Lawmaker’s son shot dead in UK

The graduate son of a Nigerian politician was shot dead near his family’s London home in the latest round of bloodshed in the capital.

Abraham Badru, 26, who was given a police bravery award as a teenager for saving a woman from a sex attack, was gunned down in the street in Dalston, Hackney, just after 11pm on Sunday.

Abraham, who worked as a football coach after earning his Masters degree in sports coaching from the University of Gloucestershire in 2015, was found slumped on the pavement by police called to reports of a loud gunshot.

Abraham’s 62-year-old father, Dolapo Badru, represents Lagos Island I at the House of Representatives on the platform of All Progressives Congress.He was pronounced dead a short time later. His mother, who had rushed to his side, was seen by witnesses collapsed in tears on the pavement.

He told the Standard his “quiet and hard-working” son once saved a young woman from rape on the estate and later gave evidence which led to her attacker being jailed.

He said: “A few years ago, a girl was raped on the estate and Abraham fought them off. He went to court to testify against them and the police gave him an award.”

Friends paid tribute to Abraham as a “bubbly and outgoing” young man who was “making a life for himself” after completing his studies.

They said he had a fiancee in Nigeria and had volunteered with the Team Nigeria UK football coaching charity, and had been due to coach at an open trial in Charlton on Tuesday (today).

A volunteer said: “He’s such a wonderful guy full of life and very hard-working.”

Abraham had previously worked with Bristol council as a sport development officer, according to his LinkedIn profile and had interned at non-league Gloucester City FC during his degree studies at the University of Gloucestershire.

“We would like to send our thoughts and prayers to Abraham’s family during this difficult time.”In a statement, his former club Almondsbury FC, near Bristol, said: “The club are shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of former striker Abraham Badru.

Neighbours said Abraham had been to church earlier that day and was getting out of his car when he was shot.

One neighbour said: “As soon as I heard the bang, I knew it was a gunshot. I went to my balcony and saw a man slumped over on the ground at the back of a car.

“There was just one shot and a cry of pain. No speeding scooter and no speeding car.”

Another said: “His mother came out and saw him on the floor. It was terrible listening to her collapse crying on the floor. She was just screaming.

“Everyone was very upset and I had to go away, I couldn’t take it. It happened on our doorstep and I had to say a little prayer for the family.”

A school friend added: “He had just finished studying a masters in sport at university. He was a bubbly guy and worked so hard. We went to the same church as kids.

“His mother is a devout Christian. I’m lost for words. I just cannot believe it. He was the nicest guy, very happy and outgoing.”

A police cordon remained in place in Ferncliff Road this morning as detectives continued to investigate the shooting.

Abraham’s mother was being supported by family members at the her home, around 100 yards away. The family were too upset to speak this morning.

A neighbour said: “They are a lovely family, church going and loving. Everyone is stunned this could happen to Abraham.

“He was a gentle, respectful young man and I pray for his family who are in pain right now.”

The murder is the third in Hackney this year and comes as 19 young men under the age of 25 have been killed in the capital in 2018.

Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, from Scotland Yard’s murder squad, said: “We are appealing for information so we can establish the circumstances which led to a young man losing his life.

“Anyone with information who hasn’t yet spoken with us should come forward without delay. Your call will be treated in the strictest confidence.”

There have been no arrests.

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Electoral Act: 67 Senators Sign To Override President Buhari

