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Federal High Court sitting in Lagos will, on October 21, resume proceedings in an alleged debt dispute between Anchorage Leisures Ltd & two others versus Ecobank Nigeria Ltd.
Justice Yellin Bogoro fixed the date to enable the first defendant/counter-claimant (Ecobank) respond to the Affidavit for the Record filed by the plaintiffs (Anchorage Leisures Ltd & two others).
The parties in suit FHC/L/CS/352/2023 are Anchorage Leisures Limited, Siloam Global Limited and Honeywell Flour Mills Plc as plaintiffs/respondents, while Ecobank is defendant/counterclaimant.
The suit arose following a January 27, 2023, Supreme Court judgment allegedly affirming indebtedness of Honeywell and its cronies to Ecobank to the tune of 13 billion naira as at 2023.
But the plaintiffs instituted the instant suit at Federal High Court contending, among others, that the Supreme Court did not pronounce a figure in its judgment.
At a prior hearing, the court following an application by Ecobank’s lawyer, Kumle Ogunba (SAN), granted the bank leave to join Dr. Oba Otudeko, Flour Mills and Honeywell Group as defendants to its counterclaim seeking to recover the alleged debt.
When the matter resumed yesterday before Justice Bogoro, ‘Bode Olanipekun (SAN) led a team on behalf of the first-third plaintiffs/defendants to counter-claim, Ogunba led a team on behalf of the first defendant/counter claimant, Ade Adedeji (SAN)led a team on behalf of the fourth defendant to the counter claim, Abimbola Akeredolu (SAN) led a team on behalf of the fifth defendant to the counter claim while Taiwo Osipitan (SAN) led a team on behalf of the sixth defendant to the counter claim.
Olanipekun informed the court the plaintiffs had transmitted the record of appeal and filed their brief of argument challenging the court’s decision. He applied that the matter should be adjourned sine die.
Opposing him, Ogunba drew the court’s attention to proceedings of April 17, saying the court held it would hear pending applications, including plaintiff’s application for stay of proceedings, noting the oral application by Olanipekun was contrary to pronouncement of the court on the last adjourned date.
[TheNation]
The domestic crude oil supply crisis that recently led to accusations and denials in the oil sector may warrant an investment plunge in the industry, operators declared on Wednesday.
According to operators at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the crisis may damage the confidence of International Oil Companies and investors in refineries.
This came as a section of the 650,000-capacity Dangote Petroleum Refinery caught fire on Wednesday, sparking reactions on social media as videos of the incident went viral.
The management of the facility, however, allayed fears about the incident, as it stated that the situation had been put under control, adding that no one was harmed by the fire outbreak.
Meanwhile, the LCCI charged the Federal Government to prevent any form of blackmail and victimisation of IOCs and local refiners by quickly resolving the issues around oil supply contracts, higher crude cost in Nigeria above international prices, and the cost of logistics.
The Director-General, LCCI, Chinyere Almona, disclosed this while responding to enquiries by our correspondent on the views of IOCs concerning the recent accusations against them by a senior official of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
IOCs operating in Nigeria such as Shell, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Nigeria Agip Oil Company, among others, are under the Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
This came as modular refinery operators demanded the intervention of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, in the lingering domestic crude oil supply crisis.
“Since the issue around crude supply to the Dangote refinery and the IOCs, the chamber has consulted with some relevant parties. While these consultations continue, we call on the government, as the regulator, to provide a detailed report on what the key issues are and what it intends to do to resolve these issues.
“This is critical as uncertainties like this can be a disincentive to potential investors in the oil and gas sector. The regulatory agency (NUPRC) must show the capacity to resolve issues about protecting investors’ interests. The investors here are the Dangote refinery and the IOCs,” Almona stated.
Modular refiners are, of course, investors in the midstream arm of the oil and gas sector, as the LCCI DG had earlier told our correspondent that the chamber had championed calls for the provision of crude to operators in this space.
Continuing in her response on Wednesday to the recent crude supply concerns between IOCs and the Dangote refinery, she added, “Crude oil is an international commodity traded on open trade terms in the global markets.
“Still, we can resolve these issues to prevent any form of blackmail and victimisation of any party. The issues around supply contracts, higher prices above international crude prices, and the cost of logistics should be quickly resolved before they damage the confidence of investors in the sector.”
