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Showing posts from November, 2013

NDLEA arrests 28-year-old man with N81m worth of cocaine

(Nigeria) The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 28-year-old man, Maduagwu Charles, at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, with three kilogrammes cocaine. The NDLEA Commander in charge of the airport, Mr Ambrose Umoru, made the disclosure on Thursday in Kano while briefing newsmen on the arrest. He said that ``the high-grade pure cocaine worth N81 million can make up to nine kilogrammes of the substance when diluted.’’ Umoru said the suspect was apprehended during screening of passengers of Egypt Air Flight Number MS 879. He added that ``the suspect boarded Ethiopian Airline flight No. ET 507 from Sao Paulo in Brazil and transited to Cairo, Egypt, before arriving in Kano via Egypt Airline. ``The substance was neatly sealed in the body-hollow of two loud speakers brought by the suspect.’’ The commander said the substance was concealed in a new mode of concealment by drug merchants, adding that the suspect would be charged to court aft

Court dissolves 21-year-old due to wife's infidelity

(Nigeria) A Grade III Customary Court in Osogbo, Osun State, on Thursday dissolved the 21-year-old marriage between one Joseph Akinola and  Kudirat  Akinola. Akinola asked the court to dissolve the marriage, after accusing his wife of infidelity, unfaithfulness and stubbornness. ``My wife is in love with another man; I found his picture under her pillow, she was sleeping with his picture even when we were together.'' Akinola said his wife was influenced by a woman, Iya Shina, who was always inviting her to her residence. ``I know she was influenced by her friend, Iya Shina, who always invited my wife to her house. She was not like this when I married her; I met her as a virgin, so I am convinced she was influenced. Although we have three children together, I pray the court to separate us since we have been leaving separately when she moved out of my house five years ago,’’ he said.  Kudirat, however, told the court that what her husband said was true. ``I got the

5,062 new lawyers admitted in Nigeria

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(Nigeria) The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, on Thursday admitted 5. 062 candidates as new lawyers, urging them to abide by the rules governing the legal profession. Mukhtar, who spoke at the 2012/2013 session of the call-to-Bar, organised by the Council of Legal Education and Nigerian Law School, described the new wigs as ''worthy ministers in the temple of justice''. She urged them to boost their image as legal practitioners through their conduct. Mukhtar also commended them for passing the professional exams to qualify as lawyers. ''Legal education in Nigeria is undertaken in two phases; first is the teaching of substantive law courses handled by accredited law faculties in the universities; the second phase is the teaching of procedural law by which means the practise or the practical use of the rights, interest, liabilities of substantive law are pursued. ``You must respect the fact that as counsel, you have a duty to

Presidency denies conveying Asari-Dokubo with jet

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(Nigeria) The Presidency on Thursday refuted the on-line media report that a presidential jet was used to convey Alhaji Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo from Benin Republic after his release. Dr Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, told State House correspondents that the report was false. ``Again, what we see here is an attempt by people to just tell lies and try to package lies as the truth. I think it is very sad that people, in an attempt to just play politics with anything at all, will start packaging lies hoping that gullible persons will believe them. ``An aircraft is not a ghost in the air. The movement of any aircraft is properly documented and people will see the aircraft if it lands anywhere, particularly the presidential aircraft. ``Nobody can come up with any evidence that any presidential jet was sent to Benin Republic. I can tell you that President Jonathan did not send any presidential jet to Benin Republic,’’ he said. Abati wond

National restructuring: Lagos should be restored to its status as a Federal Territory

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(Nigeria) By Eze Eluchie One of the greatest fraud perpetuated on the peoples of Nigeria and the Nigerian federation is the conversion of Lagos from a Federal Territory to a State after the territory had served for almost a century as, first a Crown Colony, and then the Capital Territory of the Federal Republic. Historically, at its inception, three territories, to wit: 1). the Crown Colony of Lagos (which later transformed to the Capital city of Lagos and then ultimately, Lagos State), 2). the Northern  Protectorate and 3). the Southern Protectorates, were amalgamated to form Nigeria in 1914. Lagos remained and served as the Federal Capital of Nigeria uptil 1967, when as part of ‘strategic’ efforts to restructure Nigeria and elicit primordial loyalties, it was transformed into a ‘State’ by the civil-war government of General Gowon. It tantamount to a fraud in the sense that people from all over Nigeria and beyond had converged on Lagos, developed it into what it is, in pu

Imo to conduct LG elections in 2014

(Nigeria) Chairman of the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr Amaechi Nwoha, has pledged to conduct local government and Community Government Council elections in 2014. Nwoha announced the plan in Owerri on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, Mr Benjamin Uwajumogu. He said the election had become necessary to enthrone democratically elected leaders at the local government level. The chairman solicited the support of the assembly in ensuring the successful conduct of the elections. ``The people of Imo deserve to have democratically elected leaders at the local government level. In view of this, we will be conducting two elections next year; the local government elections and the Community Government Council elections.  "The cooperation of the Imo House of Assembly is highly needed to enable us to achieve this constitutionally," he said. The chairman promised to ensure that the activities of the commission would

