in the statement released on Wednesday. According to a report by online news medium, The Cable, Jonathan, who was a guest at a forum co-hosted by the National Democratic Institute and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies on Thursday in Washington, the United States, said he never awarded any $2bn contract. In the discussion moderated by a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and member of the NDI Board of Directors, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Jonathan said there was simply nowhere such money could have come from. Jonathan was quoted as saying, “I did not award any $2bn contract for procurement of weapons. Where did the money come from? I did not award a contract of $2bn for procurement of weapons. “Sometimes, I feel sad when people mention these figures. The figures are staggering and untrue. Another governor said someone stole a million barrels of oil per day.” This is the first time the former President will be speaking publicly on the issue. SOURCE: PUNCH.

One American among 20 killed in Mali hotel attack

Suspected Islamist gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako early Friday, killing 20 people or more and taking scores of hostages during a terrifying daylong siege. Attackers swept into the lobby shouting “Allahu akbar!” after exchanging gunfire with security guards and began moving room to room, looking for guests. Those who could recite Koranic verses were freed, military officials told reporters. Gunfire and explosions continued late into the afternoon, as Malian security forces, backed by French special operations troops, surrounded the Radisson Blu hotel and hunted for attackers inside. Malian troops in full combat gear escorted guests from the building, some of them injured.

Mali’s security forces hunt down three suspects

Malian security forces hunted on Saturday for three suspects believed to be involved in the brazen attack by gunmen at a five-star hotel that killed 21 people in the heart of the capital, Bamako. A breakaway al-Qaeda faction from the country’s restive north claimed responsibility for the nine- hour hostage-taking siege that ended after special forces stormed the luxury hotel. “We are actively pursuing three suspects who might have been involved in Friday’s attack on the Radisson Blu hotel,” a Malian security official told the AFP news agency. Mali was under a state of emergency on Saturday and three days of mourning were announced by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who also clarified the death toll after Malian state television reported late Friday that 27 were dead, along with three attackers. “This evening, the death toll is heavy and terrible: 21 dead, two (assailants) amongst them, and seven wounded,” Keita said. Friday’s assault on the Radisson Blu hotel was the latest in a series of deadly raids this year on high- profile targets in Mali, which has battled various rebel groups based in its desert north for years. SOURCE: Al Jazeera

Paris attacks suspect detained in southern Turkey

A Belgian citizen of Moroccan origin suspected of playing a role in the Paris attacks has been arrested in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, two Turkish officials told Al Jazeera. The detained suspect was being questioned at the prosecutor’s office on Saturday. No other details surrounding the arrest could be divulged at this time because it could impede the capture of other potential suspects, a police official said. “There is a confidentiality order on the issue as the investigation is going on in collaboration with other European governments,” the official told Al Jazeera. “The Paris attacks happened and this incident is progressing in various directions… The authorities are collecting evidence,” he added. Another Turkish official identified the suspect as Ahmet Dahmani and also confirmed his Belgian nationality. State media said the suspect was travelling with two Syrian citizens when detained. The development comes at a time of heightened security in Europe after the attacks in Paris on November 13 that killed 130 people. Belgium increased its security alert in the capital Brussels to its highest level on Saturday, warning of a “serious and imminent” threat. Turkey has stepped up efforts to identify and capture people with links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in recent months.

IS claims deadly Iraq mosque attack

The Islamic State jihadist group has claimed an attack at a Shiite mosque south of the Iraqi capital that officials said killed at least six people. IS, in a statement, said a suicide bomber named as Abu Hussein al-Ansari carried out the attack inside the mosque, while security and medical officials said it took place nearby after Friday prayers, also wounding at least 19 people. The IS only mentioned the suicide bombing, but officials said it was preceded by a roadside bomb, and that the attack took place after security forces arrived at the scene. IS frequently carries out attacks against civilians from Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority, whom it considers to be heretics. The Friday attack came a week after a series of bombings claimed by IS targeted Shiites in Baghdad, killing at least 19 people. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in June 2014, sweeping security forces aside, and though Iraqi forces have since pushed the jihadists back, the group still holds much of western Iraq. Bombings in Baghdad have become less frequent since the IS offensive last year, apparently because the jihadists have been occupied with fighting elsewhere.

UN condemns Islamic State’s killing chinese ,Norwegian

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned the killing of a Chinese and a Norwegian held captive by the Islamic State terrorist group, calling for their killers to be brought to justice. Both China and Norway had confirmed the deaths of hostages, Fan Jinghui of China and Ole Grimsgaard-Ofstad of Norway. “These crimes once again demonstrate the brutality of the Islamic State, which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people. “These people come from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, and without regard to any basic value of humanity,”the council said in a statement.