Electoral Act: 67 senators sign to override BuhariPublished 3 hours ago on March 26, 2018 By Chukwu David
Lawmakers, legal experts parley
Pro-President’s senators’number reduces
APC leaders’ intervention not bearing fruit
No fewer than 67 senators have endorsed the move by the apex legislative chamber to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018, New Telegraph reliably learnt at the weekend. A source in the apex legislative chamber, who spoke to our correspondent, but pleaded not to be mentioned in print, disclosed that 67 senators had already signed a Pro- Senate register seeking to override the veto. The source claimed that the number of signatures in the register had increased from the initial 63 last week to 67, expressing optimism that the number might exceed the twothirds requirement, which is 73 senators.
The breakdown of the senators who have signed to override the President shows: 10 senators from South-West; 15 from South- South; 13 from South-East, 12 from North-Central, 10 from North-East and seven from the North-West. Their identity is being kept as top secret. The source noted that some senators, for fear of victimization, were sitting on the fence, claiming that those in this category were more than 20, whom the source said that the pro- Senate faction was working hard to win to its side in the override task.
This is happening in spite of the intervention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), seeking to stop the National Assembly from going ahead with the plan to use its constitutional powers to defeat Buhari’s veto. It was learnt that the senators and members of the House of Representatives were yet to see concrete evidence of the party to sincerely achieve peace between the National Assembly and the Presidency after the visit of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC to the legislative chambers.
Buhari had withheld assent to the bill, claiming that its passage would infringe on the constitutional powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as portray the National Assembly as legislating for the states on local government management, contrary to the 1999 Constitution which empowers the state assemblies to make laws for the state. However, further in quiries by New Telegraph showed that the Legal Department of the National Assembly had faulted all the points raised by President Buhari in vetoing the bill.
Consequently, the Legal Department asked the National Assembly to disregard the constitutional questions raised by the President and carry on with the planned throwing out of his veto if it wishes to do so. Furthermore, our correspondent learnt from a source close to the Senate leadership that based on this legal advice, the National Assembly members had started collating signatures on a possible override of the Buhari’s veto. Since the Senate passed the controversial amendments to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 on February 14, the chamber had been divided into two factions namely:
the pro- Buhari Senators who now operate under the umbrella of Presidential Support Group (PSG) and the pro- Senate Group. Reliable sources told New Telegraph that the Pro-Senate wing was currently enjoying the majority so far while hinting that the Pro-Buhari Senators were also unrelenting in their quest to truncate the override plan.It was, however, learnt that as at yesterday, the number of senators in this group was 15, contrary to speculations peddled in the media that they had got up to 49 members. A source told our correspondent that the struggle was full of horse trading and a lot of intrigues, disclosing that the pro-Senate Group had infiltrated the ranks of the pro-Buhari group to give them a false sense of hope.
“This is politics; a lot of intrigues have come into play and that is why you are hearing different claims from the pro-Buhari Group of senators. But I can assure you that when the chips are down, you will see how it will go. The Pro-Buhari group is having a false sense of improvement in their numerical strength, but the senators know where they really belong,” the source said.
Another source stated: “A meeting of the pro- Senate group held in Lagos after the wedding party of the daughter of Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, in Lagos at the weekend. The meeting afforded the pro-Senate Senators the opportunity to review the register and it was affirmed that 67 senators have so far signed.”
Meanwhile, one of the sources who attended the pro-Senate Group meeting at the weekend in Lagos during Dangote’s daughter’s wedding, said that at least three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) joined the Senators at the meeting and that it was adopted that the interpretation of the law is that the two-thirds majority of those present in each chamber would be required and not two-thirds majority of all members of the Senate in the course of voting to override Mr. President’s veto. Another source said: “The plan for the overriding votes may start this week as the Senate leadership is sure they now have “very sufficient” numbers to act and get the desired results.
“Those who think they control South-West senators will have a shocker of their lives. At least 10 Senators from that zone will vote for the amendment; 15 from South-South; 13 from South-East, 12 from North-Central, 10 from North-East and seven from the North-West. “That is the zonal classification of those who have signed so far. We will get more from those who are still sitting on the fence.
The recent position of Gen. T.Y. Danjuma and the Coalition of Northern Groups are helping to win more sympathizers for the Pro-Senate group.” New Telegraph also observed that some senators appeared not to be in the picture of what is happening with regards to the plan to override President Buhari on his veto to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018. An APC chieftain, from the North-East told our correspondent that nobody had contacted him either for or against the override plot. “All I know is that Senators Abdullahi Adamu, Omo-Agege and others are actually holding their meeting in Adamu’s house, but honestly nobody has called me to a meeting. I also know that they are meeting with some governors in Adamu’s house.
“It may be because I am neutral that nobody has met with me for any discussion. I really don’t want to be physically involved because the matter is very controversial,” the senator told New Telegraph. Also, another senator belonging to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed noninvolvement on the whole saga, depicting that he was either sitting on the fence or playing politics with the contentious matter. He said: “Nobody has met me on that. The bill has gone back to the House; you know it originated from the House, unless there is anything they are doing without my knowledge, but nobody has come to me to talk about overriding or not overriding

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Govt spends thousands to prosecute theft of fruit as case lasts nine years

 An Italian man has finally been acquitted of stealing an aubergine nine years after first being charged, ending a legal wrangle over a piece of fruit worth pennies that cost taxpayers thousands.

The man, then aged 49, had the incriminating aubergine in his bucket when police caught him trying to escape through a privately owned field near Lecce, in the southern region of Puglia, in 2009.

While being taken away, he pleaded with the police that he had tried to steal the nightshade because he was unemployed and desperate to feed his child.

The man’s legal counsel was still not satifised and took the case to the Court of Cassation in Rome, Italy’s highest appeals court, where the defendant was acquitted nearly a decade after he was first arrested.However, the courts initially showed no mercy, sentencing him to five months in prison and ordering him to pay 500 euros ($620) fine. That punishment was reduced on appeal to two months’ jail and 120 euros.

