FAMILY of the former oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke is asking Nigerians to pray for her as she fights cancer and British allegations of corruption.
A statement from Alison-Madueke's lawyer denies she was arrested and says she was "merely invited" to answer questions by Britain's National Crime Agency last week.
The agency confirmed only that it briefly arrested five unidentified people in a bribery and money-laundering investigation.
Nigerian newspapers reported Alison-Madueke had been arrested and released on bail.
Nigeria's former Central Bank governor has alleged $20 billion in oil sales went missing in two years under Alison-Madueke's watch.
Lawyer Oscar M. Onwudiwe said Friday the family asks for Nigerians' prayers as the ex-minister undergoes surgery next week after months of chemotherapy and hopes to emerge strong enough to confront the allegations.
Culled from AP
THE Commonwealth of Nations has named former President Goodluck Jonathan to lead a 33-nation observer mission to the Sunday, October 25, 2015 General Election in Tanzania.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Yahya Simba, who disclosed this in Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital, said that the mission will comprise observers from Africa, Asia, the America, Europe and the Pacific.
Simba maintained that while Jonathan will lead the Commonwealth observer team, former Mozambican President, Armando Guebuza will lead the observer team of the African Union, AU.
“Tanzania is pleased to note that the Post-2015 Development Agenda, inter alia, has taken on board the unfinished business of the MDGs, focusing on trans-formative change, and endeavouring to eradicate poverty in all its forms by 2030,” he stated.
On his part, the UN Resident Coordinator for Tanzania, Alvaro Rodriguez said: “Men and women in Tanzania look forward to peaceful and credible general elections and their voices to be heard on October 25, the date of the elections.
“They view the future with optimism and continue to rely extensively on community radios, local administration, the media fraternity and civil society organisations for information on political events and changes facing the nation.”
“Tanzanians are more aware than ever before about the MDGs and the upcoming transition to the SDGs, while the details of the goals are the targets may be unclear, they know there is a concerted attempt to assists in ending child stunting, ending discrimination and enhancing the overall quality of social services.
“The 70 years’ anniversary of the United Nations is a call for a reflection on lessons learnt over the decades and focus on how to eradicate extreme poverty in Tanzania and the world at large,” Rodriguez stated.
THE National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Ikeja, has upheld the electoral victory of Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who is now the Majority Leader of the Federal House of Representatives.
The election petition was filed by Mr. Tony Ashikode, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the Surulere Federal Constituency.
Ashikode and the PDP alleged that the election in Surulere Local Government was marred by irregularities, specifically citing falsification of ballot boxes and of election results.
The petitioners also alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission, which was the third respondent in the suit, rigged the election in favour of Mr. Gbajabiamila.
In his ruling, the chairman of the Tribunal, Justice C U Anwuka dismissed the petition. He said there was no link or evidence to substantiate the allegations contained in Mr. Ashikode's petition, and also faulted the point that Ashikode's evidence in chief was not present at the point of results collation.
President
Muhammadu Buhari promised at the United Nations on Monday to rescue the
schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters in 2014 and to defeat the
Islamist militia.
"One of our major aims is to rescue the Chibok
girls alive and unharmed," he said to applause during his first address
to the General Assembly since taking office earlier this year.
Boko
Haram fighters stormed a school in the remote northeastern Nigerian town
of Chibok on April 14, 2014, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for
end-of-year exams in an abduction that shocked the world.
Fifty-seven
escaped, but nothing has been heard of the 219 others since May last
year, when about 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video, dressed in
Muslim attire and reciting the Koran.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has since said they all converted to Islam and been "married off."
Buhari,
who has promised to stamp out the group's bloody six-year insurgency,
told the General Assembly that his government had put in place "a bold
and robust strategy to defeat Boko Haram."
Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad,
Niger and Benin had established a "joint task force to confront, degrade
and defeat" the militia, Buhari said.
"We have driven them away from
many of their strongholds, killed or captured many of their operatives
or commanders and freed several hundreds of hostages," he said.
Godwin Ekpo, the tricycle operator whose wife was shot dead by a police officer, Corporal Aremu in Lagos, has been discharged from the hospital, after undergoing surgery in his jaw.