Oduah gate: NCAA declines to release procurement records for purchase of bullet-proof cars

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(Nigeria) Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has said it cannot release the procurement records for the purchase of two controversial bullet proof cars to two non-governmental organisations, seeking access to them because releasing them would undermine ongoing administrative and criminal investigations into the matter. The NCAA took the position in response to joint request for the documents made by Media Rights Agenda, MRA and the Public and Private Development Centre, PPDC, under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. MRA and PPDC wrote to NCAA Director General, Mr. Folayele Akinkuotu, on October 21, asking for detailed information on the procurement records for the purchase by the NCAA of two BMW 760 LiHSS vehicles with chassis numbers WBAHP41050DW68032 and WBAHP41010DW68044. The groups asked for copies of the procurement and contract records for the purchase of the cars, including: evidence of budgetary allocation for the procurement process; the procurement plan fo

22-year-old bags 7 years in jail for stealing baby

(Nigeria) An Oredo Chief Magistrate Court in Benin, Edo State, on Thursday sentenced a 20-year-old woman, Chidima Eze, to seven years imprisonment for stealing a four-month-old baby. The Chief Magistrate, Peter Asemota, convicted and sentenced Eze, following her guilty plea during arraignment on September 30. Asemota did not give the woman an option of fine. He held: “I have listened to the unequivocal plea of guilt by the accused person. ‘’I have listened to the facts as presented by the prosecutor. I have also read through the statement made to the police by the accused. From the statement, the accused admitted that she stole the baby and admitted that she and two others took the baby to Lagos and used her in soliciting for funds. “They went out on three occasions and realised about N30, 000, out of which they paid their hotel bills and fed the baby.’’ The chief magistrate said that it was clear from the statement and the action of the three suspects that they had no in

AAUA has implemented 2009 FG-ASUU agreement--VC

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(Nigeria) Adekunle Ajasin University,  Akungba Akoko, AAUA, says it has implemented the 2009 Federal Government-Academic State Union of Universities, ASUU agreement more than any institution. Prof. Femi Mimiko, the Vice Chancellor, told News Agency of Nigeria, on Thursday in his office in Akungba Akoko in an interview. He said that having implemented the agreement more than any state university in the country, the institution decided to call its workers and student back to school.   He said that the institution had paid its financial component of the agreement including the monthly `earned allowance’ of N15, 000 in the last one year to each lecturer. Mimiko noted that the university was in constant engagement with the union in the university on how to resolve the five months old strike. He added that the leadership of the union was not positively inclined. ``The ASUU leadership is not sure it is positively inclined; they have asked that people (lectures and students) sh

IG orders adequate security in varsity campuses nationwide

(Nigeria) The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered immediate provision of adequate security in and around university campuses nationwide. This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Frank Mba, the Force Public Relations Officer, on Thursday in Abuja. The statement said the measure was designed to secure life and property in the institutions and provide enabling environment for lecturers, students and other members of staff to go about their lawful businesses without hindrance. ``The directive is a proactive and confidence-boosting measure designed to ensure that nothing untoward happens in our academic communities," it said. The statement directed all Command Commissioners of Police to personally oversee the intensification of surveillance in universities in their states. It ordered them to ``take all necessary security measures needed to provide for the safety and security of members of staff and students as well as property within the vari

Anambra poll: Ekwunife withdraws case against Obiano

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(Nigeria) Mr Uche Ekunife, a member of House of Representatives and a governorship aspirant in the August 26 All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA primaries in Anambra State, has withdrawn her case challenging the candidature of Chief Willie Obiano, APGA’s candidate in the state’s governorship poll. Ekwunife (APGA-Anambra), who contested the APGA primary election which Obiano won, had challenged Obiano's candidacy at the Federal High Court sitting in Awka, over alleged Obiano's double registration. However, Ekwunife, in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, said that she was withdrawing the case due to ``pressure and in the interest of the party. ``I withdrew the suit in deference to pressure from my family, my state governor, friends, colleagues, clergymen, royal fathers, well-wishers and the larger interest of our great party, APGA. I have instructed my lawyers to terminate forthwith Suit No. GHC/ AWK/CS/ 281/2013, which we instituted at the Federal High Court, Aw