Also, the National Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Segun Kuti-George, said the battling with crude oil locally to boost production by Dangote Refineries would dampen investors’ confidence if it lingered.
He said, “This development will affect negatively. Our crude oil is being used in other countries, I am concerned about the situation where we export crude oil to other countries, yet we import refined products.
“It doesn’t make sense. Why can’t our refineries process the crude oil we produce? Instead, we’re exporting it to other nations, only to import refined products from them.
“It’s suspicious and seems like a game is being played. I hope this isn’t another case of inefficiency or lack of capacity. We need to get our refineries working to process our crude oil and reduce our reliance on imported refined products. We must address this issue, if we continue in this course, we can dampen investors’ confidence.”
IOCs urged
It was reported on Monday that the Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, had accused International Oil Companies in Nigeria of plans to frustrate the survival of the new Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Edwin had said the IOCs were deliberately and willfully frustrating the refinery’s efforts to buy local crude by hiking the cost above the market price, thereby forcing the refinery to import crude from countries as far as the United States, with its attendant high costs.
“Recall that the NUPRC recently met with crude oil producers as well as refineries owners in Nigeria, in a bid to ensure full adherence to Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligations as enunciated under section 109(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act.
“It seems that the IOCs’ objective is to ensure that our petroleum refinery fails. It is either they are deliberately asking for a ridiculous/humongous premium or they simply state that crude is not available. At some point, we paid $6 over and above the market price. This has forced us to reduce our output as well as import crude from countries as far as the US, increasing our cost of production. It appears that the objective of the IOCs is to ensure that Nigeria remains a country which exports crude oil and imports refined petroleum products. They (IOCs) are keen on exporting the raw materials to their home countries, creating employment and wealth for their countries, adding to their Gross Domestic Product, and dumping the expensive refined products into Nigeria – thus making us to be dependent on imported products. It is the same strategy the multinationals have been adopting in every commodity, making Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa to be facing unemployment and poverty, while they create wealth for themselves at our expense.
“This is exploitation – pure and simple. Unfortunately, the country is also playing into their hands by continuing to issue import licences at the expense of our economy and at the cost of the health of the Nigerians who are exposed to carcinogenic products,” the Dangote refinery official had stated.
Edwin had also accused the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority of granting licences indiscriminately to oil marketers to import dirty refined products into the country.
He had stated that even though Dangote was producing and bringing diesel into the market, complying with the regulations of the Economic Community of West African States, “licences are being issued, in large quantities, to traders who are buying the extremely high sulphur diesel from Russia and dumping it in the Nigerian market.”
But the Federal Government, on Tuesday, denied this claim, as it declared that there was no importation of dirty fuel into Nigeria, countering the position of the official Dangote refinery official.
The government declared this after meeting with oil marketers and local refiners of crude oil in Abuja, where parties at the meeting discussed issues pertaining refined products’ pricing, issues of competition and the importation of products that are produced in Nigeria.
The government spoke through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, as it explained that refined petroleum products with high-sulphur contents were last imported in February, and that this had since been addressed by the regulator.
The Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha, disclosed this to journalists after the regulator concluded its meeting with the oil marketers and local crude oil refiners, which had officials from Dangote refinery and modular refineries.
“There is no dirty fuel that is being brought into Nigeria,” Ukoha had declared, when asked to react to the allegations leveled against the NMDPRA by a senior official of the Dangote refinery.
Negotiations necessary
To adequately tackle the crisis, the LCCI called for further negotiations among parties, noting that issues of crude oil pricing and supply contracts require thorough discussions by all players.
“We urge the government to remain close to the emerging issues around pricing and supply contracts among all parties to create an environment where the IOCs and all other parties can trade profitably together, create jobs, and generate revenue for the government,” the chamber’s DG stated.
Almona pointed out that “we can all learn from these teething issues to enrich our oil and gas sector regulation for better performance.”
She added, “We acknowledge the efforts made so far by the government in calling the IOCs to supply crude to the Dangote refinery, we add our voice to say both parties should consider coming to the table with their offers negotiated within international best practices and as moderated by the sector regulators.”
Modular refiners
On their part, operators of modular refineries stated that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, should intervene in the matter if the Presidency would not find the chance to do so.
They spoke to our correspondent through their umbrella association, the Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria, while reacting to Dangote’s recent revelation on the crude oil supply matter.
