Dangote Petroleum Refinery is set to import a cargo of Brazilian crude, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

It said this would add to the large number of overseas barrels of crude feedstock that the Nigerian firm was importing.

Indigenous crude oil refiners, including Dangote refinery and modular refineries, as well as local crude producers have repeatedly raised concerns about the low crude oil output from Nigeria.

Although the government, through the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, has been making efforts to tackle this, oil production from Nigeria has remained low.

This has made it tough for local refiners to get crude, as bulk of the oil produced in-country are exported due to earlier arranged contracts with International Oil Companies operating in Nigeria and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Bloomberg reported on Friday that traders with knowledge of the matter stated that Dangote refinery, which is still ramping up to full capacity, would receive a shipment of one million barrels of Tupi crude from Brazil for delivery in the second half of next month.

“The refinery, billed as pivotal in ending Nigeria’s dependence on foreign fuel, has already snapped up millions of barrels of American crude,” the report by the media organisation stated.

It stated that the purchases of non-Nigerian barrels likely reflect the most competitively priced, suitable cargoes.

The traders said the cargo was sold by Petrobras, a state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation.

Bloomberg said officials at the company, and one at Dangote, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Quoting data from the Latin American country’s commerce ministry, the publication said it was the first time that Brazil had exported oil to Nigeria.

Dangote refinery recently purchased five million barrels of US crude scheduled for delivery next month and in September.

It was reported in May this year that the refinery planned a purchase of 24 million barrels of crude from the US for over a year.

Modular refiners had also stated that crude importation would linger until Nigeria produces enough barrels to meet both domestic demand and exports.

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone B on Saturday, announced the killing of one of its officers identified as Inspector of Customs, Hamza Abdullahi-Elenwo.

The incident, according to the Zone B Public Relations Officer, Isa Suleiman in a statement in Kaduna, occurred on Friday, July 12, 2024 at Achilafia along Daura-Kano road, Jigawa State during a stop and search operation.

The Customs spokesman explained that the incident occurred when the vehicle suspected to have been smuggled into the country hit the operative while trying to evade arrest.

He added that the slain officer was rushed to General Hospital Kazaure and later transferred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Katsina, where he was pronounced dead by the Doctor on duty.

According to him, the deceased has been laid to rest in accordance to Islam rites.

Suleiman said, “The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone B is sad to announce the tragic demise of Inspector of Customs (IC) Hamza Abdullahi Elenwo in an unfortunate incident that occurred on Friday, 12 July 2024 at Achilafia along Daura-Kano Road in Jigawa State during a stop and search operation.

“The incident occurred when a vehicle suspected to be smuggled into the country hit the operative while trying to evade arrest.

“The late Operative was rushed to the General Hospital Kazaure and later transferred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Katsina, where he was pronounced dead by the Doctor on duty.

“The deceased has been laid to rest in Katsina, according to Islamic rites.”

The Customs spokesman quoted the Head of Federal Operations Unit Zone B, Comptroller Ahmadu Shuaibu, to have on behalf of the entire Officers and Men of the Unit, extend his heartfelt condolence to the deceased’s family and pray for his eternal rest.

“Comptroller Shuaibu asserted that the incident shows the level of desperation by smugglers operating without recourse to human lives, adding that it is also one of the many instances where smugglers kill and maim Personnel of the service in an attempt to evade arrest.

“The Comptroller vowed to ensure justice is served as One (1) Suspect has been arrested and is in the Custody of the Nigeria Police Force, Gwiwa Division in Jigawa State,” he said.

He added that the unit’s operatives would not be deterred and would remain unwavering in the fight against smuggling.

Our correspondent reports that Inspector Hamza, an indigene of Port Harcourt, Rivers State was born on 15 April 1985.

“He joined the Nigeria Customs Service as Customs Assistant III (CAIII) in the Transport and Logistics Unit on 17 October 2013 and was promoted to the rank of Inspector of Customs (IC) in the year 2022. He is survived by a wife and two Children.