Dasuki lied, shunned arms probe panel’s invitation –Presidency

The Presidency has faulted the claim by the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), that he was not invited by the presidential committee, probing the purchase and supply of arms during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. A source in the Presidency, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday, told The PUNCH that the Federal Government was in possession of evidence to show that Dasuki was duly invited to clear his name. He said the Department of State Services duly invited the ex-NSA, who however refused to honour the invitation. The source explained that a summons served on Dasuki was duly acknowledged by his lawyer. The former NSA had, in a statement on Wednesday, said he was never invited by the John Odeh-led panel to verify the findings of the committee before he was indicted. Dasuki, who was indicted along with others, was alleged to have awarded N333bn “fictitious and phantom” arms contracts. But he described the panel’s submission as baseless and lacking in diligence. The PUNCH had on Thursday reported that some former service chiefs would be invited by security agencies to answer questions relating to the interim report submitted by the panel. But the source in the Presidency faulted Dasuki’s claims. He added, “Don’t forget that the DSS is on that committee probing those arms deals. “He was invited by the DSS and he refused to honour the invitation despite that his lawyer acknowledged the document. “Instead for Dasuki to honour the invitation, he remained indoors and was whipping up sentiment. “If he is taken to any court without his statement, the case will automatically be thrown out.” The top government official added that all steps being taken by Dasuki to subvert the system and escape justice were known to security agencies and the government. He said at the appropriate time, Nigerians would know more about the allegations against the ex- NSA. According to the report, some of the service chiefs would be charged to court, while others would serve as prosecution witnesses during the trial of Dasuki and others. A source in the DSS on Thursday said, “Not all ex- service chiefs who will be invited, will be charged to court. Some will be witnesses. The fact that we are inviting them does not mean that they have been indicted.” When contacted to respond to Dasuki’s claim, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the committee’s work was ongoing, adding that what was submitted to the government was the preliminary report. “We won’t reply Dasuki. Investigation is still ongoing and it will not be appropriate for us to be replying him. What the panel submitted is just the preliminary report,” he said. Meanwhile, The PUNCH on Thursday obtained a copy of a letter by the DSS, dated November 4, 2015, inviting Dasuki to “meet and have audience with the Director-General, State Services on Thursday, November 5, 2015, by 1100 hours at the National Headquarters of the State Security Service, Aso Avenue, Maitama,, Abuja”. But Dasuki, through his counsel, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), had described the invitation by the DSS as violating an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he is being prosecuted for money laundering and illegal possession of firearms, granting the ex-NSA permission to travel abroad for medical treatment. Incidentally, the order of Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja was granted on November 4, the same date the letter of the DSS’ letter of invitation carries. The DSS letter, with reference number LSD.860/T, and signed on behalf of the DG of DSS by A.B Abdullahi, also read, “The invitation becomes necessary to enable you to make some clarifications on matters under investigation by the Service”. The DSS, through another letter, dated November 7, 2015, invited Daudu to appear with his client (Dasuki) at the DSS headquarters in Abuja by 12noon on November 9, “to have an audience with the Director-General State Services”. FG didn’t flout order on Dasuki’s travel, says AGF The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), on Thursday said the Federal Government had not flouted the order of the Federal High Court in Abuja, granting Dasuki a permission to travel to the United Kingdom to attend to his health. Justifying the continued barricade erected by the operatives of the DSS at Dasuki’s Abuja home, Malami said the action was taken due to the refusal of the ex-NSA to submit himself to investigation on further allegations apart from the charges that were already preferred against him before the Federal High Court. The AGF, who was fielding questions from journalists and members of staff of the ministry after reading his maiden address on the occasion of his assumption of office on Thursday, argued that the action of the government with respect to Dasuki’s case was in the public interest. At the occasion, attended by directors and other staff of the ministry as well as heads of various agencies under the supervision of the ministry, Malami assured the workers that he would give adequate attention to staff welfare. Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Dasuki had been arraigned on four counts of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms, had on Monday directed the AGF or his representative to appear before the court on November 23 to clarify the FG’s position on the order granted the ex-NSA. While responding to a question which raised allegation that the Federal Government had flouted the November 3, 2015, order of Justice Ademola, which had permitted Dasuki to travel abroad, Malami gave an undertaking to the effect that under President Muhammadu Buhari, “there shall not be flouting of court orders.” He added, “In some of these cases, some of these high profile culprits may be involved in multiple cases that might require investigation. If you are granted bail in respect of one issue, and the need arises for further investigation in other criminal offences, the law of the land requires investigation and you are bound, as a good citizen of the country, to submit yourself to investigation. “The interest of the nation reigns supreme above an individual interest. So, when the national interest is at stake and it has to be investigated, individual interest naturally gives way. “You can be granted bail with respect to one case and there can be other cases that public policy demands investigation. It is only natural to allow investigation to be concluded having regard to public interest that reigns supreme over and above an individual interest. “The point for consideration is whether the public interest is there as against individual interest. But as it is, this government is going to uphold due compliance with the rule of law and sustain public interest and sustenance of its tenets.” President Buhari had on Tuesday received the interim report of the 13-man committee, set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date with a directive that all indicted persons be arrested and brought to book. Malami added on Thursday that his administration would undertake an audit of high profile corruption cases “so that those who are found wanting through the compromise of investigation and prosecution processes shall be prosecuted.” Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Taiwo Abisogun, called for the support of the members of staff of the ministry and agencies under it for the new Attorney General of the Federation to achieve his set goals. Director of Public Prosecutions in the ministry, Mr. Mohammad Diri, urged the AGF to stop engaging private solicitors to handle cases for the government, assuring the minister that the ministry had competent lawyers. The November 7 letter, also signed by A.B Abdluahi, stated that the fresh invitation was sequel to Daudu’s “request in an earlier discussion with the Head of Legal Department of this Service”. But in his response to the DSS’ latest letter, Daudu wrote a reply, dated November 8, 2015, indicating that they could not honour the invitation by the Service due to alleged violation of the court order granted Dasuki to travel abroad earlier on November 4. Daudu’s letter with reference number JBD/ABJ/ DSS/357/2015, read in part, “It is now clear that the defendant (our client) has been and is being frustrated in his desire to receive medical attention with his medical practitioner of choice abroad before his trail commences. “It is our client’s instruction and our considered opinion that this request or ‘invitation, coming at a time the ‘Service’ is in breach of a court order, is a subtle attempt to remove the sting from this act of ‘Executive Lawlessness’. “It is therefore for the foregoing reasons that our client and by extension, we, his counsel, are unable to accede to your request as described above”. SOURCE: PUNCH.

Two Air France flights to Paris diverted by bomb scare

Two Paris-bound Air France flights from the United States were diverted Tuesday and landed safely after the airline received anonymous bomb threats, the carrier said. Flight 65 from Los Angeles and Flight 55 from Washington were “subject to anonymous threats received after their respective takeoff,” the airline said in a statement. The incidents took place just days after last week’s terror attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead and sowed fear in the French capital and beyond. Air France said both planes landed safely and were undergoing safety checks. “As a precautionary measure and to conduct all necessary security checks, Air France… decided to request the landings of both aircraft,” the carrier said. “Local authorities are carrying out complete inspections of the aircraft, the passengers and their luggage.” Air France said authorities were also tracking the “source of the telephone calls.” It was unclear if the same person had called in both threats. The flight from Dulles International Airport outside Washington with 262 people on board was diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia and landed at around 10:15 pm local time (0215 GMT, Wednesday). The flight from Los Angeles transporting 497 passengers and crew landed safely in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Several law enforcement agencies are working to determine the nature of the threats which caused the aircraft to divert,” FBI agent Todd Palmer, of the Salt Lake City division, told CNN. A man on board the plane that landed in Halifax told the network that passengers were informed that they were being diverted about two and a half hours into the flight “due to operational issues.” He said there was no panic on board and everyone disembarked calmly. “Upon landing, one of the flight attendants said it was a security issue that needed to get addressed,” said the man identified as Yianni. A passenger on board the Los Angeles-Paris flight said “everything was going swell” for the first two hours until flight attendants began quickly clearing the dinner trays.

French police kill three suspects in Saint-Denis raid

French police kill three suspects in Saint-Denis raid Al Jazeera Three suspects linked to Friday’s deadly attacks in Paris died after French police raided two separate sites in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of the French capital, sources told Al Jazeera. The suspects were shot by police, the sources said, as Reuters news agency reported that a female suspect killed herself by detonating a vest rigged with explosives. The identity of the casualties was not immediately released. However, French media said the target of the operation was Belgian national Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a key suspect of Friday’s attacks, in which at least 129 people were killed. Another suspect, Salah Abdeslam, was also said to be a target in the raids. Police said some of the suspects were holed up in an apartment in the suburb early on Wednesday. Three police officers were wounded in an initial shootout, sources told Al Jazeera. Residents of the area in northern Paris first reported hearing bursts of gunfire at 4:30am (3:30 GMT), as police exchanged fire with one or more suspects. After a short lull in the operation, at least seven explosions were heard at 6:30 GMT, Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland reported from the scene. Heavily armed special police units and ambulances were gathering at the scene as a helicopter was hovering over the area, Al Jazeera’s Rowland reported. “Saint-Denis is a relatively poor area, housing many immigrants. It is near the area of the national stadium Stade de France, where suicide bombers claimed several lives during Friday’s attacks,” Rowland said. Police were telling onlookers to clear the vicinity of the operation and blocked off a street in the area, as ambulances and fire engines lined the streets a stone’s throw from the centre of Saint- Denis. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

Bomb threat: Germany cancels Netherlands friendly

On Tuesday, a bomb threat also forced the cancelation of Germany’s friendly against the Netherlands. Germany’s interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, took the decision to call off the international friendly, based on a concrete threat, two hours before kick-off in Hanover. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was rushed back to Berlin, and thousands of fans had to be evacuated from the stadium. Both the German and Dutch team buses were turned back, as they were five minutes from the stadium when the game was called off. Despite a thorough search, no explosives were found at the HDI Arena. It was the second high-profile friendly to be canceled in the wake of Friday’s attacks in the French capital, following an earlier decision by Belgian authorities to postpone the country’s game against Spain in Brussels amid security fears. The Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris, has threatened further attacks against France. It also warned in a new video on Monday that countries involved in air strikes against IS targets in Syria would suffer the same fate. France and Russia have vowed merciless retaliation for the Paris attacks and last month’s bombing of a Russian airliner, also claimed by the Islamic State group, which have galvanized international resolve to destroy the jihadists and end Syria’s more than four-year civil war.