The Court of Cassation criticised the lower courts in Lecce for not taking into account the extreme weakness of the prosecution’s case, given the man’s financial situation.

The La Repubblica newspaper quoted the ruling as saying that the man “was definitely acting to satisfy the hunger of his family… there are grounds for justification (of the theft).”

The court also lamented the amount of public money spent on the case, with 7,000-8,000 euros going towards legal fees as the man was too poor to pay for his own defence, La Repubblica reported.

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Buhari Shocks Oyegun, Others, Withdraws Support For Tenure Extension Of All Progressives Congress Excos

President Muhammadu Buhari today withdrew his support to the decision of the National Executive Council of the All Progressives Congress  ( APC ) to extend the tenure of  National Working Committee (NWC)  of the party saying it contravenes the party's constitution and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  

He disclosed this at the National Executive Committee meeting of the party in Abuja on Tuesday. 

"In particular I think it is important to talk about the contentious issues of the tenure of our National and State Executive Officers. As we all know,  the motion was moved in the last NEC meeting  February 2,7 2018, to the effect that when the tenure of the current executive expires in June this year they should be allowed to continue for one year.  This motion was moved by a majority of members present at the last NEC meeting.  Even though some of our party members have since spoken very vehemently against it,  others have even taken the matter to court.

"On my own part I have taken some time to review and seek advice on the resolution and what I have found is that it contravenes our party constitution and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  

While the APC constitution article 17, in bracket 1 and 13 on two bracket b,  limits the tenure of elected officers to four years,  renewable once by another election.  The 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended,  in section 223, also prescribes periodic election for party executives at regular intervals which must not exceed four years. 

"Further more,  article 31 of our party constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest or contest for another election must resign from his current post at least one month before the election.  In this circumstance what is expected of us is to conduct fresh election once the tenure of the current executives approaches its end. 

The caretaker committee cannot remedy the situation and cannot currently act in place of electing officer. Furthermore, I think if we the constitutional provisions we might be endangering the fortunes of our party. 

If the tenure of our party executive  can be legally faulted then it means that any nomination and primary election can also be faulted.  This is not to talk of the issues that will arise and is already arising within the party when some of our members felt that they are being denied the right to aspire to executive positions,  internal democracy is not explained within the party.  

I am therefore of the firm believe that it is better to follow strictly the dictates of our party and national constitution  rather than put APC and its activities at grave risk.  

Fortunately, we have already approved a timetable for the holding of congresses and elections.  I think this should be allowed to go forward and all efforts should now be geared towards making them a great success"  President Buhari ststed.

Buhari cautioned the NEC members  not to allow the party to be divided and vulnerable to the opposition as a result of court actions which may arise aftermath. 

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Breaking: Serbia beat Nigeria 2-0

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were on Tuesday beaten 2-0 by Serbia at Hive Stadium in London in a 2018 FIFA World Cup warm-up match.

Goals from Aleksandar Mitrović, who plies his trade at Newcastle, in the 68th and 81st minutes ensured Mladen Krstajic’s men flew over the Super Eagles.

Serbia booked their spot in Russia for the first time since 2010 after a remarkable run of form in the qualifying stages.

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#BBNaija: Check out the voting results that brought back Anto and Knloe

Moments ago, Anto and Khloe were announced as the housemates returning to the Big Brother Naija house to compete for the prize money!

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Broken pieces

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Peter Okoye die yesterday evening because of they malice between his brother Paul Okoye

Last month singer and entertainer Peter Okoye, 34, revealed to his millions of fans that he was having health issues. The Psquare singershared photos of him undergoing a CT scanand asked his fans to pray for him.

While he is now abroad, his brother Paul Okoyehas revealed what led Peter Okoye to the hospital.

I don’t know how he managed but it was good that he pulled through. And he came back December period we were playing concerts, rushing back no rest.

“Usually for Psquare we don’t do concerts in January. January was supposed to be our holiday period, anybody can travel. We always go to America, Atlanta chill, get to Miami but this time I’m using that opportunity to work with Muno in the studio” Paul Okoye further said.

Paul Okoye also allayed the fears of Psquare fans that nothing is wrong with his brother.

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The Oluwo Of Iwo Land’s Nigerian Made Suv Geep Cause Comotion In Lagos

Oluwo of Iwo land,Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi “TELU 1” who recently visit Unilag for an occasion with his New Nigerian made geep.

The geep caused stir in lagos to extend that everybody want to stop him and take a pics with the very resemble Gwagon geep.

We says Kabiesi ooo for elevating our local products.

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I Will Sign Death Warrant Of Any Person Convicted of kidnapping Without Looking Back –Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has said he is willing to sign death warrant of any person convicted of kidnapping.