The U.S. Secret Service has confirmed that former President Donald Trump is safe following a shooting incident at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

The Secret Service spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, issued a statement on the event that occurred while Trump was delivering a speech before a crowd of supporters.

“An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,” Guglielmi tweeted.

“The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”

The incident reportedly occurred minutes into Trump’s speech, causing chaos at the event.

In trending social media videos, Trump was seen putting his hand on his right ear after sounds of the gunshots.

The Secret Service agents swiftly surrounded the former president and escorted him off the stage.

Some clips appear to depict blood on the former president’s face and a bleeding ear as he was being led away.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that the Butler County District Attorney, Richard Goldinger, stated that two people were confirmed dead following the incident, including one of the suspected shooters.

Former United States President, Donald Trump, was rushed off stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, following alleged gunshots from unknown sources.

The incident, which occurred just minutes into Trump’s speech, may have left the former president injured.

Videos in circulation on social media show what seemed to be blood on Trump’s face, with his ear bleeding as he was being moved away by Secret Service agents.

 

 

 

 

Bullet pierced upper part of my right ear – Trump

 

 

Former President Donald Trump has released a statement following the shooting incident at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left one person dead and another seriously injured.

Trump himself sustained a minor injury during the attack.

“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Trump said in his statement sighted by PUNCH Online on Sunday.

He went on to express his condolences to the families of the victims stating, “Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.”

 

The incident occurred as Trump began his final rally before the Republican Party convention. Witnesses reported hearing a series of loud bangs that sounded like gunshots, causing chaos at the event.

John Yeykal, an attendee from Franklin, Pennsylvania, described the scene saying, “We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots, it sounded like between firecrackers and a small caliber handgun.”

Meanwhile, Trump provided details about his injury, stating, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

 

The Secret Service quickly rushed Trump off the stage and into an SUV. They later confirmed that the “former President is safe” and declared the area an active crime scene.

Trump’s statement revealed that the shooter is now dead, though he added, “Nothing is known at this time about the shooter.”

Both President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama have issued statements condemning the violence and wishing Trump a speedy recovery.

Biden said, “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

Meanwhile, Obama echoed this sentiment, stating, “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy.”

Former on-air personality Daddy Freeze has spoken out after court ordered him to pay a fine of N5million for adultery.

The court ruling, which was upheld by an appellate court, stems from a 2021 case involving Daddy Freeze, his wife, and her ex-husband.

The media personality was ordered by the High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to pay the sum of N5m for sleeping with a woman who was still legally married when the said sex happened.

In a video on his Youtube channel, Daddy Freeze said the court judgment was obtained in his absence.

He said the judgement came as a surprise to him just as many of his fans were when they heard the verdict.

He stated that he would be approaching the Appeal Court to seek a fair judgement.

Daddy Freeze’s appeal was however dismissed due to a lack of merit, with the court suggesting that he should have filed a counter-affidavit against the affidavit of service to overturn the trial court’s judgment.

Reacting through his Instagram live video, Daddy Freeze showed his luxury watches, stating that his watches alone are worth over N100 million, demonstrating that the fine does not disturb him.

He claims innocence and views the incident as a past torment that he and the lady have moved beyond.

He said:

“I Will Pay The N5Million Adultery Fine; my Watches alone Cost Over N100Million, But I Am Innocent, and I will not lose; I am innocent; this happened Many years ago. I was Going Through serious Torment, so was the lady, and we both Jam many years later in Church; this happened over 12 years ago”.

Actress, Esther Nwachukwu, has claimed that deceased actor, Junior Odonwodo, aka Junior Pope, confided in her about his marital issues before his death on April 10, 2024.

Recently, she had criticised Pope’s wife for attending an event. According to her, she should have mourned her husband for at least six months or one year.

Shortly after his death, some persons, including social media personality, Verydarkman, had alleged that Pope had stated that he was going through some issues he wanted to share with the public.

