YellowStone Media International

The Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) has debunked claims by the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that previous administrations in the state did not issue a White Paper on the Justice Rahila Cudjoe Commission of Inquiry on the 1992 Zangon Kataf crisis and the AVM Muazu Reconciliation Committee Reports of 1995. The state government had in a statement on June 29, 2020, through spokesman to El-Rurai, Muyiwa Adekeye, announced the setting up of the committee, saying: “The State Executive Council has resolved to find a permanent solution to the perennial crises that keep erupting in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area.” The committee was set up following recent clashes in Zangon Kataf and Kauru Local Government Areas on June 11, 2020, leading to killings and destructions. ‘”No White Paper was drafted or adopted by the Dabo Lere administration that established the Justice Cudjoe Commission and the Col. Lawal Jafar Isa government that appointed the AVM Muazu Rec

As religious centres reopen on Friday in Ekiti State after three and half months due to COVID-19, the government has directed all religious centres ready to resume service to acquire certificates of fitness before commencing worshipping. The state government said religious centres with coronavirus prevention facilities would only be allowed to resume activities, while certificates of compliance must be received from the ministry to authenticate their readiness to reopen. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Ekiti State chapter has suspended the reopening of all major mosques across the state. The state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had recently announced that all churches and mosques in the state can commence service on July 17 after the nationwide lockdown barring religious activities which was announced on March 29. The state Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Gbenga Agbeyo, who said this in Ado Ekiti yesterday, insisted that no religio

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, and the family of the 23-year-old first female combat helicopter pilot, late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, have called for the investigation into the cause of her death. Afenifere in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, has therefore canvassed for a coroner inquest into the death of the Air Force officer. Afenifere, in the one-page statement stated inter alia: "One of Nigerian finest eggs has yet again been sucked with the death of flying officer Arotile on the road in Kaduna last Tuesday. Unofficial accounts said she just returned from a combat operation before she was knocked down to death. "We, therefore, do not accept that her death was an accident until the report of a coroner says how she died and how a supposed attempt to stop and greet could come with a death impact. “We say this against what is known of the infiltration of the forces by sympathizers and agents of Boko H

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday decried what he called ‘little progress’ being made in the power sector despite huge investments, saying the current state of electricity supply in the country is apparently hampering industrialisation and national development. Gbajabiamila stated this at the opening of the investigative hearing on the activities of the power sector by the House Ad-hoc Committee on Power Sector. In May this year, the House had resolved to review extant laws and regulations guiding the power sector reform, which led to the inauguration of an ad-hoc committee on power sector reforms by the Speaker. Gbajabiamila said it is becoming increasingly worrisome that successive governments have been unable to fix the issue of power in the country, and that it is dampening the hopes of landmark industrialisation and national development. He said the investigative hearing is the premise upon which the House of Repre

The Senate on Wednesday gave the assurance that the 2010 Electoral Act Amendment Bill before it would be passed before the end of 2020. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kabir Gaya, who made this known, said the Senate has gone far in the task of amending the Electoral Act. According to him, the committee had shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic held interactive workshop with stakeholders, and will soon hold a public hearing on the issue before the presentation of the report to the Senate at plenary later in the year. He said: "Few months before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had a retreat in Lagos with INEC commissioners; the commission chairman and other international stakeholders came also to contribute to the process, and all members had a draft of the Electoral Act amendment which we discussed. "We also invited INEC to give us their input based on their experience in the last few elections and the problem they had wi

The House of Representatives on Wednesday said it would step up its oversight functions as well as work effectively with the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) to ensure a comprehensive implementation of the Correctional Act, 2019, geared towards addressing the challenges confronting the service. The Chairman, House Committee on Reformatory Institutions, Hon. Anayo Edwin, made this known while declaring open a three-day retreat for members of the Committee in Abuja, saying the improvement of NCS is crucial to character reformation and nation-building. He said though the Correctional Act 2019 is designed to address the challenges confronting the NCS, there is need for all the stakeholders, including the federal and state governments, the private sector and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), to work together towards improving the NCS. The lawmaker lamented that the various correctional centres across the country are in a deplorable state, with facilities overstretched,

The Chinese Government has described the decision by Nigerians to institute a law suit against it to seek compensation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as shoddy, saying it has zero basis in law or international precedence. The reaction of the Chinese Government may not be unconnected with media reports that “Nigerians have dragged China to court to seek compensation over the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Chinese Mission in Abuja stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday, where it said China, like other countries, was a victim of the virus. It said despite being confronted by an unknown virus, China has acted responsibly to protect people’s life and health as well as safeguard global public health. The mission said: "The attempt to file frivolous lawsuits is a shoddy one, as it has zero basis in fact, law or international precedence. "Some people are clamoring for the so-called accountability and compensation from a victim of COVID-19, and they are fabricat

