YellowStone Media International

President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that the few Nigerians who involve in criminal activities across different countries in the world do not represent the values of majority of the people of Nigeria. He stated this on Thursday in Yokohama, Japan, when he met with leaders of the Nigerian community living in Japan on the sidelines of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7). According to Buhari, “Let me also say that there are few Nigerians in the Diaspora that are giving us a bad name by engaging in criminal activities. These Nigerians are a minority, they do not represent the values of our country, and I plead with them to change their ways,” he said. “We will not condone any crime whether at home or abroad, and we will also not allow these Nigerians define us as a people with reputation for criminality.” He urged Nigerians in Japan to be good ambassadors of their fatherland, saying: “I am personally very happy that there are m

A Point of Sale (PoS) operator was late last Wednesday shot dead by a two-man armed robbery gang at Oke Ogba area of Akure, the Ondo State capital. The incident came in less than 24 hours after a middle-aged worker of a publishing company was kille in a night robbery at the Ajipowo/Ogundipe Estate in Akure. The late POS operator, who was identified as Adetutu, was said to have been shot by one of the two men who went to her shop on a motorcycle, pretending to be customers that came for a business transaction. An eyewitness narrated that the deceased, who was said to have been operating the business in the area for some months, met her untimely death when the two suspected robbers attacked and shot her, and later collected some undisclosed amount of money in her custody.   According to the eye witness, "The woman and her sales girl were in the shop when the bandits came to them on motorcycle and pretended the want to do business with her. As they were t

A Federal High Court in Lagos has discharged and acquitted a former Senior Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, and a banker, Joseph Iwuejo, in a 22-count N1.6 billion fraud matter against them by the EFCC. The court, in a judgment by Justice Mohammed Idris, said he could not convict them because the EFCC failed to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubts. The judge held that the EFCC failed to call key witnesses, including the former president, one Somprei Omeibi, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor and ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who were essential to the proving of the case. Justice Idris said the case of the EFCC was built on suspicion counseling that no conviction can be made no matter how strong solely on suspicion. He held that the EFCC did not conclude an investigation before rushing to the court, thereby living loopholes. EFCC Vows To Appeal Ruling The EFCC

  Ekiti State House of Assembly on Thursday summoned the immediate past Governor of the state, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, to appear before its Committee on Public Accounts over alleged misappropriation of local government funds while in office. Also summoned alongside the former governor are the former chairman of the Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr. Dapo Olagunju; former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Kola Kolade, and all the former 16 local government areas chairmen. The assembly decision was as a result of the adoption of the recommendations of the joint committee of the Assembly on Public Petition and Local Governments that were recently directed to look into a petition submitted to the assembly by eight suspended council chairmen in the state The assembly had in December 2018 suspended the 16 council chairmen while eight were reinstated in July 2019. Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Pub

  Telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, on Thursday launched its ‘super-agent network service’ named ‘MoMo Agent’ to immediately provide safe and accessible money transfer services to both the under-banked and unbanked people across the country. The service, which is being operated through its subsidiary arm,   Y’ello Digital Financial Services (YDFS), seeks to bridge the existing gaps in mobile financial operations in the country. Speaking at a media briefing sequel to the product launch in Abuja, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, said: “I am excited by the possibilities. We are fortunate to be part of the telecoms industry which underpins the digital economy, and is critical to inclusive development and the future economic growth of this great country. “The launch of the YDFS MoMo Agent is especially significant to us. It further demonstrates our commitment to remain focused in enhancing Nigerian’s access to financial services, a

Sunday Okobi The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that the 200 beneficiaries of the Ogun State Fadama 3 Graduate Unemployed Youths Scheme (Fadama Guys) would be given automatic slots to be the first set of farmers that would derive grants from the state Anchor Borrowers Programme launched last Monday in the state. The governor, who made this known at the official flag-off ceremony for Fadama Graduate Unemployed Youths Scheme (Fadama Guys) at the governor’s office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, said the Fadama Guys was a particularly unique programme targeting two main vulnerable groups-women and youths-of the population. He observed that agriculture is becoming an antidote to the twin problem of poverty and insecurity in the country, adding that a gainfully employed citizenry would contribute in no small measure to the socioeconomic development of the state and the country. Accordingly, Abiodun plans to put 40,000 youths on the Anchor Borrower