The governor, who made this known on Thursday, said stiffer penalties had been approved to discourage those who might want to be involved in the act.

Wike assented to the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Law No. 8 of 2018, the Rivers State Secret Cult and Similar Activities (Prohibition) (Amendment) Law No.6 of 2018, and the Rivers State Kidnap (Prohibition) (Amendment) No. Law No.7 of 2018, in a bid to improve the security of communities.

The Rivers House of Assembly had passed the bills.

“If you are a cultist and you are caught, it is life imprisonment. If you are a cultist and you kill during cult activities, you will face the death penalty,” the governor said during the signing.

“If you are convicted of kidnapping and the Supreme Court affirms your conviction, I will sign the death warrant without looking back.”

He also said the state government would battle cultism and kidnapping to a standstill, noting that ‘enough is enough’.

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Why I Had An Elaborate Wedding – Banky W

EME Music record label boss and husband to actress Adesua Etomi, Banky W had, before his wedding, emphasised his dislike for elaborate weddings.

The singer, songwriter and actor took to his Instagram page to state that it was never his decision or that of his wife to have a lavish wedding.

According to him, wedding is not just the coming together of a man and his wife, rather it is the coming together of families whose opinion should be respected.

He said, “I have learnt to grow thick skin and almost always ignore the online chatter, but every once in a while, I feel the need to respond. So here are my 2 cents.”

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N13.5 million pay: Saraki, Dogara’s salaries will blow up Nigeria, says Sagay

The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, has declared that he will make public the monthly earnings of the leadership of the National Assembly soon.

He said the N13 million allowances being received by senators is only a tip of the iceberg as Nigerians will be shocked when he releases details of the allowances of the principal officers.

Sagay said this while fielding questions from Punch on the revelations by the lawmaker representing Kaduna-Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani.

Sani had disclosed that senators receive N700,000 monthly and a separate N13.5m as running costs.

The senior lawyer said, “There are many things the press doesn’t know yet. If you come to know the allowances that the leadership of the two houses are getting.

“My God! It will blow up the country. What is the Senate President getting? It is not the ordinary N13m.

“What does he get as Senate President? What is the leader of the House getting, what is the deputy leader of the House getting?

“What is the Deputy Senate President getting? What are the minority leaders getting in both houses? Go and find out. It is an explosive stuff, I tell you.

“Eventually, I will come out with the figures. I am working on them now. When I am ready, I will come out with them.”

He called out the pokesman for the Senate, Senator Abdullahi Sabi, for saying that the N13.5m allowances were already in the public domain.

Sagay pointed out that it was hypocritical of the lawmakers to have berated him last year when he released details of their allowances.

He added that Sani’s revelation was at variance with the details released by Saraki last year.

He added, “What they released then was their salaries which the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission approved for them. What they are hiding now are the allowances they voted for themselves.

“The salary details released was just about N700,000 but what they voted for themselves is about 20 times that amount. That is the whole point and they were hiding it.

“I came out with the figures last year and they wanted to cut off my neck and now it has come out in the open and Sabi Abdullahi is saying it is nothing new but you were denying it in the past. So, they have a guilty conscience because they know what they are doing is shameful.”

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Osinbajo has proven that Buhari is incompetent — Abimbola

If Vice President Yemi Osinbajo expected a public outrage at his latest revelation that the whopping sums of N100 billion and $289 million were embezzled by the Goodluck Jonathan administration weeks to the 2015 elections, he must be disappointed by now. Up till now, nobody is exactly asking for Jonathan’s head on a spike. Osinbajo has confirmed people’s suspicion: that Buhari, the man who was elected to tear down the temple of corruption in Nigeria is not as potent a force as he was marketed. Nigerians that thought they were getting two raging bulls must be wondering how they ended up with these hand-wringing jokers. Osinbajo should not be surprised at the yawns and wrinkled noses he got from Nigerians for his exposé, people now think that still blaming Jonathan is an old subterfuge considering everything else that has befallen us under Buhari. If Jonathan and his merry band stole so much and up till now, the best you do is throw out repetitive lines of how much he stole; maybe you should not be in government. Nigerians voted you to fight corruption, not to join them to moan about it.

This day three years ago, it was five days before the presidential elections. Everywhere you turned at that time, you heard “Sai Baba” chanted to the tune of “anti-corruption.” Followers of the candidate and now President, Muhammadu Buhari, evangelized about the coming of this messiah whose no-nonsense stance will cleanse Nigeria’s Augean stables for good. Even his former foes forgave him without him asking. Buhari himself, aware of the weight of expectations imposed on him, sold himself as the karma of corruption in Nigeria. Everywhere he went, he sang about fighting corruption and Nigerians rocked themselves to its sonic sensation.