LASU acting VC shuns office over juju scare

LASU acting VC shuns office over juju scare Charles Abah More than 12 days after his appointment as the acting Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Prof. Fidelis Njokanma has refused to occupy his office at the Ojo campus of the institution, our correspondent gathered on Tuesday. Instead, Njokanma, who is a professor of Medicine, is operating from the institution’s College of Medicine at Ikeja. It was learnt that the delay in resumption was because the acting VC was scared of the charms surrounding the Administrative Block and the Senate Building of the institution. The Admin Block houses the office of the VC as well as those of other principal officers of the institution. Our correspondent gathered that Njokanma presided over his first Senate meeting last Wednesday at LASUCOM amid tight security. The Lagos State Government through the university’s Governing Council led by Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo, appointed Njokanma, who hitherto was the Deputy VC, Academic, as the acting VC on November 7. He took over the reins of office from the immediate past VC, Prof. John Obafunwa. The desecration of the Admin Block and the Senate Building with charms reportedly took place on March 16, 2015, at the height of the dispute between Obafunwa and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, among other unions in the institution. Obafunwa, who the union members accused of maladministration, also did at use the building in the last six months leading to the end of his tenure. His first four years as the VC of the university ended on October 31. Other principal officers of the institution also shunned their offices in the building. Meanwhile, the leadership of the Student Union of the university on Tuesday frowned on the recent increment of the new students’ Acceptance Fee and Indigienship Verification Fee. Whereas the Acceptance Fee increased from N10,000 to N20,000, the verification fee rose to N5,000 from N1,000. Reacting to the increment on Tuesday, the SU President, Adeyemi Onikoro, described the action as “shocking and unwarranted.” According to him, the authorities did not carry along the student body in carrying out the exercise. He added that the move was akin to “introducing tuition in the institution through the backdoor.” He said in a statement, “Our position is that this increment is unwarranted and unnecessary at this point in time. It is our strong belief that the university management never thought of the consequences of this before rolling out information to the effect of the increment.”

Marketers blame CBN as fuel scarcity worsens

Marketers blame CBN as fuel scarcity worsens Stanley Opara,Okechukwu Nnodim and Godwin Isenyo The scarcity of petrol in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Nasarawa and Kaduna states, among others, is growing worse by the day, as hundreds of motorists spent several hours in queues at filling stations on Monday in a bid to get the product. Some marketers of petroleum products told one of our correspondents on Monday that the Central Bank of Nigeria had refused to honour the Sovereign Debt Notes obtained by them from the Debt Management Office for the settlement of the N413bn subsidy arrears by the Federal Government. The CBN’s inaction, according to two marketers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, is as a result of the delay by the National Assembly to approve of the payment of the N413bn subsidy debt. The Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had last week said President Muhammadu Buhari was seeking the approval of the National Assembly to pay the money approved last week for the oil marketers. The Executive Secretary, Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Olufemi Adewole, told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview on Monday that no marketer had received anything from the CBN as subsidy arrears. He said the marketers were optimistic that the money would be paid, but stressed, “Even if the money is paid to us and the CBN does not provide the requisite foreign exchange, we are not going anywhere.” Adewole also confirmed that the SDNs from the marketers were not being honoured, but declined to comment further. However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Monday absolved itself from blame for the prolonged fuel scarcity in many parts of the country. According to the corporation, the scarcity is not as a result of its inability to meet demand, saying it had products available to depots that were receiving supplies from its subsidiary, the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company. The national oil firm made available the daily dispatch report of petrol to filling stations across the country. Prior to sending the report, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, had told one of our correspondents that the firm had made it clear that there were enough products to keep the country wet for most part of this month. He stated that the country was also expecting products before the end of November, adding that when they arrive, there would be enough petrol to last for additional days. When asked to explain why there was still scarcity despite claims of product availability, Alegbe said, “I’m going to send you the daily supply to all the stations nationwide, I’ve asked that we should get the one for yesterday (Sunday) and we will send it to you. “This is to let you know that we are fulfilling our own part of the bargain. So, if there is any case of fuel diversion observed by anybody, then we can go to town with that.” On whether the scarcity was due to the non- payment of the N413bn subsidy claims to the marketers, he stated that it was the duty of the National Assembly to appropriate such funds. “It is for the National Assembly to appropriate it. And this is because you cannot spend without appropriation by the National Assembly. The approval has been given by the President and that’s the situation,” Alegbe explained. In the report on the dispatch of petrol to filling stations, the NNPC stated that 179 outlets received 7.18 million litres of the product from the Suleja Depot on November 14 and 15. It stated that 59 filling stations got 2.47 million litres from the Kaduna Depot on both days, while 107 outlets received 4.93 million litres from the Kano Depot; six got 224,986 litres from the Minna Depot; and 60 others got 2.31 million litres from the Gusau Depot. A total of 63 petrol stations under the Satellite Depot received 2.16 million litres; nine under the Ilorin Depot got 303,000 litres; three under the Ore Depot received 11,000 litres; 21 under the Ibadan Depot got 766,007 litres; 78 in the Gombe area received 3.66 million litres; while 30 in the Aba area received 917,970 litres of petrol. Meanwhile, the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, on Monday in Kaduna asked the Federal Government to resolve the lingering fuel scarcity, which had crippled social and economic activities across the country before December. He noted that should the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government fails to arrest the scarcity before next month, labour would be forced to take action in the interest of Nigerians. Wabba did not, however, say what the organised labour would do if the government fails to address the problem before the time.

Russia offers $50m reward for information on plane attackers

Russia’s Federal Security Service on Tuesday said it would pay $50 million for information about terrorists who brought down the plane in Sinai last month with 224 people on board. The FSB appealed for help in identifying the terrorists that exploded a bomb on the A321 plane travelling from Egypt to Russia. “There will be a reward of $50 million for information helping to arrest the criminals,” it said on its website.