Esther Nwachukwu, who is known to have a controversial persona online, told Saturday Beats:

“When Junior Pope was alive, the wife never gave him peace. She disturbed him a lot. I actually dated Junior Pope, and I still have his name tattooed on my body. While we were together (dating), he told me how his wife used to disturb him. But, one thing about him is that he likes to trend. He would be going through a lot, but would still come on social media to post (pictures and videos of) his family. From December 2023, he stopped posting (pictures of) his wife like before. That was when they started having issues. Sometimes, he wouldn’t sleep in his house, but would rather stay in hotels.

“I am sure some people who were close to him knew about it. But, because he had painted himself as a good husband online, he did not know how to tell people about his issues. That was why he died in silence.”

Doubling down on her criticism of Pope’s wife, Nwachukwu said:

“A grieving wife wouldn’t have come out barely two months after the death of her husband. She came out and acted like all was well, and because many Nigerians like eye service, she decided to dress in black, so people would think she was mourning. A young widow is not supposed to just go about her business like that. We all know she isn’t hungry, because there is money. Nigerians are good at sympathising with people, and I know they must have helped her in so many ways.”

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang visited the collapsed structure at Saint Academy in Busa Buji, Jos North local government area for an on-the-spot assessment and ordered the immediate closure of the school.

The school had 284 secondary students and 145 primary pupils. The structure collapsed on Friday morning, resulting in the deaths of 22 people and injuring 154 others.

By Friday evening, statistics showed that 154 people had been rescued from the debris, with 22 confirmed dead and 132 hospitalized. Injured students and staff are receiving medical treatment at various hospitals in Jos, the state capital.

Specifically, 39 of the injured are at Plateau State Specialist Hospital, 32 at Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) Hospital, 55 at Bingham University Teaching Hospital, and six at Jos University Teaching Hospital.

During his visit to the site on Saturday morning, Mutfwang also expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased children and promised that the state government would cover the medical costs for the injured students.

He said, “… Whoever built this school, did not do well. I am not a technical person but all I can see on this debris is sand. It is a two-storey building as a layman, I know there has to be a proper mixture of sand and cement but what I can see here is pure sand.

“You have endangered the lives of innocent children for no reason. We can’t continue like this, it is no longer time to spend time praying against demons and Satan, this is human negligence.

“We cannot allow this school to function for the parents, it is unfortunate what has happened but what it means is that this school is closed down immediately.

“We can’t take any further chances and we need to send this message particularly the owners of private schools the drive for profit must not overshadow the safety of lives so we taking steps immediately to do a technical audit of all the schools. We will test their structural integrity to ensure human beings can habit such buildings.”

He added, “Some buildings were not built in the right places, some built without approvals, without the right materials so we will correct these things. I won’t just blame the school but also our public officials who were supposed to supervise but didn’t do their jobs.

“We are setting up a committee to investigate this incident and bring in building professionals to investigate this and anyone found culpable will face the wrath of the law. This is why we signed Executive Order 003 to bring sanity into the environment.

“When we insist that some building be demolished, we are not wicked, we are concerned about the safety of lives. When we see buildings on waterways, in marshy places, we will bring them down. We can’t afford to have this kind of mishap again. May God grant the parents of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss and grant the injured a quick recovery.”

He commended the efforts of all stakeholders in the rescue mission and asked that citizens do the right things and obey rules and regulations put in place to save lives.

A victim of the collapsed two-storey building in the Kubwa area of Abuja has shared his harrowing experience. The building at Plot C31, Sultan Dasuki Road collapsed on Saturday morning.

The last victim rescued, a corps member, was found unconscious under the rubble by officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), FCT Emergency Management Department (FEM), FCT Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigeria Police Force. The corps member was promptly transported to the Kubwa General Hospital. 

Two other victims, Abdullahi Masud and his female guest, had managed to escape before the collapse and were also taken to the hospital. Masud recounted his ordeal, stating that a neighbour had previously pointed out a cracked wall near the staircase.

“I later noticed an unfamiliar sound from several parts of the building while I was bathing in the morning. I managed to run out naked. I learned that other people could escape, too, leaving only one lady stranded at the time. While in the hospital, my girlfriend was brought too,” Masud said.