When Buhari was first sworn in, bragging about what Jonathan’s administration had done wrong was the most priced and bestselling share on the stock market, and the APC — still basking in the euphoria of unexpected victory — made huge dividends out of it. Almost three years after he was sworn in, the folks who rhapsodized about Buhari’s anti-corruption agenda have found that he was no different from his predecessor. He is just as clueless, and corruption — Nigeria’s Frankenstein monster — has once again swallowed another one of its creators. Post-2015 Nigeria is still in the doldrums of ineptitude, nepotism, tribalism, and uncontained violence.

Osinbajo is still talking about what Jonathan did wrong when their government has barely been able to do a single thing convincingly right. Osinbajo was also quoted as saying that at some point, those who promoted strategic alliance contracts between the NNPC and the NDPC made away with almost one-tenth of our national reserves! That is a mind-boggling amount. Such a theft ought to be thoroughly investigated and punished, and not just crunched into a sensational speech at an occasion. Osinbajo, again, said that it was only in talking about such mega-thefts that we could resolve such thieving. True, he has a point that such scams need to be addressed, but he seems to forget that talking is all Buhari’s government has done till now. People are tired of accusations; they are tiring and demoralizing. What we want to see is what the government under his watch has done about such embezzlements. How many of those people have been tried and how many are on their way to jail now? If nothing of the sort has been done, then what is the point of informing us who stole what? You are only confirming that you are weak, and your government is more or less a paper tiger. Mentioning Jonathan’s name alone used to be a potent means of whipping Nigerians into frenzied outrage about “corruption,” but people seem to be fatigued about the unending talk of what is wrong; they want transparency, reforms, and action. They are bored with people like Osinbajo constantly revving the engine of a vehicle that has no wheels.

Not only are officials of this administration adept at just talk, they, in fact, act as a striptease. Just a few days ago, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), also said that if he released details of the allowances of the principal officers of the National Assembly, Nigerians would be shocked. But what exactly would be shocking to Nigerians about his revelations considering that Sagay already informed Nigerians last year that lawmakers earned as much as N29m monthly? What else is “shockable” about what he has to reveal? At worst, he will reveal that Senate President, Bukola Saraki possibly earns N1bn monthly. Even if we find out that things are that sordid, what exactly is the reaction he expects the shock we will experience to solve?

Sagay thinks Nigeria will explode if people find out what the lawmakers cost them but most people know, just like they know that Buhari’s budget is just as padded as was his predecessors’. They just insist on keeping their sanity intact by ignoring their thieving leaders. I think Sagay — much like Peter Obi who also teased us with information about what governors earn — is overestimating the capability of Nigerians to be still shocked with the mindless looting that goes on in the country every day. Nigerians have come to realize that both the APC and the PDP are bad for their mental and moral health, and there is nothing one side can accuse the other of that it is not guilty of too. That is why Osinbajo’s revelation did not get much more than sneers and jeers. He is working in an administration whose anti-corruption agenda has become more or less reduced to accusations and counter-accusations, and he wants us to be moved by Jonathan’s profligacy.

Since Buhari became president, his cronies too have been accused of corruption, seven million people have lost their jobs between 2016 and 2017, and Nigerians have yet to recover from the effects of a recession. Think of the degree of violence that has occurred under Buhari, from the killings in Benue to Kaduna, Enugu, Taraba, and the abduction of girls in Dapchi. How about those for “shock” and explosion?  If the country did not go on the streets to protest after Buhari spent half of last year abroad, and up till now he has still not accounted for how much his health cost the country, then what is Sagay worried about?

There is every possibility that Osinbajo is right that Jonathan plundered the nation for his re-election. All the money Jonathan’s administration spent in 2015, particularly in the last few weeks of the election when he was crawling on his knees from churches to traditional rulers must have come from somewhere other than his pocket. But Osinbajo will not get the reaction he expects from Nigerians this time because Buhari himself has not shown superior morals when it comes to the issue of dipping your hands into the national pockets. 1n 2015, Buhari did not finance his campaign with five loaves and two fishes. The money too came from somewhere, and we know it was not his putatively untainted pockets. In fact, Buhari has that mystique about him: he has a way of making people believe he is personally not corrupt even though whenever he has needed money to finance his ambition, somebody’s dirty hands have picked up the invoice. Up till now, nobody in the APC has had the honour or dignity to account for their campaign spending yet they cry about others’ faults. By 2019, they are likely to do exactly what they accuse Jonathan of: take money out of the national reserves to finance their campaigns too. That is why their moral posturing moves nobody whose head on his/her shoulders can think their way out of a paper bag.

