Nigeria Win Second Medal At Tokyo 2020

 

Blessing Oborududu settled for a silver medal after losing to the United States Tamyra Marianna by 4-1 in the final of the 68kg category.

Summary of Oborududu's loss

The 32-year-old managed to score one technical point but Marianna was the more dominant personality using her strength.

Blessing Oborududu lost out to United States' Tamyra Marianna in the women's 87kg freestyle wrestling Photo by Tom Pennington and Hannah Peters

The U.S. contingent rolled her Nigerian counterpart giving her four points in the keenly contested affair.

CanIn the build-up to the gold medal match, Oborududu defeated Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan in the preliminary round.And after three minutes, the American celebrated as she emerged winner of the all-important gold medal in women's wrestling.

Blessing Oburudu has written her name in the history books of the wrestling competition in the Olympics. Photo by Tom Pennington

Theme breezed past Azerbijan's Manolova in the quarter-finals and her victory in the semis was also a mare formality against Mongolia's Battsetseg Soronzonbold.

Before the Tokyo 2020 Games, Nigerian has never won a medal in Olympic wrestling and Oburuddu's feat will go down in history as the most successful in the country.

Meanwhile. Ese Brume has dedicated her medal to Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide popularly known as Winners' Chapel, Vanguard, Daily Post.It is the first time Nigeria will be having a medal at the Olympics in wrestling and it took Oborududu her third attempt at the global event.

The Delta state born athlete made the third-best jump in the final round of the women's long jump event as she leapt 6.97meters.

The 25-year-old finished behind United States' Britney Reese who won silver and Germany’s Malaika Mihambo who took home gold.

Imo governor recalls sacked attorney-general

 

The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, has recalled his sacked Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Cyprian Akaolisa.

Recall that Uzodinma had on May 12, sacked Akaolisa and 19 other Commissioners, leaving eight other Commissioners.

Uzodinma on Monday made a volte-face, announcing that he never sacked Akaolisa, who is currently slammed with a five-year ban from practising as a lawyer by Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.

The state Commissioner for information and strategy, Declan Emelumba, said that the governor never sacked Akaolisa as the Chief law officer of the state.

The statement read, “the Imo state government wishes to acknowledge that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Barr C O C Akaolisa, was never among the commissioners dropped when the executive Council was dissolved a few weeks ago.

“This error which occurred when I was announcing the commissioners retained by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Imo State, Sen Hope Uzodimma, is highly regretted. I accept responsibility for this error.

“Consequently, the government has directed that the Hon Attorney General and commissioner for justice, Barr C.O C Akaolisa should immediately resume his normal duties as he was never dropped from the state cabinet.”

Speaking to newsmen on Akaolisa’s ban by LPDC, the information Commissioner said that the state government would respond after the channels of appeal on the ban had been exhausted.

Emelumba said, “Our laws are clear on this. An accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The ban had been appealed and the Imo State Government would take a position on it after the channels of appeal on the matter have exhausted.”

UAE lifts ban on transit flights from Nigeria, India

The United Arab Emirates will on Thursday lift a ban on transit flights including from Nigeria and India, the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) said on Tuesday.

India and Pakistan are important markets for Emirates, Etihad Airways and other UAE carriers flydubai and Air Arabia.

The Gulf state, a major international travel hub, had banned passengers from many South Asian and African states travelling through its airports this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

NCEMA said on Twitter that passengers travelling from countries where flights had been banned would be able to transit through its airports from Aug. 5 as long as they present a negative PCR coronavirus test taken 72 hours prior to departure.

Final destination approval would also have to be provided, the authority said, adding that UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.

The transit ban had also included Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Nigeria.

Dubai state carrier Emirates welcomed the government’s decision to allow travel to resume from the affected countries. There was no immediate comment from other UAE airlines on the announcement, which also eased an entry ban on residents returning from countries where flights had been suspended.

NCEMA said a ban on entry to the UAE for passengers from these countries would also be lifted for those with valid residencies and who are certified by Emirati authorities as fully vaccinated.