NIGERIA: Fuel scarcity bites harder, petrol now N400 per litre

The ongoing scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol is biting harder in the country as users are forced to pay far above the recommended price of N87 per litre in most of the filling stations that sell the product, SUNDAY PUNCH has found out. Investigations by our correspondents also revealed that petrol now sells in some states as high as N400 per litre while in others it goes between N110 and N200. However, some filling stations as at press time on Saturday, according to our correspondents, still sold the product at the official price of N87 per litre. These filling stations, findings showed, were however few and inundated with long queues of motorists, motorcyclists and other users. In Cross River State, a litre of petrol was sold for as high as N400 in Calabar and environs on Saturday morning. Tanker drivers across the state and beyond had on Monday refused to load the product from the Calabar Depot in protest of the deplorable situation of federal roads in the state. As at the time of filing this report, most service stations had yet to commence the sale of the product to the public. Black marketeers had continued to have a field day. Many petrol stations in Akwa Ibom State, particularly those in Ibesikpo/Asutan, Eket, and Itu Local Government Areas on Saturday sold petrol at N200 per litre. In Uyo, the State capital, while the price fluctuated between N170 and N180 per litre, motorists said many of the filling stations had adjusted their metres regardless of the amount they pay for buying fuel. In Ondo State, long queues of vehicles persisted in many filling stations in many towns on Saturday even as many of them sold petrol at N120 per litre. In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, there long queues at filling stations on Saturday especially those owned by major marketeers. A litre of petrol was being sold between N100 and N110 depending on the distance of the area to the state capital. In Enugu State, petrol was sold between N130 and N150 per litre. Our correspondent, who bought the commodity at the cost of N140 per litre in the state capital on Saturday, learnt that the product was being offered to motorists for N150 in other filling stations. In Oyo State, fuel scarcity reached a height as few vehicles plied the roads. More than 85 per cent of major oil marketeers were not selling the product while a few independent oil marketers sold between N110 and N120 per litre. The queues by motorists for petrol continued on Saturday in some filling stations in Abuja and Nasarawa State. All petrol stations visited in Abuja on Saturday sold at the regulated price, but many were not open for business as they claimed not to have products. In Benue State, Sunday PUNCH visited the NNPC Mega filling station along Oturkpo road where the queue for the product was over four kilometres long. It was the only fuel station selling at the official pump price of N87 per litre. Meanwhile, black marketeers have taken over the town as they sold at N200 and N250 per litre. In Gboko and the other local government areas it was sold at N170 per litre. Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH correspondent, who went round some parts of Nassarawa State, observed that it was only the NNPC mega station that sold at N87 per litre while others sold at N160 per. In Bayelsa State, particularly Yenagoa, the state capital, a few filling stations that were selling the product on Saturday sold a litre of petrol between N130 and N150. The NNPC mega filling stations in the Yenagoa metropolis were the only ones selling at the government regulated price of N87 but the queues were very long. A litre of PMS was sold for N100 in many filling stations in Ogun State except NNPC stations and those of major marketeers on Saturday. In Osogbo, the Osun State capital and other parts of the state, petrol was sold at N110 per litre. In Lagos, our correspondent learnt on Saturday that while the NNPC and major marketers sold at N87, black marketers sold five litres of petrol at N600. SOURCE: PUNCH.

UK Muslims seek own path in countering jihadism

Feeling unfairly targeted by the government’s anti-radicalisation drive, Britain’s Muslim community is rallying to find its own response to extremism and take a greater role in the fight against terrorism. The Muslim Council of Britain has planned a series of conferences around the country where community leaders, activists and others will speak out against jihadist ideology, but also government security measures they say alienates Muslims. “We do know that for any policy to succeed it needs to involve Muslim communities as part of the solution and not only as part of the problem,” said MCB secretary general Shuja Shafi at the first of a series of conferences in London this week. The initiative comes as concerns mount over the number of Britons heeding calls by the Islamic State (IS) group and other extremists to launch attacks domestically or fight abroad. IS has been blamed for a string of outrages, including coordinated attacks in Paris Friday that left 129 dead and more than 350 wounded. Mohammed Emwazi, a British militant known as “Jihadi John”, became the poster-child for IS after he appeared in propaganda videos depicting the executions of Western hostages. Emwazi, who the US military said was likely killed in an air strike in Syria on Thursday, and other jihadists who have conducted grisly attacks in recent years have cast a pall over ties between Britain’s Muslims and wider society. “We feel like many in our community do, that for too long terrorism has cast a long dark shadow on our community,” said Shafi. The government has repeatedly called on Muslim civil society to help counter the lure of jihadist ideology, but such measures have been poorly received. A January letter to imams inviting them to “explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam can be part of the British identity” was criticised as implying that Muslims were not part of British society.

Flood-sparked landslide kills 16 in China

A landslide that engulfed homes in China killed at least 16 people, with 21 still missing, as heavy rains brought misery across a swathe of the country. Photos posted on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, showed rescue teams working through the night as they attempted to pull people from mud and rock that had buried 27 houses in Zhejiang province. More than 300 people were evacuated after the landslide, with 21 additional homes flooded in the wake of the disaster, which struck on Saturday evening, state broadcaster CCTV said. Meanwhile, the central province of Hunan was hit by the worst winter flooding in more than 50 years, the official Xinhua news agency reported, forcing thousands to flee. About 8,200 people were resettled after their homes were destroyed in the flooding, according to Xinhua, with more than 87,000 people affected by the waters, which caused blackouts and road closures. The flooding, which has also damaged crops, was the worst since record keeping began in 1961, provincial weather authorities said. No casualties have been reported so far. Floods are likely to continue, with heavy rains expected through Wednesday, Xinhua said. Photos circulating online showed rescue personnel driving boats through village streets and helping residents escape through their windows. Waters were more than three metres over the alert level on Friday, Xinhua said.

DSS arrests high-profile Boko Haram suspect

The Department of State Services has arrested another high-profile terror suspect declared wanted by the Nigerian Army penultimate week. The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in an electronic mail on Saturday that the terror suspect identified as Danladi Abdulahi, was arrested by the DSS at the Moduganari area of the Maiduguri metropolis. Usman said the suspect, who was being interrogated by the security operatives, was number 26 in the list of 100 most wanted Boko Haram members released by the Army authorities. He quoted the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, as having made a personal commendation of the DSS on the arrest of the suspect. The Army Chief hailed the DSS as a dependable ally in the campaign against insurgency and insecurity in the country. He said, “Following the release of the poster containing photographs of 100 suspected Boko Haram terrorists, security agencies and the public have intensified the search for them. “The renewed zeal has been yielding the desired result as the Borno State Command of the DSS has this morning, arrested another suspected high-profile Boko Haram terrorist, Danladi Abdullahi, at Moduganari area of Maiduguri metropolis. “Although he is still being investigated, it has been positively established that he is suspect number 26 on the list of the declared suspected Boko Haram terrorists issued by the Nigerian Army last month. “The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, personally wishes to commend the DSS especially Borno State Command, for this singular act, resilience and continued support and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. “The DSS has over time proven to be dependable and partners in the quest for a secured Nigeria,’ he said. He called on the members of the public to give necessary support to the security agencies in the fight against insurgency, which he described as a collective responsibility. Usman also urged the citizenry to be vigilant and security conscious to aid the efforts against the insurgents.

Be Scam Smart

Hello everyone,  I received an interesting email sometime last month from someone by the name Adedayo (doubt if that is his real name)  the email reads thus... Please we are sorry for the delays in making the payment. The Banks did not operate as a result of the holidays.Today we have remitted payment against the amount we owe. Find attached a copy of deposit slip for payment made to your account today. Kindly confirm the attached and acknowledge receipt of funds. I knew what it was about immediately and decided to follow through. So I clicked on the attached htm file tagged as Bank teller. I wasn't disappointed when it opened a yahoo mail page, requsting for my username and password. So here is the thing. The game plan is to get gullible people to think that someone is about to make a payment into your account, the moment you insert your user name and password, your account is hacked and all your information gone. Watchout people, and have a great day. 