CORAN is a registered association of modular and conventional refinery companies in Nigeria. Modular refineries are simplified refineries that require significantly less capital investment than traditional full-scale refineries.
The Publicity Secretary, CORAN, Eche Idoko, said, “The chairman of CORAN was at ChannelsTV yesterday (Tuesday) to discuss the statement by Dangote that the IOCs are frustrating his refinery and by extension other local refineries. While we acknowledge the efforts of NMDPRA and NUPRC, they can only push within the ambit of the law and their enabling status.
“The issue as it stands requires the Federal Government, at least through the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance if the Presidency is not available to react. This matter fundamentally bothers on the government’s fiscal policy directions.
We need to know clearly from the government where they lean on.
“Is it to achieve self-sufficiency concerning in-country refining or to continue the regime of fuel importation and holding onto the coat-tails of the foreign traders and their goons in Nigeria who have continued to stifle the growth in the mid and downstream segment of our petroleum industry?”
Idoko said the private sector saw the challenge in the oil sector and “took a bold step in the interest of the country to sink huge investments in the sector.
“The least we would want from this government and its economic team is to also take the same bold steps and stand unambiguously behind those who have taken the risk to invest here. This will be at least in keeping with one of their campaign promises.”
The association urged all the stakeholders in the oil sector to put the interest of Nigerians first and work towards alienating the sufferings of the citizenry.
“The government must not allow itself to be blackmailed, hoodwinked or bullied into pursuing an agenda that will benefit the foreign trading mafias and their agents in Nigeria at the expense of the suffering masses. Rather they should seize this opportunity to build synergy with emerging local investors within the refining space to build a vibrant and resilient refined petroleum products’ trading hub in Nigeria that will not only benefit the country but the entire subregion,” the CORAN official stated.
Refinery fire
Also on Wednesday, a section of the 650,000-capacity Dangote refinery caught fire, sparking reactions on social media as videos of the incident went viral.
The incident, which came at a time when the Dangote Group was accusing some oil mafias of sabotage, generated tension among Nigerians, who feared that the fire might further delay the operations of the refinery which promised to start the supply of Premium Motor Spirit in July.
While the company has yet to state the root cause of the fire incident, one of our correspondents gathered that it must have been triggered by an electricity surge.
While confirming the incident, the Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Anthony Chiejina, described the incident as minor.
Chiejina noted that the company had contained a minor fire that affected only the effluent treatment plant.
“We have swiftly contained a minor fire incident at our effluent treatment plant today, Wednesday, June 26,” he noted.
Chiejina also stressed that the refinery was still operating, and no injury or bodily harm was recorded due to the incident.
“There is no cause for alarm as the refinery is operating and there is no recorded injury or body harm to all our staff on duty,” he concluded.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Secretary of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, Olufemi Adewole, commended the Dangote Group for acting swiftly to stop the fire from spreading to other parts of the refinery.
Adewale said he might not be able to make comments on the incident, but empathised with the company.
“I will not be able to comment on the incident. I will just say we empathise with them, and it is a good thing they were able to put out the fire swiftly.
“It started as an accident from everything we read, probably some people started perceiving smells of burning cable. Anything could have happened at any point in time, but the good thing is that their safety crew were on top of it and were able to put it off. So, I think they did a very good job. We empathise with them, and they’ve done a good job,” Adewole said.
Giving a piece of advice, Adewole said industry players should continue to work towards safety to avoid accidents.
“Safety is not an accident. Safety is something that we all are working towards to ensure that we avoid accidents. The less of accidents we have in our various depots and refineries, the better for us,” he stated.
Our correspondent reminded Adewole that a fire incident happened at the Honeywell depot in Apapa in May, asking what was being done to stop the fire from becoming a trend and the need to put safety discussions on the front burner.
Adewole replied, “It is not a trend at all. When you see a trend, you will know.”
The DAPPMAN secretary added, “Safety is already on the front burner for everybody. I can assure you of that. Our depots do their monthly fire drills to keep themselves on top of every situation so that they can always counter any fire, any accident or any incident promptly.
“It is really good that the refinery was able to curtail the fire the way they did and that simply tells us that they know what they are doing. They are on top of their game.”
Lagos govt
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said it was unaware of the incident.
The Director of Public Affairs of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Amodu Shakiru, disclosed this to our correspondent in a telephone conversation.
Shakiru said neither its area office in Lekki nor the headquarters got a distress call from the Dangote refinery.