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It has now become a crime to be a Christian in Nigeria, says Olapade drags Buhari to ICC, issues 72- hour ultimatum

The national chairman, National Action Council (NAC), Dr. Olapade Agoro on Saturday gave President Muhammadu Buhari a 72-hour ultimatum to ensure the release of Leah Sharibu from the Boko Haram’s captivity.

Agoro while speaking in a telephone interview with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, however threatened to drag President Buhari before the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the President fails to ensure the release of the only Christian student among the 110 Dapchi female students kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists.

The NAC Presidential aspirant lamented that, “it was unfortunate that Leah is being subjected to further physical and psychological trauma because she insisted on holding on to her religious faith, which is Christianity.”

Agoro also expressed his readiness to surrender himself to the Buhari led Federal Government to be swapped with the innocent Dapchi girl, saying that, “it has now become a crime to be a Christian in Nigeria.”

He said, “I am ready to walk freely to the President Buhari’ negotiators to take me to the Boko Haram for them to take me to replace the innocent girl. I am ready to sacrifice my life to get Leah released unconditionally.”

“President Buhari should engage his negotiating machinery to get Leah released unconditionally from Boko Haram latest by Wednesday. The innocent girl must not be raped or subjected to any other form of inhuman treatment because of her faith.

“I am giving the Federal Government the ultimatum to get her released latest by Wednesday. If she is not released, by Friday, I will be dragging President Buhari before the ICC”.

Agoro noted that, “since it is obvious that the Federal Government negotiated to get the other Dapchi students released, Buhari should come out and tell Nigerians, the terms and conditions of the negotiation.”

Agoro insisted that Nigerians deserve to know, if it was part of the negotiation that only those who are Muslims or ready to embrace Islam would be released by the Boko Haram, adding that Buhari’s failure to give convincing explanation will rekindle the suspicion of attempts to Islamize Nigeria.

He said, “The innocent girl is being made to suffer because of her faith. That should be a concern to all Muslims, Christians and parents in Nigeria. Nobody should be made to suffer, human life should be protected in Nigeria irrespective of religion.”

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FG declared one-week ceasefire to secure Dapchi girls’ freedom – Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government disclosed on Sunday that a week-long ceasefire was declared from March 19 which enabled the insurgents to drop off abducted Dapchi schoolgirl without attack by the military.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed this in Lagos at a media briefing to give update and clarifications on the release of the schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe state.

The minister said there were no conspiracy theories as to how the insurgents were able to return the schoolgirls to Dapchi un-attacked despite troops presence,

“The talks helped to secure the release of the police officers’ wives and the University of Maiduguri lecturers recently. And the talks did not stop thereafter.“Unknown to many, we have been in wider cessation-of-hostility talks with the insurgents for some time now.

“Therefore, we were able to leverage on the wider talks when the Dapchi girls were abducted.

“As I said earlier, the insurgents decided to return the girls to where they picked them from as a goodwill gesture.

“All they demanded was a ceasefire that will grant them a safe corridor to drop the girls. This is not new.

“Even in larger war situations, safe corridors are usually created for humanitarian and other purposes.

”Consequently, a week-long ceasefire was declared, starting from Monday, March 19. That is why the insurgents were able to drop the girls.

“This counters the conspiracy theories being propounded in some quarters concerning why it was so easy for the insurgents to drop off the girls without being attacked by the military’’.

“This is a fact, irrespective of how a section of the press has tried to spin the story.The minister reiterated that the government neither paid ransom nor swapped any Boko Haram member to secure the release of the girls.

“The insurgents brought the girls back to the location of the kidnapping themselves as an apparent gesture of goodwill.

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Deputy Senate Ekweremadu Sells Two US Properties Below Market Value To Stop Nigerian Gov't From Seizing Them

Deputy Senate President, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu, has sold two of his three properties in Kissimmee, Florida, United States of America. The properties, which were recently exclusively reported by SaharaReporters as owned by him, are townhouses at 2747 Club Cortile Circle and 2763 Club Cortile Circle, Kissimmee, Florida. The properties which were bought in 2008 for $200,000 each were put on the market in January and sold for $150,000 to the same buyer on February 20 2018.

SaharaReporters’ investigations revealed that both properties were sold below prevailing market value in Mr. Ekweremadu’s apparent bid to avoid forfeiting them to the Federal Government. He has also put the third one, situated at 4507 Stella Street, Bellavida Estate Kissime, Florida, up for sale, but he is yet to find a buyer.  The owner of the property said to be worth $500,000, is still listed as the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu with his Enugu address clearly stated on the property did.

The two houses already sold were bought in January by a company, Y-Kat Enterprises Inc., with an address at 10143 Foxhurst Ct Orlando, Florida.