DAILY POST recalls that Aremu, a corporal attached to the Isheri Oshun Police Division, had on 17 September, 2015, killed Ekpo’s wife identified as Comfort Idongesit, in the Ijegun area of Lagos following his refusal to give the killer cop a stipend of N2, 000.
Meanwhile, the killer cop and members of his team had since been arrested on the order of the Commissioner of Police, with the Isheri Oshun Divisional Police Officer queried.
The 28-year-old killer cop was arraigned before an Ebute Metta Chief Magistrate’s Court on 18 September, 2015 on a two- count charge of murder and causing grievous bodily harm.
Subsequently, the court Magistrate, Afolashade Botoku, ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody for the next 30 days, and adjourned the matter till 19 October, 2015.
.Husband of the deceased, who was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, has reportedly been operated upon following the bullet that hit him in the jaw and right arm.
The Akwa-Ibom state indigene, who is yet to come to terms with the reality of his wife’s demise, described the incident as the worst tragedy that had befallen him, Vanguard reports.
“I don’t know what I did to the policeman to have warranted such calamity. I have never had any issue with the police all my life. I was returning from church that fateful night in the company of my wife and four children; Mary, 12; Blessing, 9; Abraham, 7; and 11-month-old Elijah. On reaching Obalagbe, along Ijegun road, some policemen stopped me. One of them came and demanded for N2,000. I told him the passengers were my family members and that I was returning from church. My wife who was with this baby (pointing to 11 months old Elijah), came down and was even explaining to the policeman. But he refused to listen. Before we knew it, he fired a shot which hit my wife on the head. She died right on the spot. The bullet pierced through her head, hit me in the jaw and right arm. That was all I could remember until I found my self in the hospital.
“Oh! The wife of my youth is gone. She was a friend, a sister, a wife and a mother to me. Where do I begin from? How do I take care of these children alone, especially Elijah?” the father of four sobbed.
“Although the Police tried their best in paying for the treatment but that cannot bring back my Comfort Idongesit. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police visited me in the hospital, where I was told that my children’s education would be taken care of. But they have not started school. We are still waiting for the next move.
“My life has been shattered by that singular incident of September 16, 2015,” he added and went further to appeal to the Federal Government, the governors of Lagos and Akwa-Ibom states and well-meaning Nigerians, to come to his aid.
AN Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Monday remanded one Ibrahim Ayelangbe in prison custody for biting off a police officer’s ear.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Magistrate, Mrs Oluwadamilola Olanipekun, gave the order following the guilty plea of the accused when the charge was read to him.
Ayelangbe, 27, whose address is not known, is facing three charges bordering on unlawful entry and grievous assault.
The prosecutor, Insp Benson Emuerhi, told the court that the accused viciously assaulted Cpl. Ebere Nwogidi on July 10 at 3:00am.
He said the accused was caught trying to gain entrance into No. 21, Temple Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, when he was accosted.
“Ayelangbe was caught while trying to jump a fence into a private residence at Ikoyi.
“The accused attempted to escape from Cpl. Omede Isaiah and one Ebere Nwogidi led to a scuffle.
“Ayelangbe then bit off the left ear of Nwogidi,” Emuerhi said.
The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 172, 243 and 306 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
NAN reports that Section 172 provides three years imprisonment for anyone found guilty.
Olanipekun adjourned the case till October 2 for hearing and verdict.
EMEKA Oguzie, a 40-year-old businessman was on Monday remanded in prison custody by a Lagos Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ikeja for allegedly defiling his 7-year-old daughter.
Oguzie who resides at Suite 37, Ojokoro Housing Estate, Meiran in Lagos is standing trial on a two-count charge of defilement and causing breach of peace.
While testifying before the court, the prosecutor, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede said the offence was committed on September 6 at his residence.
Iseghede told the court that the culprit allegedly fingered his daughter in her private part but was caught by his elder son, who reported the case to her mother.
“The victim said that her father had been doing that for some time now,” Iseghede said.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened Sections 135 and 166(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
When the charges were read, the 40-year-old pleaded not guilty.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Tajudeen Elias, ordered that the accused be remanded in prison while the case was adjourned till September 29 for ruling on bail application.