However, they would need to apply for online entry permits prior to travelling and would need to present a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure.

Those working in the medical, educational or government sectors in the Gulf Arab state as well as those studying or completing medical treatment in the UAE would be exempt from the vaccination requirement as would humanitarian cases.

Court remands man for ‘rape’ of 14-year old girl

 

File Photo

 Oyo State Family Court sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan on Monday remanded Basiru Ajadi, 60, at Abolongo Correctional facility for alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl.

 Basiru of Aba Alade area, Olorunsogo, Ibadan, was charged on a count of having unlawful carnal knowledge of a minor.

The Chief Magistrate, S.H. Adebisi, who did not take the plea of the defendant due to lack of jurisdiction, remanded Basiru at Abolongo Correctional facility, Oyo Town.

Adebisi said the defendant should be remanded pending the outcome of the case file at Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

He adjourned the matter until Aug. 30, for mention.

According to the Prosecutor, Insp Gbemisola Adedeji, the defendant on July 28, at about 7: 00 p.m., allegedly had unlawful sexual intercourse with the 14-year-old girl.

Adedeji said the victim was a neighbour’s child and was lured by Basiru before he allegedly raped her.

She said the offence was contrary to Section 34 of the Oyo State Child Right Law 2006.

Nigerian Police Name Suspected Top Financier of IPOB/ESN

 

A man suspected to be a financier of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) has been arrested by the police in Imo state.

The Imo state police command disclosed that the suspect, Boniface Okeke, and 25 members of the group were arrested Sunday, August 1, at a hotel in the Orlu area of Imo state.

Revealed: Nigerian Police Name Suspected Top Financier of IPOB/ESN

According to the commissioner of police, Abutu Yaro, the suspects were held in connection with terrorism and attacks on security agencies and individuals.

The police disclosed that the arrests were made possible through the assistance of one Emmanuel Nnaji, 15, who was apprehended after the recent attack on Omuma and Njaba police stations.He said Okeke, 57, confessed to having funded IPOB and ESN operations in the state to the tune of N10,000,000 while he was outside the country.

The command said:

“On interrogation by the command’s tactical teams, the suspect gave a vivid description of a hotel located in Orlu as where they, the bandits, stayed and planned before they executed their dastardly act on the police stations.''

The police stated that some of the items recovered from the suspects include, one AK47, Pump Action, double-barrel, ammunition, hemp, Biafran flag, army camouflage, and Biafran insignia.

Okechukwu in a statement on Sunday, August 1, warned that IPOB's planned lockdown every Monday of the week will have a negative effect on the southeast zone.

Meanwhile, the director-general of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has described the threat by the IPOB to impose a weekly lockdown on the southeast zone as waging atrocious war against Ndigbo.

He argued that such a decision which will not deliver meaningful results for the region.

Suspected Kidnappers Shot Dead in Taraba, Benue Victim Safely Rescued

Vigilantes have reportedly killed two suspected kidnappers while collecting ransom in Sabongida town in Gassol local government area of Taraba state.

The vigilantes also rescued an elderly man identified as Alhaji Gambo who was abducted by the kidnappers.

Photo credit: Taraba state  Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku

The suspected kidnappers had allegedly instructed the family of their victim to bring the ransom money to a location.

The vigilantes in the area were subsequently informed and they went to the location to lay an ambush.

The vigilantes subsequently rescued the elderly man who was reportedly brought to the scene.The armed kidnappers arrived at the said location, unknown to them that the vigilantes were around and two of them were said to have been gunned down while picking the money.

The spokesperson of the police command in the state, ASP Abdullahi Usman, confirmed the killing of the kidnappers.

He, however, did not go into details of the incident.

Our source in the area confirmed that the late kidnappers had killed many people in Taraba.

In a related development, three kidnappers were shot dead on Monday, August 2, during an operation by the police to rescue the wife of Benue commissioner for land and survey, Ann Unenge.