Another resident, who remained anonymous, said, “I heard a rumbling sound around 7 am. I thought it was from my next compound, only for me to rush here, and I hear the commotion. So I went to the front and saw that the building had collapsed. They have been trying to rescue people. FEMA is around. Fire service is also around. They have rescued some people. They are still trying to rescue more people. There are people still trapped inside.”

Mrs. Florence Dawon Wenegieme, the Acting Director General of FEMD, was at the scene and confirmed that the search and rescue efforts would continue until they reached ground zero.

This incident follows a recent school collapse in Jos, Plateau state, which killed at least 22 people and injured over 100.

A police officer in Lagos State has allegedly raped a 17-year-old teenager.

The teenager was raped inside Ogudu Police Station in the Ojota area of the state, a crime the victim’s family alleged the police are trying to cover up. 

The victim’s ordeal began after her was stolen by ‘one chance’ robbers.

The suspect was said to have overheard the victim narrating her travail to her mother at her shop and offered to help track the phone.

He then promised to help the teenager retrieve her phone, from the criminals who stole it.

Unbeknownst to the girl, the suspect had other plans and ulterior motive that did not include helping the girl retrieve her phone.

According to the victim, the officer simply identified as Owolabi committed the heinous act after he lured her to his office with the false information of her phone recovery.

Narrating her ordeal to Punch newspaper, the teenager said: “On June 29, officer Owolabi called my mum on her phone and told her he had arrested the person with my phone and my mum should send me to his police station and I went there. On getting there, I was told they made a mistake with the tracking, and that the person caught wasn’t the one with my phone.

“The officer sent his personal assistant to call me into his office and he showed me directions there. When I entered his office and greeted him, he replied and got up to lock the door and put the key in his pocket. I shouted, ‘Sir, why did you lock the door?’

“He started trying to pull my clothes off and I shouted, then he brought out a gun, cocked it, and threatened to shoot me if I shouted. Then he began harassing me and when I struggled with him he hit me on the back of my head with the gun and raped me.

“I saw his phone ringing and the caller was my mum, but he told me since I didn’t have a phone with me, I should tell her I didn’t get to his office and from now on I should be reporting at his office by 12 pm every day during school break or while returning from school that he had been watching me for two years and now I just fell into his trap.”

Mrs Aramide Olupona, mother of the victim, however, accused the police of trying to cover up the allegation.

“The suspect’s wife and the rest of his family have come to my shop to plead with me saying he would soon retire, but what about my daughter that was raped? Is it because I am a poor woman?”

“The Area Commander of the station too invited me and pleaded with me to bury the case, now they are saying the suspect has fled and his whereabouts are unknown, but my daughter is distraught and has said she wants to commit suicide. My girl needs justice,” she was quoted to have said.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has labelled the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy as a distraction from the more urgent issues confronting the nation.

Recall that the apex court, in a landmark ruling delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, ruled that it is illegal and unconstitutional for governors to continue to receive and seize funds allocated to LGAs in their states. 

It maintained that the “dubious practice,” which has gone on for over two decades, was a clear violation of Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

In a video released on Saturday, Makinde highlighted the imperative to tackle the fundamental issues of productivity, hunger, and discontent in Nigeria.

His words: “So the judgment of the Supreme Court, there is local government autonomy, financial autonomy, and all of that, and I will still say it, I think it’s just a distraction. We must face the real issues that we have.

“And the issue that we have is that we are not producing enough. We are not productive. Whatever it is that we are sharing in Abuja, which is what this FACC is all about, Whatever is in Abuja, share it with the local government. Is that our problem?

“Maybe it is a part of the problem, but yes, we want to have value for what is being shared. But our real problem is productivity.

“So now this is going to be the discussion for the next maybe one month or so when the issue of hunger and anger in the land will still be under the table. It’s a big issue.

“The Federal Government is saying now we need to import food. It’s a big shame. Yes, it’s a big shame on this country. We cannot feed ourselves. And then they are saying we should go back to those things that will allow us to bring confidence back to our people and to ensure that this country is back on the path of growth and progress.”