INFO-WORLD

The Rivers State Police Command on Tuesday paraded three pregnant women and a 36-year-old man suspected to be involved in producing babies for sale. The ‘baby factory’ suspects, who were arrested at Igwuruta in Ikwerre Local Government Area, on July 5, 2014, were identified as Odinchinma Nwala (25), Glory Anyanwu (22), Goodness Nwankwo (19), and Stanley Okechukwu (male, 36). The Divisional Police Officer of Igwuruta Police Station, Mr. Bello Muhammed, told newsmen that they were able to apprehend the suspects after being alerted by well meaning Nigerians. Muhammed, a Chief Superintendent of Police, explained that it got signals that someone was operating a baby factory in Umuehe in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area. “We sent a patrol team that went and confirmed the information. When the police traced and arrested Okechukwu, who took the team to where he kept the girls on Saturday, July 5, 2014, it was discovered that the suspects had been involve...

Some yet-to-be identified gunmen threw the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, into chaos on Monday after they invaded the King Jaja Hall area of the institution and shot at students. Although it was not clear whether the attack was carried out by cultists, our correspondent gathered that a student was shot in the head in the mayhem. The student, who was identified as Sapara, was said to be a final year student of Philosophy. Eyewitnesses said Sapara’s face was covered in blood after a bullet scraped the side of his head. It was learnt that the victim was subsequently taken to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, where he was said to be in stable condition. The incident, however, led to pandemonium as students, who were sitting for their examination, ran in different directions after the gunshot was heard. Eyewitnesses said some Akokites (as the students fondly called themselves) who were not at the vicinity of the incident also sough...

Tolani Ajayi, a 21-year-old undergraduate of Redeemer University of Nigeria (RUN), who killed his 66-year-old father, Charles Ajayi, last Tuesday, said he took the action of killing his father out of provocation. The suspect told newsmen on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, when he was brought to the Police headquarters for further interrogation. It was learnt that the suspect had been asked to face the disciplinary committee of the university, where he is a 300-level student of History and International Relations, before committing the offence.  The accused person, who did not show any sign of remorse, however, regretted killing his father, contending that his action might be spiritual. He sought for forgiveness from his mother, saying “I have sent some people to talk to her that I am sorry, I have talked to my sister, my mother is still grieving I want to give her time, it may be spiritual. I have asked for forgiveness.”  Upon fu...

The Police in Nsukka, Enugu State, recently, arrested a 53-year-old man who claims to be the Pastor of Ministry of the Holy Trinity in Umudikwere community whom they alleged specializes in impregnating married women and young girls in his ministry. Police sources alleged that the Pastor identified as Timothy Ngwu, the General Overseer of  Ministry, sexually abuse female members of the ministry and claim that the Holy Spirit directs him to do so in the name of God. How it was blown open Crime Alert gathered that the alleged sexual exploits of the self-acclaimed man of God was blown open when his estranged wife, Veronica Ngwu, who hails from Udi L.G.A and have three children for the pastor, could no longer stomach the sexual rascality of her husband. She reportedly  lodged complaint with the Anti- Child Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department, Enugu, which led to the arrest of Timothy Ngwu, for alleged sex and child abuses/traffickin...

A man claiming to be a “ Boko Haram ’s spiritual teacher” has told the BBC World Service radio that the hundreds of girls abducted in Chibok on April 15 are “feeding very well” and in “good state of health.” A screengrab taken on May 12, 2014, from a video of Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram obtained by AFP shows girls, wearing the full-length hijab and praying in an undisclosed rural location. Boko Haram released a new video on claiming to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls, alleging they had converted to Islam and would not be released until all militant prisoners were freed. A total of 276 girls were abducted on April 14 from the northeastern town of Chibok, in Borno state, which has a sizeable Christian community. Some 223 are still missing. The man, who had his voice disguised in the interview, also said that although most of the Christians among the girls had been converted to Islam, those who objected were not forced. However, he rei...

Security activities was on the high side  on Tuesday as the entire Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, was put under intense screening and searchlight for several  hours, as security agencies screened all vehicles and humans entering the cargo hajj camp of the complex. The situation forced scores of passengers, especially those going on the international flights, to trek to the airport in order not to miss their scheduled flights. When the Nigerian Tribune went round the airports, the Nigerian Police, anti-terrorism squad, Air Force and soldiers were seen manning the major entrance to the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company area of the airport and screening all the movements into the area.The situation, which started around 6.00 a.m, lasted till around 1:30 p.m. The gridlock started from the Arik Air headquarters end and stretched as far as the NAHCo area of the airport, which is almost two kilometres, while motorists were held up in the traffic for hou...

THE Army authorities, yesterday, in Lagos, said the Lance Corporal who was knocked down and killed by a BRT bus along Ikorodu Road last Friday, was not riding motorbike on the BRT lane as widely reported. Rather, the deceased, according to the Army, was crushed to death on the normal lane plied by other motorists, maintaining also that soldiers were not responsible for the damage done to BRT buses but hoodlums who hijacked the situation. This is just as the Nigerian Army has taken a swipe at Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, over a statement credited to him describing the Army as ‘mad,’ while reacting to the incident at a public function last week. Army flays Soyinka The army in a statement made available to Vanguard and signed by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Omale Ochagwuba, said: “In a situation where a respected elder statesman will stand up in a public function and based on hear-say call a respected professional orga...