In the past few days, the Dangote refinery has been in the news for accusing international oil companies of denying it access to crude oil.
[Punch]
A city council in South Korea said Wednesday, June 26, that their first administrative officer robot was defunct after throwing itself down some stairs, with local media mourning the country’s first robot suicide.
South Korea’s Gumi City Council announced the robot was found unresponsive after apparently falling down a two-meter staircase last week.
Witnesses saw the robot officer "circling in one spot as if something was there" before the accident occurred, but the exact cause of the fall is still being investigated, a city council official told AFP.
"Pieces have been collected and will be analysed by the company," the official said.
The official added that the robot had "helped with daily document deliveries, city promotion, and delivered information" to local residents.
"It was officially a part of the city hall, one of us," another official said. "It worked diligently."
The robot, made by Bear Robotics, a Californian robot-waiter startup, was appointed in August 2023.
It worked from 9 am to 6 pm and had its own civil service officer card.
Unlike other robots, which can typically only use one floor, the Gumi City Council robot could call an elevator and move floors on its own.
Headlines in local media questioned the apparent robot suicide, saying: "Why did the diligent civil officer do it?"
Others asked, "Was work too hard" for the robot?
South Korea is one of the most enthusiastic users of robots globally.
It has the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial robot for every 10 employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
Gumi City Council is currently not planning to adopt a second robot officer at this moment, it told AFP.
The Yobe State Police Command said it has arrested a 22-year-old housewife for allegedly stabbing her husband to death in the Abbari area of Damaturu metropolis.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
“On 26-06-24, at about 1000hrs, the C Divisional Police Headquarters received a complaint from a neighbor in Abbari Ward, Damaturu, about a couple, Ibrahim Yahaya, 25 years old, and Zainab Isa, 22 years old. The couple had a violent argument on the same date at about 0900hrs, which escalated into a scuffle.
“The wife used a knife to stab the husband in the chest, and he subsequently died from his grievous injury before the police rescue team arrived,” the statement said.
The suspect was arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, for discreet investigation and subsequent prosecution.
The Police spokesman added that the housewife confessed that she did not intend to kill the husband, but stabbed him in self-defense during what she described as domestic violence against her.
“She further stated that their marriage had been marred by violence from the outset, often occurring when she requested food or money, and had continued even after the birth of their first child and the arrival of their second child, despite her husband’s inability to provide for their needs.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Yobe State Command, Garba Ahmed, has urged couples to report cases of abuse to the authorities for a durable solution or file a complaint with the nearest Sharia or family court for possible redress.
A judge on Wednesday found a woman guilty of killing her three children and sentenced her to 18 years imprisonment.
The convicted woman in New Zealand, Lauren Dickason, will begin her sentence at a mental health hospital for the triple killings, according to a Christchurch High Court official.
In a statement to local media after her sentencing, remorseful Lauren Dickason said, “I take responsibility for taking our three beautiful girls from this world.”
She said that with particular reference to her husband, identified simply as Graham
“I would like to take this opportunity to convey the deepest and most sincere remorse for the extreme pain and hurt caused to my children and my family by my actions,” she added.
Laueen Dickason, a South African woman, was found guilty last August on three counts of murder after she was said to have smothered her two-year-old twins Maya and Karla and first daughter Liane who was six years old.
The killings took place in September 2021 while her husband was out to dinner with colleagues in Tamaru, New Zealand.
He found the bodies of his children when he returned home.
The husband has since returned to South Africa from where the family had moved to New Zealand only a couple of weeks before the bloody act of his wife.
At a point during trial last year, Dickason admitted killing the girls but had pleaded infanticide, a defence in New Zealand for a mother blamed for the killing of her child if the balance of her mind was considered disturbed at the time of the killing.
The prosecution, however, contended that she fully knew what she did and knew that it was wrong while she was doing it.
A majority verdict by a jury of eight women and four men reportedly said Dickason was not insane at the time of the killings and was guilty of murder.
She, nonetheless, escaped life imprisonment, usually the penalty for murder in New Zealand.
Many women around the world have over time admitted to killing their own children, some of them advancing laughable reasons for the act.
Somewhere in England last year, a woman reportedly told a jury that she went into a rage and killed her two children because she did not want her husband to have the children.