The Adamawa State Government has stated that August 4, 2020, is the resumption date for students in Primary Six, Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), who will write their terminal examinations. This is contained in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital, Mrs. Wilbina Jackson, and made available to journalists on Wednesday in Yola. Jackson said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, “the ministry wishes to inform parents and relevant stakeholders that education must strive under all conditions. “The state Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has directed that the resumption date for the 2019/2020 academic session in the state for the existing students in Primary Six, JSS3 and SSS3 is August 4, 2020. “Subsequently, resumption is to be observed strictly within the necessary COVID-19 preventive guidelines as outlined by the NCDC.” She listed the guidelines to include frequent and proper hand washing with soap or rubbin

The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, on Wednesday inaugurated the 13th Zonal Command of the Nigeria Police Force in Ukpo, Dunukofia council area of Anambra State. The zonal command will be in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States. Speaking at the inauguration, Adamu, who was represented by DIG Celestine Okoye, said the new zonal command was an addition to strengthening the existing security in the South-east zone. He poured encomiums on a businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, saying he has not only supported the police in actualising the project, but also worked with the people of Ukpo community to provide and renovate the temporary operational base. According to the IG, "Though there were contestations about the supposed location of the zonal command, Ukpo met every requirement as it is also within the state capital. "The AIG to head this zonal command, Mohammed Danmallam, was selected after a painstaking search, and I assure you th

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has vowed that criminal elements terrorising the Northeast and North-west regions in the country must be defeated by the troops, as they have neither training nor the weapons which the Nigerian army have. Speaking on Wednesday at the graduation of 1,142 soldiers from Special Forces training at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI) in Jaji, Kaduna State, Buratai said the bandits and terrorists must be defeated because “they don’t have the training and weapons that we have.” He charged troops to put in their best and make use of the skills acquired during the training to tackle bandits, insurgents and other criminal elements in the their various units in the troubled regions. According to the COAS, "You must go out there to defeat the criminals. They don't have the training we have. They don't have the weapons we have. "You may also find yourselves doing covert and overt operations, but more of covert. Th

The Board of Ekiti State Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps has commenced recruitment of personnel for the security network in the state. Following the passage of the state Security Network Bill by the state House of Assembly, the state Governor, Kayode Fayemi, had in March signed into law the bill backing the establishment of the network aimed at ending the scourge of kidnappings, killings, marauding herders’ activities and other heinous crimes in the state. Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Wednesday, the Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig- General Joe Komolafe(rtd), urged qualified persons in the state between the ages of 18 and 60 with the minimum qualifications of Primary School leaving certificate to apply online. He said each applicant would be required to get a letter from their traditional rulers affirming their indigeneship of the community and character, revealing that people with questionable behaviours would not be part of the

The Ogun State Government on Sunday vowed to demolish structures obstructing waterways in order to prevent recurrence of flooding in the state. It also promised to continue dredging the rivers in the state to give way for free flow of water. The state Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abudu -Balogun, stated this during the inspection of areas and places affected by the flood which also ravaged Abeokuta, the state capital, last Saturday. Inspecting the affected areas, Abudu-Balogun, in company with the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Tunji Odunlami, attributed human activities such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse on water ways as one of the factors responsible for the flooding. Areas visited by the state government team included Ijeja, Amolaso, Isale-Igbein, Ori-Omi, Sokori, among others. "As a government, we are going to take a decisive step to ensure that residents comply with environmental laws. We are happy that no life

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed the Vice Chairman of the Benue State Action Committee on COVID-19, who was also the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) of the Benue State University(BSU), Prof. Godwin Achinge. Achinge, it was gathered, died on Sunday afternoon at an undisclosed hospital in Jos, Plateau State, due to complications arising from the virus. A member of the Benue State Action committee on COVID-19, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the death of the professor yesterday by telephone. He said: “Yes, we lost Professor Achinge, the vice chairman of the state action committee on COVID-19 this (yesterday) afternoon.” When journalists spoke to the state Commissioner for Information and member of the state action committee on COVID-19, Mrs. Ngunan Addingi, she said she was yet to confirm the report from the chairman of the committee on COVID-19, who is the state Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu. The state Governor, Samuel Ortom, had last Saturday named Prof. Achin