The reported silence of the abductors of the younger sister of the wife of the Delta State Governor, Dame Edith Okowa, who was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Asaba, the state capital. The lady, whose name was given as Elizabeth, was allegedly abducted by a five-man gang while driving an SUV on Anwai Road, about 200 metres from the Government House gate in Asaba. Although, the security agencies had swung into action with intensified search for the victim, no word yet from the abductors on why she was taken away to an unknown destination days after her abduction. The abductors were said to be heavily armed as they were said to have shot sporadically into the air to scare off  passersby as the whisked their victim away in a waiting car. It has been mute at the security and government quarters since the incident, which was meant to help the efforts by the security operatives to ensure that the victim is released unhurt. The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke, would n

  The Anambra State Police Command has disclosed that it has arrested suspected armed robbers who specialised in car snatching in the state and Delta State with 150 phones. A statement issued by the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, said over 150 mobile handsets reasonably suspected to have been stolen from different victims were recovered from the criminal suspects. Mohammed said the suspects were nabbed by Puff Adder operatives in conjunction with police detectives attached to Aguata Division of the command following a credible intelligence report. He gave the names of the   suspects as Anyingor Arinze   of Otueke, Asaba, Delta State; Chinedu Nweke of Mbekwe Estate, Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra   State, and Ebuka Christian Eziamaka of Ire village, Obosi, also in Idemili North LGA. Mohammed said the suspects were part of the gang allegedly involved in series of armed robbery/carjacking in Anambra Stat

  The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Plateau State, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has urged the leader of RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore, and Nigerian youths to seek moral and character revolution rather than pursuing a chaotic political revolution.   Speaking at the 17 General Assembly of the Catholic Church in Jos with the theme: 'Evaluation of the Youth Apostolate', the cleric explained that Nigeria is in dire need of moral revolution that would position it for greatness as opposed to calls for wrong-headed violent-prone revolution. He maintained that such moral revolution must start from the family, educational institutions and other social circles for proper remodeling of the Nigerian youths. Kaigama charge came as Sowore continues to remain in incarceration as an Abuja court refused to review his detention. The cleric said: "When I overheard some people talking about a ‘revolution’ in Nigeria,   I said to myself that any such

The Chief Risk Officer of the Bank of Industry (BoI), Dr. Ezekiel Oseni, on Thursday said the federal government would not write-off the loan given to members of the Master Bakers Association of Nigeria (MBAN) under the N3.4 billion Cassava Bread Intervention Fund. Speaking at a meeting in Abuja with members of the MBAN, he lamented that the objectives of the federal government for cassava bread production was being threatened due to the high non-repayment rate of the loans given to members. The fund was created as part of the transformation policy in the agribusiness sector. According to him, about 94 per cent of the loans collected by high-quality cassava flour processors had not been repaid while 86 per cent of loans collected by master bakers were still outstanding. The master bakers group had made an appeal for loans it secured from the bank to be written off. But, Oseni described their request as unrealistic in the light of current economic re

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Agency Taskforce has commenced a clampdown on illegal commercial motorcycle operators plying restricted routes and inner streets across the state. The Chairman of the agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, disclosed that the clampdown which started on Thursday had 125 motorcycles impounded for flouting traffic regulations around Ejigbo and Cele area of the Oshodi/Apapa expressway. He stated that the agency was compelled to embark on the crackdown due to complaints from the public on criminal activities perpetrated by the illegal commercial motorcycle operators in the early hours of the day and late at night. According to him, "We are going to make sure that there is total compliance with the Lagos traffic regulations by all commercial motorcycle operators in all our local government areas as well as the Local Council Development Areas and those operating within the streets.   “In accor