A day America will never forget: One of the worst days in America's history

United State Mourned 14th Anniversary Of September 11 Attacks on 9/11/2015. Friday marked the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a devastating day in U.S. history. Quotes, photos, and videos remind us of how people across the nation came together during a time of sadness on September 11, 2001. There were nearly 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives in the air and on the ground in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania on 9/11 — a day our nation will never forget. Take a moment to remember those who lost friends and loved ones in the September 11 attacks by sharing a quote on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. "You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy." - Colin Powell "One of the worst days in America’s history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans’ history. We’ll always honor the heroes of 9/11. And here at this hallowed place, we pledge that we will never forget their sacrifice." - President George W. Bush "Commending the victims to almighty God's mercy, I implore his strength upon all involved in rescue efforts and in caring for the survivors." - Pope John Paul II "The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead, we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic, and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom." - Rudolph Giuliani "9/11 was a reminder that the bonds of family can be severed in an instant. They are essential, crucial, valuable, fragile." - Peter Jennings, late news anchor of ABC's World News Tonight "Make no mistake: The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." - President George Bush "What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met." - David Levithan "[New York] is a city largely based on great skyscrapers, and they will always be the essence of New York. That won't change, just as the character of the people who live here will not be altered by this tragedy." -Donald Trump "Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. And now, they see defeat." - President George W. Bush "Indeed America will never forget a day full of bloodshed,tears and violence such as 9/11 of every year;and I'm so sure that the whole world will never forgive and forget the evil doer" -Crystal Rainbow Omotoso Ibukunoluwa Omoniyi.

The making of Team Buhari’s inauguration

The Presidential Villa came alive on Wednesday with the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministers. Apparently foreseeing what could happen, the presidency had restricted the number of guests that would be admitted to the venue to two per minister. All guests were asked to be seated latest by 9.30am for the programme that was scheduled to start by 10am. The punctuality prize of the inauguration (if there was anything like that) would have gone to two ministers from the same ministry. As of the time they arrived at the venue almost the same time, I want to believe that they did not know that they would end up manning the same ministry. They are the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; and the Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire. Both of them and their guests scaled through the last security check at about 8.10am, well ahead of the take-off time. For the first time, about four television stations transmitted the event live. Expectedly, State House correspondents turned out en masse, leaving the media office with no choice than to choose a few people, mostly cameramen, to enter the venue, while others were prevailed upon to monitor the event on the television set inside the Briefing Room of the Council Chambers. Like I mentioned here last week on the approach of the President to time, he arrived the venue at exactly 10am and asked that the national anthem be recited. The President has since dropped the decision of the last administration to adopt the second stanza of the national anthem as the opening prayer of national events. So, he directed the Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, and the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, to say the opening prayers. With that over, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, took charge as the programme’s anchorperson. He announced that the 36 ministers would take their oaths before the President in nine batches of four ministers per batch. They were called in alphabetical order of the names of their states. The event went on smoothly, but not without some side comments that left attendees laughing. For instance, when Shehu introduced the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and was about to read his citation, some people murmured. The presidential spokesperson took a cue from that and said, “Mr. President, this is the master of our game.” They all clapped for the former spokesperson for the ruling party. Another laughter erupted when somebody observed that from their citations, the four ministers that formed a particular batch taking their oaths at the same time are all lawyers. The four ministers are the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, James Ocholi; and the Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammed. All of them, except Mohammed, are also Senior Advocates of Nigeria. Other ministers that attracted loud applause from the audience are the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan. Immediately Amaechi, who had it rough with the Peoples Democratic Party senators during his confirmation process was mentioned, there was a loud applause and Shehu said, “That is the GOC of our campaign council.” Amaechi smiled to show that he enjoyed the show. In the case of Alhassan, Shehu referred to her as ‘Mama Taraba’ and did not forget to remind his audience that the minister is a governor-in- waiting by virtue of the recent verdict of the Taraba State Elections Petition Tribunal. Even the President referred to her as “Aisha Alhassan, Her Excellency,” when he was assigning portfolios. Another incident that elicited reaction was when the last batch of four ministers were about taking their oaths and it was discovered that despite the fact that his state popularised Sharia law in the country, the Minister of Defence, Munsur Ali, from Zamfara State, was the only man in the group. The women who joined him were Alhassan; the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Bukar Abba; and the Minister of State, Trade, Industry and Investment, Aisha Abubakar. Buhari surely knows how to keep secret. He kept the list of portfolios assigned to the ministers close to his chest to the last minute. The last paragraph of his speech at the inauguration read, “The ministries have been rationalised and reduced to twenty-four. These are the ministries and their ministers. Best of luck!” The President probably did not trust whoever was in charge of the speech that he would not leak that critical information, so he refused to include it. When he read it to that point, he turned to another paper to read out the portfolios!

Exposed! Power play behind Buhari’s super ministers’ appointments

Facts have emerged on the power play behind allocation of portfolios to ministers before their inauguration by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday. Saturday PUNCH reliably gathered on Friday that before the allocation of portfolios, the President was faced with the two options of continuous reliance on politicians and building his own political base across the country. A close associate of the President, who confided in one of our correspondents, said that Buhari opted for the latter and decided to saddle his allies in the All Progressives Congress with “more tasking ministries.” It was learnt that the President in a bid to build his own political network and strengthen his base, decided to give more responsibilities to his allies. Apart from favouring his long time allies, Saturday PUNCH learnt that the President had more or less adopted former governors Babatunde Fashola and Dr. Kayode Fayemi as his godsons. It will be recalled that Buhari, who was not regarded as an experienced politician, relied on the support of chieftains, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; to emerge as the APC presidential candidate at the December 10 presidential primary of the party in Lagos. At the primary, Buhari got 3,430 votes; ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 954 votes; former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, 974 votes; Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, 674 and the Publisher of Leadership newspaper, Sam Nda- Isaiah, 10 votes. It was learnt that as part of the power play, there was subtle lobby by some party leaders before the allocation of the portfolios. It was gathered that some leaders of the party had expected that experienced politicians, who played key roles in Buhari’s emergence as the APC presidential primary, would get more tasking ministries than those given to them. Senator Chris Ngige, a strong supporter of the President at the convention, was assigned the portfolio of Labour and Employment. Also Ogbonnaya Onu, a former Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party is heading the Ministry of Science and Technology, while an ex-Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau, who headed the convention’s security committee is the Minister of Interior. The Presidency source said that although it was too early to talk about the President’s ambition in 2019, it was normal for Buhari to use his power in strengthening his network across the country. This, the source explained, partly informed allocation of sensitive portfolios to those who were with Buhari in the ANPP and went with him to form the Congress for Progressive Change. Fashola is the Minister of Power, Works and Housing while Fayemi is in charge of Solid Minerals. The APC chieftain noted that the duo were more or less becoming Buhari’s godsons in spite of campaign against their appointments, especially Fashola’s, in the South-West, their zone. Explaining the influence of Buhari’s allies from his days in the ANPP and the CPC, a Presidency source cited the Minister of Communication, Mr. Adebayo Shittu. Shittu was the CPC governorship candidate in Oyo State in 2011. It was gathered that when CPC merged with other parties to form the APC, Shittu joined the new party because of his belief in Buhari. Some members of the CPC, who joined the APC, were said to have left the new party over alleged marginalisation. The Presidency source said that Shittu refused to leave the APC because of Buhari. It will be recalled that the Oyo State APC kicked against the nomination of Shittu on the grounds that he was not a team worker, an allegation the minister denied. It was learnt that not many chieftains of the party had expected that Shittu would be made a substantive minister. It was also gathered that some chieftains of the party had expected Anthony Onwuka, a professor of education and associate of the Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, would be made a substantive minister, but the President opted for Adamu Adamu. Besides being an associate of the President, Adamu was said to have worked closely with Buhari in the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund. The Presidency source, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said, “You will see that the President is gradually building his own political network. It is a matter of giving great responsiblities to your long time allies.” A chieftain of the party in the South-West, who further threw light on the allocation of the portfolios, said the President had clearly shown that he was appreciative of the support he got in the zone in the 2015 elections. He noted that Buhari was building his own political base in the zone. Such influence will be independent of party chieftains in the zone. He said, “The appointments of Fashola and Fayemi fall into this category. They are also part of the efforts of the President to show appreciation to the South-West. “He also believes that if any of these appointees performs creditably, Buhari will not need anybody to campaign for him or any candidate he supports in 2019.” It was learnt that the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s closeness to Buhari was instrumental to the emergence of Mrs. Kemi Adeosun as finance minister. In 2007, Amosun was in the ANPP just as Buhari. It was gathered that at a point in 2011, he wanted to defect to the CPC. The APC chieftain, who expressed concern about the crisis in the party, said that three power blocks had emerged in the party. He said besides the emerging Buhari block, Tinubu and Saraki/Atiku camps had existed in the party. Atiku was reported to have supported Senator Bukola Saraki to emerge as the Senate President against Senator Ahmad Lawan, the preferred candidate of other APC chieftains, including Tinubu. But contrary to the claim that he was not comfortable with Buhari’s ministerial list, Tinubu on Thursday said the cabinet would perform. -*People entitled to their opinions–Presidential aide*- When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said people were entitled to their opinions. He said, “Everyone is entitled to his opinion and I cannot stop people from holding theirs.” -*Party chieftains laud Buhari*- Commenting on the appointments, an APC leader in Ogun State, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye said that they showed Buhari’s commitment to putting “right pegs in the right holes.” He lauded Ngige’s appointment as the Minister of Labour and Employment. “Senator Chris Ngige is the right man to provide much needed employment for hundreds of thousands of jobless Nigerians in all parts of the country, especially in the eastern part where there have been protests by youths in the recent weeks,” he said. Commenting on the issue, a chieftain of the APC, Rotimi Fashakin, disagreed with postulations that the President’s choice of ministers was influenced by anything other than a desire to deliver on his campaign promises. He argued that the President’s list of appointees was simply a confirmation of his patriotic credentials because he has over the years, shown himself as one President who considers the entire nation as his constituency. Fashakin said, “The South West supported the President largely because of his persona as a patriot. You can now say Nigeria has a patriot as the President. “The responsibility given to Fashola and all the other ministers was not influenced by any consideration of strengthening his power base. The entire nation has become his constituency.” Attempts to get a reaction from the National Chairman and Secretary of the APC, Chief John Oyegun and Mai Bala Buni respectively were unsuccessful. Repeated calls to their mobile telephones indicated that they were switched off. A response to separate text messages to them was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report 9:45pm. SOURCE: PUNCH.