The Chairman of Delta State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Goodluck Ofobruku, has reportedly been abducted by unidentified gunmen near Asaba, the state capital. Ofobruku was said to have been abducted while driving on the Ibusa axis of the Asaba-Ogwashiuku-Ughelli Road last Saturday night near Asaba. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa, while confirming the kidnap of Ofobruku on Sunday in Asaba, disclosed that the state police command has already spread its dragnet in an effort to rescue the victim unhurt and possibly apprehend the criminals. Rescue efforts by the police included the combing of the bushes in the area and security surveillance across Asaba/Kwale/Ughelli axis, Inuwa added. The NLC state chairman was reportedly kidnapped last Saturday night by unknown gunmen who intercepted his official Toyota Sienna van with registration number: 'NLC 01' along the Ibusa Road portion of the Asaba-Ughelli road. The state labour leader was

A 70-year-old tailor, Mohammed Sani, has been arrested for allegedly raping a nine-year-old girl in Minna, the Niger State capital. The incident took place at the Kasuwan Dare area of the state capital. According to police report, the suspect lured the girl to his shop for a gift, when she arrived at the shop, it was gathered that Sani allegedly dragged the girl into the inner part of the shop where he had carnal knowledge of her. However, the cry from the girl attracted people to the scene of the incident, which led to the arrest of Sani. Sani has already confessed to committing the crime, blaming it on the devil. According to him, "I can't say how it happened, all I know is that I took her into the inner shop and had sex with her. It is the work of the devil," Sani confessed at the state police headquarters where he was paraded before journalists. He, however, did not plead for leniency. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, co

Major Nigerian carrier, Arik Air, has announced that it would resume domestic flights on July 8, 2020. The airline said it would resume flight service following the federal government decision to re-open Lagos and Abuja airports for flight operations. The airline said it would be operating three times daily from Lagos to Abuja in the first phase of the restart, while Port Harcourt would be added to the schedule from July 11, 2020, when the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, would reopen for operations. “Passengers have been assured of their safety and well-being at every stage of their flight as the airline has put various measures in place in line with COVID-19 health protocols as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Federal Government of Nigeria. “Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport three hours before scheduled departure time so as to have ample time to undergo all security and health

The House of Representatives will tomorrow commence investigative hearing on 24 commercial and non-commercial banks as well as 14 international oil companies (IOCs) over an alleged loss of over $30 billion revenue annually due to leakages. The investigative hearing which would be conducted in strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols would be in phases. The House joint Committees on Finance and Banking and Currency, which is chaired by Hon. James Faleke and Hon. Victor Nwokolo, will grill officials of the banks and the IOCs during the investigative hearing, with the first phase of the hearing spanning three weeks. The mandate of the joint committee is to determine in a statutory and professional manner the revenue amount involved in the malpractices by each organisation based on every revenue line item collectible by the government agencies for the purpose of timely recovery into the government accounts. The oil companies include Nigeria Agip Exploration (NAE); Nig

Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Philip Maku, has disclosed that the five persons declared missing over the Erel palm plantations communal crisis between Ekoli Edda Afikpo South in Ebonyi State and Biasie Local Government Area in Cross River State have not been found. Briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the new police commissioner noted that the state police command was not relenting in unraveling their disappearances. According to him, "We are on top of the matter, and hopeful, their disappearances will be unraveled. We are also relying on those in the Cross River State axis for any useful information, but since we have not seen any of their dead bodies, we believe they are still alive. "The National Boundary Commission should come here and do a proper demarcation of the disputed area and other disputed areas across the state." Maku further stressed on the cooperation from the people through community policing, noting that the communities have a vita

The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, to immediately order the arrest and prosecution of criminals behind the killing of a farmer in Amankpunato Autonomous Community in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State. Okechukwu, who represents Aninri/Agwu/Oji-River federal constituency, Enugu, made this known in a statement on Wednesday while conveying his condolences to the bereaved family and the Amankpunato community over the sad loss. He said bringing the killers to book would serve as a deterrent to other criminal elements in the country. The lawmaker, while calling on the president to deploy more resources to the Nigeria Police to help build its capacity to protect lives and property efficiently, equally urged him to lend his political weight to the Bill for the Establishment of State Police. He said: “While I commend the Enug

Following on Wednesday morning attack on Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, Kogi State, the Joint Action Congress of Health Workers (JAC) has disclosed that it has totally withdrawn services across board till further notice. The Congress, therefore, directed the medical workers to stay at home until further notice. This was contained in a communique issued by the Joint Action Congress meeting in Lokoja yesterday shortly after the attack by protesters, a copy of which was made available to journalists. JAC explained that the decision was premised on the fact that “there was an attack on our lives and property this morning (yesterday) by unknown hoodlums.” “Some equipment like infrared thermometers, laptops, ATM cards, car keys and two motorcycles, which are vital in providing care, were carted away by the hoodlums. There was obvious vandalisation of our administrative block.” The JAC noted also that members would not return to office until there is security of lives and prope