It’s taken just a day for the Nigerian Government to respond to the US President Donald Trump administration’s latest visa clampdown measure on Nigerians. Nigeria has reduced visa fees for Americans traveling to Nigeria from $180 to $150 in response to the US embassy’s introduction of a “reciprocity fee” for Nigerians. The US embassy claims the new reciprocity fee, ranging from $80 to $303 and only to be paid for approved visas has been introduced to “eliminate that cost difference” between visa application fees for both countries. The move was in line with a Trump executive order in 2017 for the US secretary of State to, among other things, adjust fee schedules “to match the treatment of United States nationals” by other countries. The US embassy claimed it has been in talks with Nigerian authorities for 18 months to align visa fees. For its part, Nigeria’s government says the decision to lower visa fees for American applicants was taken months ago but was not im

The Director-General (DG) of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Maihajja, yesterday disclosed that the agency has received another batch of 153 stranded Nigerians from Libya. A statement made available to journalists on Wednesday disclosed that the DG was represented by Mr. Slaku Lugard when they received the returnees at the Muritala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) Lagos upon their arrival from Libya. It added also that the returnees were brought back into the country on Al Buraq Air with flight number UZ 189 and registration number 5A-DMG Boeing 737-8GK. According to the statement, "The breakdown of the returnees during registration showed that adult females were 59; female children four; female infants 7; adult male 78; male children three, and male infants two.   “The returnees were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) with assistance from the European Union (EU). Other agencies

Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Danmallam Mohammed, on Wednesday said his men are on the trail of the criminals who kidnapped the Chief Medical Director of Irrua Specialist Hospital, Prof. Sylvanus Okigbeni, which led to the death of two policemen. This is coming as the abductors are yet to make contact with the family since the incident happened last Monday. Mohammed, who stated this after a closed-door security meeting, confirmed that two gallant policemen were lost during the kidnap of the CMD which took place at Ramat Park on his way to Benin Airport last Monday for a meeting in Abuja. "The kidnap of CMD is quite unfortunate and sad. We lost two of our gallant police officers in the incident but there were no civilian casualties. I am assuring members of the public that we are on the trail of the kidnappers, and by God's grace, we shall arrest them. "Investigation is already ongoing, but the strategy will not be revealed for securi

Sunday Okobi Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has signed the state Security Trust Fund and the Ogun State Road Maintenance Agency (OGROMA) bill, which was passed by the State House of Assembly, into law. A statement issued and made available to Yellowstone Media by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Kunle Somorin, on Wednesday disclosed that the bill was signed by the governor after it was presented to him by the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, at the governor's office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. Also, the governor has also signed into law the Ogun State Road Maintenance Agency (Amendment) 2019, passed by the state assembly. Abiodun, the statement added, had last weekend inaugurated the committee for the Trust Fund headed by Mr. Bolaji Balogun to source for money for the acquisition and deployment of security equipment, human materials and financial resources that would be necessary to prevent crime and preserve pu

  Airtel Africa, a major telecommunications services provider with operations in 14 countries across Africa, yesterday announced that it has crossed the 100 million customers mark across its operations. Airtel Africa is now the second-largest mobile operator in Africa by number of active subscribers. Similarly, Airtel Nigeria, which had remained the third largest telecoms operator in the country by subscriber number for so long a time, moved one step up to become the second largest telecoms operator in Nigeria, according to the industry statistics released on Wednesday by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator. According to the statistics obtained from NCC's website, Airtel's subscriber number reached 46.8 million with a teledensity of 26.8 per cent to become the second-largest telecoms operator as at August 2019, while Globacom recorded 46.7 million subscribers with a teledensity of 26.7 per cent for the same peri

  Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has stated that the establishment of State Police would go a long way in resolving the current security challenges facing the country. He posited that the present security structure makes it difficult for the Federal Police to respond quickly to security challenges. Wike stated this on Wednesday when he granted audience to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Ms. Callamard Agnes, at the Government House in Port Harcourt. According to the governor, "We believe that there should be a State Police for us to effectively fight crime in the country. Our system is fashioned towards the United States which has federal, state and local police. Each of them has its responsibilities. "In the present situation, if a crime is committed, the Commissioner of Police will first report to the Inspector General of Police (IG) before taking any action.” Wike told the UN delegation that the