Buhari Assigns Portfolios To Ministers, Adeosun (Finance), Audu (Agric), Amaechi (Transport) [FULL LIST]

President Muhammadu Buhari has assigned porfolios to his ministers. He made the announcement minutes after all the ministers had been sworn at the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock on Wednesday, November 11, 2015. Below are some of the ministers with their designations. The President named himself the “substantive Minister of Petroleum. *Abubakar Malami SAN – Justice; *Geoffrey Onyema – Foreign Affairs; *Kadija Bukar-Abba Ibrahim – State Foreign Affairs; *Brigadier-General M. M. Ali (rtd) – Defence; *Adamu Adamu – Education; *Prof. Anthony Anwuka – State Education; *Kemi Adeosun – Finance; *Okechukwu Enelamah – Industry, Trade & Investment; *Aisha Abubakar – State Industry, Trade & Investment; *Chris Ngige – Labour & Unemployment; *Barr. James Ocholi – State Labour & Unemployment; *Mohammed Bello – FCT; *Abdulrahman Dambazau – Interior; *Udoma Udo Udoma – Budget & National Planning; *Zainab Ahmed – State Budget & National Planning; *President Muhammadu Buhari – Petroleum Resources; *Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu – State Petroleum Resources; *Babatunde Fashola SAN – Power, Works & Housing; *Mustapha Baba – State Power, Works & Housing; *Audu Ogbeh- Agriculture & Rural Development; *Heineken Lokpobiri – State – Agriculture & Rural Development; *Chibuike Amaechi – Transportation; *Hadi Sirika – State Aviation; *Isaac Adewole – Health; *Osagie Ehanire – State Health; *Aisha Alhassan – Woman Affairs; *Pastor Usani Uguru Usani – Niger Delta; *Claudius Daramola – State Niger Delta; *Adebayo Shittu – Communications; *Lai Mohammed – Information; *Suleiman Adamu – Water Resources; *Solomon Dalong – Youth & Sports; *Amina Mohammed – Environment; *Ibrahim Usman Jibril – State Environment; *Engr. Suleman Adamu – Water Resources; *Kayode Fayemi – Solid Minerals; *Abubakar Bawa Bwari – State Solid Minerals; *Ogbonnaya Onu – Science & Technology; *Ibrahim Jubril – State for Environment .

Buhari Scraps 17 Ministries, To Swear In 36 Ministers Wednesday

In a move calculated to shock and surprise, President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday, November 10, 2015  night, reduced federal ministries from 42 to 25, thus scrapping 17 ministries, which have now been merged with others. This is in fulfillment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) promise to cut down the cost of government. Buhari had earlier contemplated a drastic cut to 19 or 20 ministries but later saw reason to spare some ministries. It was gathered that one of the new ministries is Information and Culture. The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation was until yesterday a stand-alone ministry while the Information Ministry was also a separate ministry. Another new ministry is that of Budget and National Planning. Before Tuesday, the Budget Office of the Federation was an agency under the Ministry of Finance while National Planning was a stand-alone ministry. The ministries of Works and Housing were also merged. While the Ministry of Works was a stand-alone ministry, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development was a separate ministry. Meanwhile, the long wait will finally come to an end today as Buhari’s 36 ministers-designate take oath of office at the Presidential Villa. Going by the plans of the Presidency the ceremony may not be an elaborate one, as each minister-designate is allowed two guests. President Buhari during the three-day ministerial retreat held from Nov. 5 told the ministers-designate to be change agents, emphasising the commitment of his administration to bringing the change promised during campaign to Nigerians. He said the time had come for the APC-led government to demonstrate its commitment to Nigerians by leading by example. The President also urged the ministers-designate to adhere to the rule of law.

Anti-Saraki Senators Stage Walk-Out As Ekweremadu Presides Over Senate

Senate President Bukola Saraki to allow Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President to preside over the sitting in his absence. This would be the first time since the inauguration of the eighth senate the Ekweremadu would preside over plenary and was as a result of Saraki’s presence at the Presidetial Villa where he had gone to attend the inauguration of new ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari. Of the 60 APC Senators in the upper chamber, only 27 remained on their seats, while 40 PDP senators were present. As a result of the recent death of Adedotun Durojaiye, the Acting Clerk of the Senate, Ekweremadu adjourned plenary until Tuesday, November 17, 2015, referring President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the confirmation of Babatunde Fowler as the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); Ahmed Kuru as the Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), and three other executive directors of AMCON to the Senate Committee on Finance. Secretary of the SUF, Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna North) who spoke via a statement said that he and his colleagues boycotted the senate sitting because “the minority cannot preside over the majority.” Speaking further, he said: “We noticed with grave sadness, the handover of the hallowed chamber of the Senate today to the opposition party, the PDP by allowing Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP stalwart, to preside over the APC majority senators.” The SUF legislators vowed to keep boycotting plenary sitting whenever Ekweremadu presides, as they will never recognise him as the Deputy Senate Prasident. Meanwhile the Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, said Nigerians should disregard the SUF stance. He said: “The bi-partisan stand of the Senate has not and will not be an impediment.”