When SaharaReporters contacted the person listed as the owner, Mr. Russel Daya, he declined to speak with our reporters, claiming it was too late in the night. When asked if he knew Nigeria's deputy Mr. Ekweremadu, he answered in the negative and hung up immediately.
The fire sale of the properties has, however, not concealed that they were previously owned by Mr. Ekweremadu.

Documents exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters from Osceola County Tax Collector show  Mr. Ekweremadu as the taxpayer on the property at 4507 Stella Street, Bellavida Estate Kissime, Florida, till the end of 2017.
A notice of Ad Valorem and non-Ad Valorem taxes from the tax collector, bearing Mr. Ekweremadu’s address of 4 Iyienu Street, Independence Layout, Enugu, showed that the Deputy Senate President paid a total of $6, 728.37 as tax on the house as at December 2017.

On the property at 2747 Club Cortile Circle, Kissimmee, Florida, the tax collector’s documents showed that the Deputy Senate President paid a total of $1,665.91 as at December 2017. The document similarly bears Mr. Ekweremadu’s Enugu address. Likewise, the Deputy Senate President paid taxes on the one at 2763 Club Cortile Circle, Kissimmee, Florida.

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Nigeria Customs Service promotes 775 Junior officers

At least 775 junior staff of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have been promoted to various ranks in the service by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), retired Col. Hameed Ali.  

Ali announced the approval of the staff in a statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer, Joseph Attah on Thursday in Abuja.  Attah said the promotion was strictly based on merit, as the cumulative marks of annual performance evaluation scores, written examination and availability of vacancy determined those who emerged as the most eligible for promotion.  

He said that the promotion took effect from Jan. 1, 2017 as effective date.  Attah said a breakdown of the promotion showed that seven Assistant Inspectors of Customs were promoted to the rank of Inspectors of Customs, 473 Customs Assistant 1 to Assistant Inspectors of Customs.  

Three Customs Assistant 3 were promoted to Customs Assistant 2.  On the Support Staff Cadre, he said the following were promoted: Fifteen Assistant Inspectors of Customs were promoted to the rank of Inspector of Customs, 40 Customs Assistant 1 to Assistant Inspector of Customs.

He added that 152 Customs Assistant 2 to Customs Assistant 1 while 85 Customs Assistant 3 were promoted to Customs Assistant 2.  Attah said the CGC congratulated the personnel and expressed the hope that their elevations would serve as motivation to effectively deliver on the Service mandate. 

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NBC bans Olamide, Davido, 9ice’s songs

Less than 24 hours after the National Broadcasting Commission banned one of his recent songs, Wo, among others, from being played on the airwaves, popular rapper, Olamide Adedeji, has said that he never intended to cause harm to music fans with the song.

The rapper, popularly called Olamide, on Tuesday tweeted, “No intentions of promoting tobacco to get people killed. I love my people, I love my country. One love, one Nigeria.”

It named Olamide’s Wo and Wavi Level;  a remix of Davido’s If and 9ice’s Living Thingsas the culprits in a current list of banned songs and music videos that it released to the public.The NBC, on Tuesday,  placed a ban on works by three of Nigeria’s top level music artistes for an alleged violation of its rules and regulations.

Although the commission did not give specific reasons for banning the songs, the decision may have been influenced by a recent reaction from the Federal Ministry of Health to the music video of Olamide’s new song.

Last Friday, in a message posted on Twitter, the ministry kicked against the video of Wo,  released a few days ago and described the content as contravening the Tobacco Control Act of 2015.

The Ministry of Health also noted that the video contained scenes showing youths of different ages openly smoking substances believed to be either cigarettes or narcotics and concluded that such scenes could encourage second-hand smoking among underage children anywhere in the country.

However, this is the third time that the NBC has brought down its hammer on a popular song by Olamide.

The last time was 2016, when two other songs by the rapper were slammed for what the commission described as “obscene and indecent” lyrics.

Also, before the ban on 9ice’s Living Things, the song had been fingered as the subject of a statement by fellow rapper Falz, which urged Nigerian musicians in general to be mindful of the kind of messages that they passed to the public in their songs.

Falz had appeared to be genuinely concerned about the impact of such messages on the youth. He pointed out that artistes who saw nothing wrong about glorifying Internet fraud, drugs and other anti-social behaviour were not doing the society any good.

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Court stops Lagos from enforcing hotel tax law

The Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained the Lagos State Government from enforcing the provisions of its new Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant (Fiscalisation) Regulations 2017.

The law introduced a five per cent consumption tax in addition to a five per cent Value Added Tax on every purchase or service rendered by hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets, event centres, bars and night clubs.

The judge said the law would remain suspended until the final determination of a suit filed against the government by the Registered Trustees of Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos.But in a ruling on March 21, 2018, Justice Rilwan Aikawa restrained the state from further enforcing the law.