The security team that rescued the commissioner's wife were men of the police elite squad Operation Zenda in Benue state.Unenge was successfully rescued by the police and taken to the police headquarters of the Benue state police command.

A data analyst and journalist, Rotimi Sankore, has given reasons why Nigerian governments at all levels are failing to address the mounting insecurity in the country.

Sankore was reacting to calls by President Buhari urging the US to relocate its Africa command headquarters from Germany to the African continent.

Sankore, the host of the popular radio show, Public Square Nigeria on 99.3 Nigeria Info FM, listed five major reasons why the authorities are failing to nip the crisis in the bud.

Corruption: Stop Offering Us Bribes, Police, FRSC Tell Nigerians

 

TThe Police and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Tuesday urged Nigerians to stop offering their officers any bribe and urged  public t to report any officer who demands a bribe.

The two agencies were among participants at a one-day virtual stakeholder dialogue on “effective and sustainable strategies for curbing retail corruption” organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC).

PACAC Executive Secretary Prof Sadiq Radda said citizens have a critical role to play in ending petty (retail) corruption, most of which occur in form of bribery.

He believes retail corruption can be reduced when citizens are law-abiding and comply with the rules, and when institutions play their roles effectively.

“Cutting corners is why we have retail corruption. There are processes for getting things done. We should have respect for process and procedures,” he said.

Radda called for the deployment of technology to automate the processes that are prone to abuse.

He added that government agencies have a duty to provide quality and efficient service delivery to achieve a system where average Nigerians would not need to cut corners or get frustrated.

A Deputy Commissioner of Police, Olaolu Adegbite, of the Force Intelligence Bureau, urged Nigerians to report infractions by officers and men to the X-Squad, the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit and the Police Complaint Response Unit (PCRU).

“The X-Squad monitors unethical conduct. Citizens can approach the squad with information.

“The IG Monitoring Unit also conducts sting operations and arrests officers in the field and makes recoveries. Citizens must provide support through evidence.

“CITIZENS SHOULD STOP THE ACT OF OFFERING BRIBE AND GRATIFICATION, WHICH IS A CRIME UNDER THE CRIMINAL CODE,” HE SAID.

A senior FRSC official, Ntukidem Godwin, said the Corps has deployed technology through body cameras to monitor officers’ field activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that there are plans to replicate it in other states.

He said Nigerians who comply with traffic rules do not have a reason to offer a bribe to road safety officers.

“DON’T COMMIT TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS AND DON’T OFFER OUR OFFICERS BRIBE. DON’T TEMPT US WITH BRIBE SO THAT WE CAN LET YOU GO,” HE SAID. 

Source: NAN. 

Insecurity: Gov Ortom Backs Kukah, Accuses FG of Intimidating Nigerians Over Situation in the Country

 Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has accused the presidency of politicising the views expressed by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah on the situation in the country.

The presidency recently faulted Kukah for alleging that President Muhammadu Buhari was showing preference to people of his religion.

Gov Ortom.

However, Governor Ortom in a statement on Saturday, July 24, issued by his spokesman, Terver Akase, accused the federal government of intimidating Nigerians expressing concerns over the worsening security and economic situation in the country.

He said the presidential aides were launching media attacks on a clergyman who is only advocating peace and is drawing the attention of the global community to the plight of helpless Nigerians.  

According to Channels TV, Ortom said Kukah should not victimise for addressing a foreign audience on the security situation in the country because he is not the first to do so.

Ortom asked the federal government to arrest and prosecute members of armed Fulani groups for killing innocent Nigerians.

He urged the presidency to listen to the voices of reason and resist the temptation to whip into silence those who genuinely love the country.

Meanwhile, Bello Matawalle, the governor of Zamfara state, has expressed confidence in the assurances made by President Muhammadu Buhari to end insecurity in the northern parts of the country.

He appealed to leaders to rub minds toward finding solutions and developmental path of progress of the nation.According to VON, Matawalle in a statement he personally signed in Sokoto on Friday, July 23, said northern governors are committed to supporting the president’s efforts to end security challenges in the country.