There will be disruptions to supply in some parts of Lagos State, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). Speaking with Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, the Senior Manager for Lagos Region, Public Affairs Department, TCN, Mrs Celestina Osin, said the planned disruption of electricity supply to some parts of the Lagos metropolis will be between 10:00am-2:00pm on Thursday.  According to her, “the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria Lagos Region, has completed arrangement to commence planned disruption of electricity supply to some parts of the Lagos metropolis from 10:00am-2:00pm on Thursday, July 10,2014.  “The planned outage which will emanate from the Akangba Sub-Region will enable us carry out annual preventive maintenance on the secondary breaker and bus isolator, which are very important equipment in the power transformers in the station,” she said. She assured that power transmission to the region will be unhindered aft...

There was mild drama on Tuesday at the National Judicial Institute, NJI, Abuja, venue of the ongoing National Conference, when a delegate, Sidi Ali, said the biggest private hospital being built in Abuja is owned by a former Governor of Rivers State. Delegates continued their deliberations on the report of the Committee on Devolution of Power and what took the attention of most delegates in their contribution was the issue of increasing the derivation allocation from the present 13 per cent. In his contribution earlier in the day, a delegate representing the Civil Society, Nasiru Kura, stated that he was not against an increase in the derivation principle, but that whatever additional money the oil producing states get would eventually go into serving the leaders of the area to the detriment of the people in the communities ravaged by oil exploration. He said what most governors do is to purchase private jets and gallivant around. To buttress Mr. Kura’s posi...

Proceedings in the House of Representatives were rowdy yesterday over arguments on powers of the President to deploy the country’s military during elections. Arguments arose during debates on a bill seeking to further amend the Electoral Act, No. 6 of 2010. Their Senate counterparts had last week Thursday passed a similar bill. The House Deputy Leader, Leo Ogor (Delta/PDP) and the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Albert Sam Tsokwa (Taraba/PDP) insisted that the power of the President to deploy troops was backed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 8 of the Armed Forces Act. According to Tsokwa, the Armed Forces Act particularly gave the President and a proxy, powers to deploy troops for “operational use”. This position drew a harsh response from the House Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos/APC). Efforts by the presiding Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, to douse the situation failed as Ogor and Gbajabiamila continued to tr...

Supervising Minister of Aviation, Mr. Samuel Ortom, yesterday, said his ministry had not returned the BMW bullet-proof cars as due process needed to be properly followed. Also, the House Committee on Aviation raised concerns over the unutilised $500 million loan allegedly obtained by the aviation authorities. Ortom, who appeared before members of the Mrs Nkiruka Onyejiocha-led committee yesterday, explained that President Goodluck Jonathan and other stakeholders have the final say on the controversial cars. Fielding questions from reporters at the Assembly complex yesterday, he said: “Before we comply, we have to carry the President and other stakeholders along. “We cannot just carry the bullet-proof cars and dump them at Coscharis. There are documents to be filled, there are processes to follow. “As soon as we complete the arrangements, we will take the cars back. Due process needed to be adequately followed in matters of this nature.” The House had, ...

Despite the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly, the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday said that his state was not on fire, but for the lawmaker of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are celebrating lawlessness. He equally stated that he has the right as a Nigerian to contest for the presidency if he so desired, adding that all efforts by PDP in the state to intimidate him would continue to fail. Oshiomhole, who was reacting to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, who had accused him of pursuing a vice-presidential ambition in 2015 and thus was setting his state ablaze, said the statement by Metuh was unreasonable. Oshiomhole while speaking to State House correspondents in Abuja, said the PDP could not intimidate him no matter how hard it tried, adding that it was impossible to set the state he presides over on fire. On the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly, Oshiomhole said: “You ha...

1. Fraudulent diversion of N2.3 Billion Adamawa state worker’s salaries for September and October 2011. 2. Illegal deductions and diversion of the sum of N142 million employment of Adamawa state workers in May 2014. 3. Diversion of N120 million public funds to sponsor fictitious visits of General Muhammadu Buhari to Adamawa sate to commiserate with flood victims of insurgents attacks in Madagali and Michika local government areas. 4. Extra-budgetary expenditure of N1, 740, 785 on fictitious special assistants and another N166, 230, 536.88 on personal assistants in 2013. 5. Fraudulent award of contract of over N8 Billion through SNECOU Group of Companies Ltd allegedly to siphon public funds without delivering any service to the people of Adamawa state. 6. Corrupt siphoning of the sum of N300 million public funds through a company, Hydrosources Resources Ltd in the name of Mubi By-pass without mobilising to site or any construction carried out long after col...

The reason for the delay in the rescue of the Chibok girls was the highpoint of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presentation at the National Council of State meeting yesterday. Over 200 secondary school girls were abducted in Chibok, Borno State in April. Jonathan told the meeting, which was attended by former Presidents and Heads of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Gen.  Babangida, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and Chief Ernest Shonekan, that the delay was connected to the fact that security agencies were meticulous in their approaches to minimise loss of lives. Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, accompanied by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his Kaduna State counterpart, Yero Ramalan, said: “Top on the agenda of the meeting was the security of the nation. We were briefed by the President, and the National Security Adviser on the steps that are ...

Two former military heads of state led the embattled Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako to a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday night in Abuja as part of the efforts to save Nyako, who is battling to escape impeachment by legislators in his state. The PUNCH  learnt that the meeting was at the instance of the two ex-heads of state. A source close to the meeting confided in one of our correspondents that the two former dictators’ intervention rested on the fact that Nyako was a mutual friend. Nyako is a retired Vice-Admiral and one-time Chief of Naval Staff under ex-dictator Ibrahim Babangida. The source said, “The two military leaders took the governor to meet with the President last night. They, however, did not get a commitment because the President insisted that the governor should withdraw his contentious memo to the Northern Governors’ Forum and publicly apologise for his indiscretions. “The governor, who did not appear prepared ...