Veronique John, 50, told Nottingham Crown Court that she stabbed her son Ethan John, 11, severally, and inflicted brain damage on her daughter Elizabeth John; after which she went for her estranged husband and almost also killed him.
The couple lived separately, as they had been having issues for a while, including a dispute over who should keep the children.
In Nigeria’s Kano city, a story emerged in 2020 about a mother who allegedly stabbed her children to death because her husband married a second wife.
It was established that she became mad with jealousy and set about eliminating her own children while the husband was having what he believed was a good time with his new wife in another house.
In Kaduna two years ago when one Faith Hassan was arrested by the Police for allegedly killing her one-year-old daughter, she said it was for a chance to marry her boyfriend.
The boyfriend, she said, did not want her to come to him with another man’s child.
She made the confession while crying out her heart, moaning that she did not realise what she was doing until her baby became a lifeless body.
A 67-year-old man, Segun Oyedepo, Owner of Fedeco International College, Ibadan, was on Wednesday docked in a Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan for allegedly embezzling money meant for the National Examinations Council, NECO for students.
Oyedepo, who pleaded not guilty, is charged with theft and obtaining money under pretence.
The prosecutor, Philip Amusan, told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence between September 2023 and June 2024, at the aforementioned school.
Amusan alleged that the defendant fraudulently obtained N1.7 million which was meant for about 13 students’ NECO registration.
He alleged that the defendant obtained the money from one Hammed Olayode and 12 others to register the students but failed to do so.
Amusan said the offence contravenes the provisions of Sections 419 and 390(9) of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The Court’s President, Mrs Sukurat Yusuf, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.
Yusuf held that one of the sureties must be a relation of the defendant and have evidence of two years of tax clearance and then adjourned the case until July 19 for hearing.
Famous Nigerian songstress, Teniola Apata has declared interest in her colleague, Mayorkun.
Teni disclosed her interest following Mayorkun’s appearance at Davido’s wedding on Tuesday.
A viral photo of Mayorkun posing with Davido and Chioma was shared on Instagram.
Reacting to the picture, Teni took to the comment session to reveal her interest.
She wrote; “Na me go still marry Mayor.”
A suspected kidnapper has been arrested while collecting ransom from POS machine.
The 22-year-old kidnapper, Mohammed Moda from Burtu village, Ringim Local Government Area was arrested by the police in Jigawa.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam, stated this in a statement issued to DAILY POST.
“On 11/06/2024 at about 1600hrs, Yakubu Bala of Larabar Zango Village, Ajingi LGA, Kano State, reported at Ringim Police Station that unknown persons were threatening him, demanding a sum of two million naira (N2,000,000.00) in cash or else his wife would be kidnapped. They provided a POS account located in Ringim town for the transaction,” he said.
Adam further explained that the complainant deposited nine hundred thousand naira (N900,000.00).
“Upon receipt of the report, detectives from Ringim Division promptly acted on credible intelligence, stormed the POS shop, and arrested Mohammed Moda of Burtu village, Ringim, who came to withdraw the ransom,” Adam stated.
He added that during a search, the police recovered seven hundred and ninety-two thousand naira (N792,000.00) from the suspect.
The police spokesperson mentioned, “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and implicated one Bashari Beto as his accomplice.”
Adam concluded by noting that the case is under investigation and will be brought to court.
On Wednesday, June 26, a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court sitting in Gwagwalada, sentenced a fake senator, Tom Makwe to two years imprisonment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had arraigned the convict for swindling a Spaniard of 47, 082 Euros.
He was arraigned on two counts of intent to defraud over the internet.
The convict pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for leniency.
Delivering judgment, Justice Aliyu Shafa, also gave him an option of a fine of N5 million.
Shafa ordered that the N30 million, and 1,300 dollars recovered from the convict be forfeited to the victim, Maria Del Rosario san Jose Garces through the Spanish embassy in Nigeria and evidence of forfeiture be filed through the registrar of the court within two weeks.
He directed that the items recovered from the convict, including one black Camry 2017 model car, Samsung S 23, Apple iPhone 13 cellphone and HP EliteBook be forfeited to the government and the proceeds of sale be remitted to the victim through the Spanish embassy in Nigeria.
Earlier, the convict in his plea for mercy told the court that he was sincerely sorry for his misconduct and bad character.
“I am a changed person and plead with the court to tamper justice with mercy. I will never have anything to do with internet fraud again,” he pleaded.