Gov. Wike’s aide resigns, says gov fails to take advice

The Special Adviser to the Rivers State Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, has resigned from his position. Inko-Tariah, who announced his resignation on Friday, alleged that his office had been starved of funds. In a copy of his resignation letter issued in Port Harcourt, Inko-Tariah expressed gratitude to Governor Nyesom Wike for giving him the opportunity to serve in his government. The former aide to the governor explained that his office was starved of funds throughout the five months he operated as his media aide. Inko-Tariah also said that professional advice given to the governor were not acted upon. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in the state has hailed Inko-Tariah’s decision to leave the current administration in the state. The Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Chris Finebone, said the party was not surprised that the former aide to the governor was telling “sordid stories of neglect and disrespect” for his views and advice by Governor Wike. The APC further said that it was in no doubt that more Rivers people would soon see the light and take the part of honour just like Inko-Tariah had done. Finebone said, “The APC knew that it was only a matter of time before all well-meaning and proud sons and daughters of Rivers State, who found themselves in Wike’s sinking ship, jumped to safety. “This is not only because his governorship will soon become history, but because the malevolently unique style of Wike, whose hallmark behaviour hinges on divide-and-rule exasperates decent minds.” However, the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Felix Obuah, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Jerry Needam, declined to comment on Inko-Tariah’s resignation.

Lagos appoints Njokanma as LASU acting VC

The Lagos State Government has appointed Prof. Fidelis Njokanma as the acting Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Ojo. The Deputy Governor of the state, Dr.Oluranti Adebule, made this known in a letter to the Registrar of the university, Mr. Lewis Akinwunmi. Njokanma, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), takes over from Prof. John Obafunwa, whose tenure ended last October 31. A statement obtained by our correspondent on Friday noted that Njokanma, a professor of Medicine, would act as the helmsman of the institution pending the appointment of a substantive vice-chancellor. The statement added that the governing council of the university, led by Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo, a professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, recommended the appointment of Njokanma.

Ex-provost found dead inside office at OAU

Lecturers and students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State were shocked following the discovery of the lifeless body of a former Provost, College of Health Sciences, Prof. Solomon Ogunniyi, inside his office on Tuesday. Some of the students said Ogunniyi locked himself up in the room and he was found dead by those who forced the door open after knocking at the door repeatedly without any response. They added that Ogunniyi’s colleagues were worried because the deceased did not come out of the office for a very long time. He was said to have been rushed to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, where doctors confirmed him dead. The deceased, who was said to be around 60 years of age, left behind a wife and two children. The Public Relations Officer of OAU, Mr. Biodun Olanrewaju, confirmed the incident. He said Ogunniyi’s death could be caused by illness, while ruling out murder. He said nothing suggested that the lecturer was murdered. Ogunniyi died barely three months after the university lost a lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Dr. Deji Adejobi. Adejobi was shot dead at his residence located at The New Dawn, near Ife toll gate in Ile-Ife. Also, Prof. James Olomo of the Department of Nuclear Physics disappeared over two years ago and he has yet to be found. Olomo travelled to Eket in Akwa Ibom State to offer consultancy services to an oil company and lodged in a hotel. He left his hotel room and nothing has been heard about him since then.

Minister-designate denies asset declaration claim

The minister-designate from Nasarawa State, Mr. Ibrahim Usman Jibril, on Friday refuted a report that he would not emulate President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, in declaring his assets publicly. Jibril, who refuted the report in a statement, insisted that he didn’t have any media aide and did not authorise any person to speak on his behalf. A man, Ibrahim Umar, who claimed to be an aide to Jibril, had told our correspondent recently that, “It is not necessary for the minister-designate to emulate Buhari and Osinbajo.” But Jibril denied ever knowing Umar or instructing him to say such thing. He said, “While I am unable to ascertain whether my colleagues quoted in the story spoke to the paper, I can say categorically, without any fear of contradiction that I did not, at any time, speak to anyone from the publication. The newspaper quoted a certain Ibrahim Umar, who claimed to be my media aide. However, I have no such aide or associate. So it is either the quote was manufactured or it was given to the paper by an impostor.”