The judge also temporarily struck down the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Law Cap H8, Laws of Lagos State 2015.

He particularly restrained the state from enforcing or implementing paragraphs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 of the Lagos State Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant (Fiscalisation) Regulations 2017.

Justice Aikawa stopped the state and its agents from visiting the plaintiffs hotels “for the purpose of installing fiscal electronic device and any other purposes whatsoever in furtherance of the law and the regulations.”

He made the interim order following an ex parte application taken before him by the association of hotel owners in Lagos through their lawyer, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN).

Shasore, who is a former attorney general and justice commissioner in Lagos State, had prayed the court to stop the state and its agents from visiting his clients “between March 1 and March 10, 2018 or any other period before or thereafter,” pending the hearing and determination of his clients’ motion on notice dated March 7, 2018.

Justice Aikawa, after granting the interim restraining orders, adjourned till April 17, 2018 to hear the plaintiffs’ motion on notice.

Joined as defendants in the suit, marked FHC/L/CS/360/2018, are the Attorney General of Lagos State and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

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[BREAKING] Buhari offers repentant Boko Haram members amnesty

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday expressed his readiness to offer amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect that are willing to drop their arms.

Buhari said this at a meeting he had with schoolgirls abducted from their school in Dapchi, Yobe State and were released on Wednesday.

Details later.

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[BREAKING] Buhari meets freed Dapchi girls, parents at Presidential Villa

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting the girls who were abducted from their school in Dapchi, Yobe State. They were released on Wednesday.

The girls’ parents are also attending the meeting holding inside the Press Gallery of the Presidential Villa’s Council Chambers.

Details later….Some top government officials and security chiefs joined Buhari at the meeting, which started at 12.10pm.

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FG confirms release of 76 Dapchi girls

Boko Haram Islamists who kidnapped 110 schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State, just over a month ago have returned 76 of the students to the town, the government said on Wednesday.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed said the release was “unconditional” and the result of “back-channel efforts” with the help of “some friends of the country”, without elaborating.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said last week the government had “chosen negotiation” to secure the return of the Dapchi girls rather than use military force.“The 76 are those who have been documented so far,” he said, adding that they were released at about 3:00 am (0200 GMT) and that a full head-count was under way.

Mohammed said: “For the release to work, the government had a clear understanding that violence and confrontation would not be the way out as it could endanger the lives of the girls, hence a non-violent approach was the preferred option.

“Within the period when the girls were being brought back, (an) operational pause was observed in certain areas to ensure free passage and also that lives were not lost.”

Nigeria’s presidency said separately that the girls were in the custody of the country’s intelligence agency, the Department of State Services.

The Dapchi kidnapping on February 19 brought back painful memories of a similar abduction in Chibok in April 2014, when more than 200 girls were taken.

Aisha Alhaji Deri, a 16-year-old student who was among those kidnapped in Dapchi, told reporters they were not mistreated during their time in captivity

“They brought us back this morning, dropped us outside the motor park and said we should all go home and not go to the military because they will claim to have rescued us.”

Parents earlier told AFP the girls were brought back to Dapchi in nine vehicles at about 8:00 am. Some of the students headed to their homes in surrounding villages.

Bashir Manzo, who heads a parents’ support group in Dapchi, said: “These girls were not accompanied by any security personnel.

“Their abductors brought them, dropped them outside the school and left, without talking to anyone.”

Parents in the remote town said the girls had been taken for medical check-ups after their ordeal and that security was tight in the town

– Ransom payment? –

Boko Haram has used kidnapping as a weapon of war during its nearly nine-year insurgency which has claimed at least 20,000 lives and made more than two million others homeless.

The Islamic State (IS) group affiliate has not claimed responsibility for the abduction but it is understood that a faction headed by Abu Mus’ab al-Barnawi was behind it.

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In August 2015, IS publicly backed Barnawi as leader of Boko Haram, or Islamic State West Africa Province, over Abubakar Shekau, whose supporters carried out the Chibok abduction.

Analysts have attributed a financial motive to the Dapchi kidnapping given government ransom payments made to Boko Haram to secure the release of some of the captives from Chibok.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International claimed that the military ignored repeated warnings about the movements of Boko Haram fighters before the kidnapping.

The military rejected the allegation, calling it an “outright falsehood”.

Similar claims were made about the hours leading up to the Chibok abduction, which brought sustained worldwide attention on the conflict for the first time.

The Chibok abduction also triggered a global campaign for their release, spearheaded by the US former first lady Michelle Obama. There was no similar campaign for the Dapchi girls.

Since May 2016, 107 Chibok girls have escaped, been found or been released as part of a government-brokered deal with the jihadists.

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