The Defence Counsel, Adaji Abel in support of the allocutus by the convict pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy.
Abel said that the convict was a first-time offender, had co-operated with the EFCC investigation, made restitution and had provided useful information to the investigator to arrest other fraudsters.
The Prosecution Counsel, Deborah Adamu-Eteh told the court that the convict between December 12, 2021 and November 12, 2022, with intent to defraud over the internet pretended to be Fahad Tonny Makwe, Bryan and Senator Tompolo.
Adamu-Eteh said the convict claimed to be a white man, Diplomatic Solicitor with a phone number +34613208672.
She said the convict in that assumed character, obtained the sum of 47,082 Euros from one Maria Del Rosario San Jose Garces, a citizen of Spain through a Bitcoin wallet address that he created.
On Tuesday, Sheikh Muhydeen Bello, a popular Nigerian Islamic cleric, charged the political class to be mindful of their actions while in office, saying, “you will all become story after office.”
He also said that Nigerian politicians don’t need much but are never satisfied with what they have and that they don’t have fear of God.
He gave this advice during the four-year remembrance of the late former Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, held at his private residence, Ring Road, in Ibadan, the state capital.
Bello further charged them to live lives that would speak better about them, urging them to use the gathering to unite the political family of the Ajimobis and the All Progressives Congress in the state.
“Without unity, you may not be able to carry on the late Ajimobi legacies.”
The cleric, thereafter, called on the state APC 2023 governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, to retrace his steps and be the rallying point for other party members.
“The former Senate leader needs to change some wrong notions some people are having about him while also seeking a way forward for the state.
“Ajimobi was not the only governor who ever served the state, but look at his people, who are still gathered to honour and remember him. We all will become history someday. Nothing goes forever.
“Politicians don’t need much, but you are never satisfied with what you have. You politicians, be satisfied with little. You don’t have fear of God. You ate with Ajimobi, yet you fought him, and you still think you are angry with him even in death.
“This is about Ajimobi; we are seeing his end; they will also see our ends, too. Let’s work for posterity and see what our future will look like.
“God asked us to fear him and said that He would repay us for all that we do on earth. Let’s stand upright in all our doings.
“As you are all seated here as politicians, love each other. Be one. Let there be oneness among you all. Ajimobi died; he left people behind. What have you done that you will be remembered for when you are gone? Be one united body as a political family and party. Don’t fight and envy each other. Always speak your mind truthfully to each other.
“People are not happy with the way all of you are behaving and relating. Come together, be strong and united in honour of Ajimobi. He lived a life that unites people, yet you people are not united after his death,” he lamented.
Dignitaries in attendance were the wife of the deceased, Florence Ajimobi; a younger brother of the deceased, Wasiu Ajimobi; former Deputy Governor, Alake Adeyemo, a former deputy governor to Governor Seyi Makinde, Rauf Olaniyan, Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacheus Adelabu, Oyo APC governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, Senators Sharafadeen Alli (Oyo South), Fatai Buhari (Oyo North), Yunus Akintunde (Oyo Central) and a former Secretary to Oyo State Government, Olalekan Alli.
Others were former Sports Minister Sunday Dare, Adeola Akande, former Oyo APC Chairman Akin Oke, Akeem Agbaje, ex-Health Commissioner Azeez Adeduntan, ex-ALGON Oyo Chairmen Abass Aleshinloye, Yekeen Popoola, Kolapo Daisi, Bisoye Fagade, Seyi Adisa, Kehinde Subair, Azeez Bolaji, Olayemi Ariba, Olatunji Olawale.
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Emirship Tussle: I’m In Kano To Serve Nigerians, Not Personal Interests – Police Commissioner, Dogo
AFOLABI
Salman Dogo Garba, the newly-appointed Police Commissioner to Kano, has reacted to allegations that he is a blood relative of the deposed Emir Aminu Ado Bayero.
Garba insisted that he is in Kano to serve everyone regardless of religion, ethnicity or colour.
“I am first and foremost a Nigerian, and I am here to serve Nigerians. The news of me belonging to the same family as Bayero is new to me; this is the first time I am hearing it. For me, I will do my best for Kano,” he stated.
He assured the public of his commitment to ensuring effective security measures in the state.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Bompai Police Headquarters, Garba acknowledged the challenges facing the state, including the resurgence of thuggery activities, and promised to tackle them head-on.