Kidnappers have released 14 abducted persons in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja and Ondo State after parting with undisclosed ransom for their freedom. Six of the seven persons abducted in Pegi community in the Kuje Area Council of the FCT on June 24, 2020, have been released by the hoodlums who kidnapped them. It is believed that they regained their freedom after relatives paid some unspecified amount as ransom to the kidnappers. The Chairman of the Pegi Community Development Association, Isaac Taiwo Aderibigbe, confirmed that they were released on Wednesday. He also disclosed that the seventh victim also escaped from his abductors. It is recalled that seven persons were kidnapped at the notorious 'Bush path', the road linking Pegi and Kuje, last week by some criminals who ambushed their victims while they were returning from work. The incident prompted the deployment of police to the scene following the alarm raised by the community. Pegi also made the

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday condemned the attack on Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, Kogi State, by gunmen, who invaded the facility, destroyed and carted away documents and equipment used for data collection and management of COVID-19 in the state. The party expressed shock over the violent attack, especially given allegations in the public circle that the gunmen were sponsored by the Kogi State Government, which was earlier alleged to have ordered Kogi people not to visit the medical centre for their medications, following its reported disagreement with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on the state COVID-19 status. PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, insisted that such attack on a medical facility cannot be justified under any guise whatsoever. According to PDP, “It is however revealing that the gunmen shot their way into the medical centre at the time the staffers were getting ready f

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Port Harcourt zonal office, has arraigned one Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley, popularly known as Jeff Sikora, a self-styled President/Chief Executive Officer of United States-based Prime Trust Credit Union Bank, before Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, impersonation, forgery, possession of proceeds and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of $8, 502,000. The offence contravenes Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act. One of the counts read: “That you, Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley (aka Jeff Sikora), on or about December 28, 2019, in Umuahia, Abia State, within the jurisdiction of this court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of $6, 500,000.00 through web transfer from one Mr. Selah Elnagar Ali Ahmed, a citizen of Egypt, with

The Senate on Wednesday summoned the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emeifele; acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Melee Kyari, to appear before it over revenue lost annually to tax evasion and money laundering activities in the country. This was sequel to the adoption of a motion entitled: ‘The need to review the domestic framework against illicit financial flows and to consider the creation of a tax amnesty for the voluntary repatriation of funds to Nigeria’, which was sponsored by Senator Gershom Bassey. Also invited are Heads of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC); Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU); the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), among other relevant institutions, which are expected to bri

The federal government has evacuated 172 stranded Nigerians from Uganda. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) disclosed this on Wednesday through its verified Twitter handle, saying some of the evacuees would disembark in Abuja, while others would proceed to Lagos. The commission twitted: "172 evacuees from Uganda and Nairobi arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 10:20 a.m. local time via @flyairpeace Flight B777-200 from Nairobi today, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. "Some of the Evacuees will disembark in Abuja while others will proceed to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. "The exercise was put together by our Mission in Nairobi, Kenya, in collaboration with the Mission in Kampala, Uganda." The commission stressed that all evacuees tested negative to COVID-19, and would proceed on 14 days self-isolation as mandated by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Following his apprehension, a rape suspect, Adeniyi Ajayi, 27, also known as Ogologo, has appealed to the police to kill him rather than charging him to court for justice. The suspect, who the police described as an ex-convict, was arrested on Wednesday, by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command. He was also said to be notorious for robbery and gangsterism. In his confessional statement, while answering questions from journalists when he was paraded alongside 70 others at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja, Ajayi said he opted to be killed by the police out of fears of coming back worse if remanded at the correctional centre. He revealed that he operated as a one-man squad, and his previous experience at the correctional centre made him move from pickpocketing to armed robbery. According to him, "I don't want to go back to the correctional centre because I will come back worse. I rob people at night alone. I operate

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has revealed that no life was lost, as it successfully put out the fire that occurred at the popular Abule Market in Ajao Estate area of the state. According to an eyewitness account, the fire, which destroyed not less than four shops and goods worth billions of naira, started in one of the lock-up shops in a small shopping mall located just before the main market, before extending to the main market at about 1 a.m. yesterday. The fire was further attributed to an electrical power surge suspected to have sparked off the fire that eventually razed some parts of the market before it was brought under control through combined efforts of the LASEMA fire unit, state and Federal Fire Services, preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings. In a statement issued by the spokesperson to the agency, Nosa Okunbor, he said: "In the battle to salvage the situation and quickly curtail the fire outbreak at the Ajao Estate market, t