MAIN DETAILS: Saraki’s lawyers walk out, trial continues Nov. 19

Twenty-six lawyers representing Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is standing a 13-count trial for false declaration of assets, walked out on the judges of the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja, on Thursday. The walkout thwarted the scheduled continuation of the trial by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), who said at the beginning of the hearing on Thursday that his witnesses were before the tribunal ready to testify. Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria – Messrs Saka Issau, Ahmed Raji and Mahmud Magaji – who appeared for Saraki, led 23 juniors out of the courtroom after registering their protest against the ruling of the tribunal which directed that trial must commence on Thursday despite their appeal to the Supreme Court against the jurisdiction of the tribunal. Speaking during the proceedings, an aggrieved Magaji, who announced that he would withdraw from the case, described the ruling as “judicial rascality,” on the grounds of the tribunal’s alleged refusal to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court on the appeal Saraki had filed in the case. “I hereby submit that in the circumstance of your ruling, I will avoid to be part of what I call judicial rascality,” Magaji said before leaving the courtroom. As Magaji stepped out, Raji also picked up the microphone and said that the ruling of the two- member tribunal partly anchored on section 305 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 was wrong. Raji said, “The section 305 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which you based your ruling on talks of when you are making reference to a higher court. There is nothing like that here. “Be that as it may, on behalf of all the defence counsel, we find it most impossible for us to sit down here and participate in the proceedings in respect of which there is a stay of proceedings before the higher court. We thank your lordship and we shall be asking your lordship to allow us to withdraw our appearance.” As soon as Raji finished speaking, the third Senior Advocate of Nigeria on the team, Issau, and the rest of the 23 junior lawyers appearing with them left the courtroom. The development forced the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal to adjourn the trial till November 19, 2015 to enable Saraki to engage new lawyers that would defend him in the case. The tribunal chairman said the action of the defence lawyers “smacks of disrespect to the tribunal.” Jacobs, who had said he was prepared for the trial to commence, was forced to accept an adjournment of the case in view of a request by Saraki to engage a new set of lawyers. When the tribunal chairman directed that he should be asked if he was prepared to defend himself or would need the services of new lawyers, Saraki said, “I have now found myself in a new terrain. I will need a month to brief and engage new lawyers.” But Jacobs objected to one-month adjournment and suggested that Saraki should be given only one week to procure the services of new lawyers. “It is another way of getting the stay of proceedings through the backdoor,” Jacobs said. In response, Saraki added, “I have found myself in a strange terrain. My lawyers have walked out on me without telling me why. I will need time to meet with them and either convince them to come back or decide whether to get other hands to defend me. “It took me time to get these ones. I will need time to look for another set. I have submitted myself to the process and I am ready to go through it.” A two-to-one split decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja had on October 30 dismissed Saraki’s appeal against the competence of the tribunal and the charges against him comprising 13 counts of false declaration of assets while he was the Kwara State governor in 2003. The Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal had on October 21 adjourned the Senate President’s trial till November 5 (Thursday) to await the ruling of the appellate court. The tribunal had while adjourning the case on October 21 directed that prosecution should be prepared to call its witness if the appeal court affirmed the tribunal’s jurisdiction. In dismissing the defence team’s request for further adjournment on Thursday, the chairman of the tribunal, in a ruling, held that Section 306 of the ACJ Act had prohibited the tribunal from entertaining application for stay of proceedings, regardless of whether it was filed before the trial court or a higher court. “It is an obvious fact that where a counsel wants to stay proceedings pending before a lower court, he/she promptly rushes to a higher court to stay the proceedings before the lower court. That is the same with what has happened in this case,” he said. He also cited the provisions of Section 305 of the ACJ Act 2015, which he said allowed the tribunal or court to conduct trial but postpone its judgment or sentence as the case may be till when the issue of law referred to the higher court was determined. He maintained that the ACJ Act was enacted to ensure expeditious determination of criminal cases. He ruled, “The defendant will never suffer any injury or miscarriage of justice or harm in anyway if those proceedings continue. The tribunal is a sacred institution that took an oath to do justice to all and sundry.” The Thursday’s proceedings were disrupted by senators loyal to Saraki as they intermittently voiced disapproval to some lines of argument by the prosecution and sometimes the decision of the tribunal. The situation got to a point when Jacobs had to call on them to be decorous. In arguing the application, Magaji said the defence having filed a notice of appeal before the Supreme Court which on October 30, 2015, affirmed the judgment of the tribunal, the CCT could no longer go ahead to hear the case until the Supreme Court determined the appeal. “We filed the notice of appeal on November 2, 2015, and we transmitted the record on November 3 and we were given the appeal number SC.852/2015. So, the appeal is deemed to have been filed,” Magaji said. Adding that his team had filed a motion of stay of proceedings of the tribunal, Magaji said by the virtue of other authorities of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in the case of Achebe V Mbanefo, the lower court was bound to stay proceedings in any case which had become a subject matter of an appeal to higher courts. But Jacobs, in his response, described Magaji’s application as unconstitutional, arguing that it negated the provisions of the section 287(2) of the constitution, which stipulated that the decision of the higher court must be binding on lower courts. He also argued that the application for an indefinite adjournment also infringed on section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 which provided that no motion for stay of proceedings with respect to a criminal matter would be entertained. Jacobs said, “That decision of the Court of Appeal delivered on October 30 is binding on all parties, including the defendant, counsel and even the tribunal. “By the virtue of the provisions of section 287(2) of the constitution, the decision of the Court of Appeal shall be enforced by all authorities including the tribunal. “The decision of the Court of Appeal says the tribunal is properly constituted and that it should go ahead with the trial. The application by the learned silk is unconstitutional by the virtue of section 287(2) of the constitution. It is also contrary to section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. “By the virtue of the provision of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, your lordship cannot even entertain the application for stay of proceedings.” Jacobs said the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal authorities cited by the defence were decisions that had been overtaken by the coming into force of the ACJ Act. He added that currently, the Supreme Court was still battling with criminal appeals filed two years ago, adding that calling for an adjournment because of an appeal which had not been fixed for hearing would amount to requesting two years adjournment of the case. Jacobs also commended the senators in attendance for the passage of the new law which he said was made to ensure speedy and effective management of criminal cases. “I must be grateful to the senators who are here; they gave us this law,” Jacobs said. But Raji, who took the floor to respond to Jacobs on the points of law, said the section 306 of the ACJ Act cited by the prosecution was not applicable to the case, since the application for stay of proceedings was filed before the Supreme Court and not before the tribunal. “Section 306 is not applicable to this case because the application for stay of proceedings was not filed before this tribunal, it was filed before the Supreme Court,” he said. “I was surprised about the submission of my learned silk that the decision of the Supreme Court had been overridden by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. That is fallacious and it’s the most ungrounded submission I have ever heard in my life,” he said. Jacobs added, “It is unfortunate for the senators to invade the courtroom and disrupt proceedings by making noise and shouting as if they were on the floor of the Senate. The court is different from the floor of the Senate. The court is not where you play politics.” Some notable senators who attended the Thursday’s proceedings in solidarity with Saraki were Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Ali Ndume, Theodore Orji, Abdullahi Adamu, Stella Oduah, Dino Melaye, Gilbert Nnaji and Andy Ubah. Saraki’s move to mobilise supporters flops Meanwhile, all appears not to be well in the camp of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, as some of his loyalists in the Senate refused to accompany him to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja, where he is currently facing trial for alleged corrupt charges. Ostensibly aggrieved by their non-inclusion in the leadership of the 65 standing committees inaugurated by Saraki, on Wednesday, some of his erstwhile die-hard allies allegedly leaked a text message meant to mobilise them to court in solidarity for Saraki. Our correspondent learnt that the Director of Protocol in the Office of the Senate President, Mr. Arthur Ndiwe, allegedly sent a text message, on Wednesday evening, to all the loyalists of his principal asking them to converge on his residence in order to move as a team to the court on Thursday. It was gathered that the release of the committees’ leadership list by Saraki on Wednesday affected the solidarity show as many of the loyalists who were dissatisfied with the committees allocated to them, failed to follow Saraki to the court. Others, according to findings, apparently saw no need to go to the court since their reason for the solidarity in the past, which was to be rewarded with juicy committees, had been achieved. One of the senators dissatisfied with the committees was also said to have forwarded a text message sent to him and his colleagues to an anti-Saraki senator, who in turn, forwarded same to a journalist. The text message reads, “Gd evening, Distinguished. Wish to inform dt buses are available 2moro mrnin to convey Senators wishing to accompany HE d Senate President. Departure is at 9am frm d house@22 yesderam str. By IGP’s House Maitama. Rgrds.Arthur (dir.of prot.SP.” The development, according to sources, informed the handful of senators who accompanied the senate president to the court as the figure dropped from 80 on October 21 during the last sitting to about 40 on Thursday. SERAP calls for probe of Saraki’s lawyers In another development, a human rights group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association to probe Saraki’s lawyers, who walked out on the Justice Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal during Thursday’s proceedings. The group called on the NBA to investigate and punish the senior advocates for professional misconduct, saying their action offended “the basic rule that lawyers should act with integrity and professionalism, maintaining his or her overarching responsibility to ensure civil conduct. (sic)’’ SERAP, which took this position in a statement by its Executive Director, Adetokubbo Mumuni, on Thursday, said by walking out on the CCT, Saraki’s lawyers put the administration of justice and public confidence in the judiciary at risk. The statement read in part, “Walking out on the Code of Conduct Tribunal for simply and correctly applying section 305(e) of the newly enacted Administration of Criminal Justice Act is disrespectful. It offends the basic rule that lawyers should act with integrity and professionalism. “SERAP believes that a lawyer’s duty to the court is a fundamental obligation that defines a lawyer’s role within the adversarial system. Lawyers should, at all times, act to promote the rule of law and the public’s confidence in the administration of justice and not to be seen to undermine it or facilitate an infringement of the law.’’ A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Nwobike, said no rules authorised any lawyer to walk out on a court to protest against a ruling. He said that the fact that Saraki’s lawyers did so in his presence showed that he was in agreement with them. Another SAN, Mr. Kunle Ogunba, described the action of Saraki’s lawyers as judicial rascality, stressing that they disrecptected the judges by walking out. ‘‘It is like defecating in our common pool,’’ Ogunba said. PUNCH.