The commissioner outlined his strategies, which include community policing engagements, synergy with other security agencies, use of technology, professionalism, and accountability.
He also emphasized the need for collective responsibility in addressing security concerns and pledged to work closely with the government and citizens to build trust and ensure a safer Kano State.
Garba commended his predecessor, AIG Mohammed Usaini Gumel, for his achievements and promised to build on his legacy.
Dogo urged the public to support the police in their efforts to ensure peace and stability in the state.
A Point of Sale (PoS) operator, Sunday Musa, also known as Dan Gwari, has been paraded by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command.
The suspect, who allegedly specialises in supplying s*x workers to bandits in their camp, as well as distributing money to their families, was paraded in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Benneth Igweh, the commissioner of police in the FCT, who disclosed this while parading the suspect at the command in Abuja on Tuesday, said he was arrested during a coordinated clearance operation by operatives of the anti-kidnap unit of the command at Kagarko.
He said the suspect was also the chief informant and logistics supplier to banditry groups under the general command of one Ardo, who he said was on the run.
He said the suspect confessed to also being the facilitator of the movement of nurses, hard drugs and s*x workers on request by the banditry groups.
“The suspect has also confessed to being a financial courier through which money is distributed or shared to the bandits’ families. He confessed to have so far distributed over N20 million on behalf of the bandits,” CP Igweh said.
He added that the suspect further confirmed that the bandits, led by Ardo (general commander), have over 15 members, all with AK-47 rifles.Igweh further disclosed that the police had also arrested a 41-year-old housewife, Ruqquaya Ibrahim, who allegedly supplies foodstuff and other logistics to the bandits.
He said the suspect, who is a resident of Sabon-Wuse, Niger State, had confessed to supplying food items to one of the groups under the commander of Shumau, who is currently on the run.
The commissioner of police revealed that the suspect was arrested at Gidan-Dogo forest on her way to supply food to the bandits, adding that she led the police to Shumau’s residence, where 14 rustled cows were recovered.
Nigerian singer Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has lent her voice to the ongoing anti-tax hike protests in Kenya.
DAILY POST reports that Kenyan youths are marching against tax hike in widespread demonstrations tagged ‘RejectFinanceBill2024.’
Five people were shot dead and dozens wounded after police clashed with protesters who stormed the parliament building in Nairobi on Tuesday, according to Amnesty Kenya.
Reacting via her X handle on Tuesday night, Simi declared her support for the demonstrators.
She stated that “it is both powerful and heartbreaking for a people to have to fight and die for freedoms and rights.”
The singer wrote, “I stand with the people of Kenya. It is both powerful and heartbreaking for a people to have to fight and die for freedoms and rights. Godspeed and Strength. [Hash tag] RejectFinanceBill2024.”
In a series of other posts, she wrote: “Wow. When you’ve had enough, the fight is almost inevitable.
“African leaders – haven’t you done enough?
“I can’t wait for the day Africa is not a weapon fashioned against Africans. All of this amazing Black power and human resource, but the majority are not likely to thrive unless they run.”
[DailyPost]
Afrobeats pop star Ayra Starr has revealed the secret to being a “sabi girl”, a phrase she popularised.
In an interview on MTV’s “Touching Base”, Ayra Starr opened up about her life in the spotlight, her latest album “The Year I Turned 21” and the inspiration behind her music.
When asked about the essence of being a “sabi girl”, Ayra Starr defined it as embodying confidence, kindness, and intelligence.
She said: “To be a sabi girl is to be confident, kind, and smart. You have to have sense.”
However, Ayra Starr also shared the downsides of fame, revealing a recent encounter at the airport where she was asked for a selfie while her bag was being checked.
“My first reality check when I became famous was realising that there is no privacy, even when you want it to be private.
She added: “Something happened the other day, I was at the airport and they stopped me to check my bag and as they were checking one of the people there was like, ‘Can I take a selfie?’, and I looked at him with so much disappointment. I was like ‘Really? Sorry I just woke up’ and he was like ‘It doesn’t matter’ and I was like ‘please please please ‘ and he said ‘Why are you shouting Ayra Starr?'”
Despite the challenges, Ayra Starr said her 21st year has been a game-changer.
“The year I turned 21 was the year that I accepted that I’m just going to be me and I’m going to be audacious and I’m going to be that girl,” Ayra Starr said.
[TheNation]