I didn't resign because of alleged missing SURE-P N500bn -- Kolade

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(Nigeria) Dr Christopher Kolade on Thursday dismissed reports linking his resignation as Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, with the alleged missing N500 billion SURE-P funds. Kolade told newsmen in Abuja that his resignation was rather on age grounds. He said that he had explained in his letter of resignation sent to president Goodluck that having attained 80 years, he wanted to slow down on energy-demanding activities. ``I explained in the letter that having done this SURE-P programme for two years and because within the next month I would be clocking 81, I am giving up some activities that take my energy. ``The letter I wrote was sent on the 26 of September long before the rumour of the missing fund started, so there is no connection between the two.’’ Kolade said that it was unfortunate that some media houses did not do enough investigation on the alleged missing N500 billion before going to press. ``To write an editorial based on

We cannot be intimidated -- ASUU

(Nigeria) The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Thursday said that it would not be intimidated by the Federal Government's directive to resume work on or before Dec. 4 without resolving the industrial dispute. Mr Clement Chup, the Chairman of ASUU, the University of Abuja chapter, told News Agency of Nigeria, in Abuja that there was nothing like re-opening the universities or calling off the strike. The Federal Government had on Thursday directed all Vice-Chancellors of the federal universities that were on strike to immediately re-open the universities for academic and allied activities. The Federal Government also directed the universities’ Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors to ensure that lecturers who resumed for work were provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities. The government, however, warned that any lecturer who failed to resume on or before December 4, automatically ceased to be a member of staff of the institution

Pension scam: Ex-manager of defunct Oceanic Bank siphoned N1.9bn --- EFCC witness

(Nigeria) An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC operative, Mustapha Sani, on Thursday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that Udusegbe Eric, an ex-manager of defunct Oceanic Bank, used five ``fictitious’’ companies to illegally siphon N1.9 billion from the Federal Pension Account. Sani, the Head of Forensic Accounting at the Commission, said Eric gave instruction for the money to be remitted between March and May 2010. The witness, who was a member of the team that investigated the transaction, said Eric also conspired to institute two other payment mandates from the defunct FinBank. According to the witness, the payment mandates were instructions that gave room for the remittances of another N94 million to ghost pensioners. ``The mandates were valued at N49 million and N45 million respectively, with each having 16 transactions paid to several ghost beneficiaries. Sani said that the accused was neither a staff of the Office of the Head of Civil Service nor their

Nigerian government gives striking ASUU ultimatum

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(Nigeria) The Nigerians government on Thursday stepped in to stop a long-running strike by university lecturers, under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, ordering an immediate end to the dispute and vowing to sack teachers who refused to cooperate. Education Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike said he was dismayed that ASUU, was issuing fresh demands, three weeks after a meeting with the government raised hopes of a swift return to work. The lecturers walked out in July over claims that the government had failed to implement a 2009 agreement to improve their welfare and upgrade facilities on state-run campuses. Hundreds of thousands of students have been left in limbo and lost a semester of study after a succession of talks broke down, souring initial public sympathy. "As a responsible government we cannot allow the continuous closure of our public universities for this length of time, as this poses a danger to the education system, the future of our youths

Nigeria military says bombed Boko Haram camps

(Nigeria) Air strikes on Boko Haram camps in Borno States have killed "many" insurgents, the military said Thursday of latest operation aimed at crushing the four-year Islamist uprising. The bombardment last Sunday targeted the notorious Sambisa Forest area of Borno state, which is considered an extremist fiefdom and has become a key focus of the military's ongoing offensive. News of the assault was slow to emerge as the mobile phone network in Borno remains switched off, part of the military strategy to hamper communication between the militants. "Our men have identified and destroyed some camps of terrorists along the Sambisa area and the operation was a huge success," area army spokesman Mohammed Dole told journalists in Borno's capital Maiduguri. "I cannot tell you the exact number of the terrorists killed but... many of them have been killed during the airstrike which we strongly believe was precise," he added. A military source wh

Nigeria drops by three points in FIFA ranking

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(Nigeria) The Super Eagles of Nigeria have dropped three points from 33rd to 36th in the official FIFA world ranking. The ranking table on the world football body’s Website on Thursday showed that Nigeria has 710 points, as against the 724 points it had with the last ranking in October. The latest ranking places Nigeria fourth in Africa, behind Algeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, who have 800, 849 and 918 points, respectively. Spain maintained the first spot ahead of Germany, Argentina and Colombia who also maintained the second, third and fourth spots respectively.

400,000 people live with HIV/AIDS in Ogun, says Commissioner

(Nigeria) The Ogun State Government on Thursday in Abeokuta said no fewer than 400,000 people are currently living with the HIV and AIDS scourge in the state. The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Olaokun Soyinka, made the disclosure at a news conference to mark the 2013 World AIDS Day in the state. NAN reports that this year's celebration has the theme ``Getting to Zero: Take Charge of Your Life, Know Your HIV Status’’. Soyinka lamented the prevalence rate in the state, saying it was ``rising and falling’’. He said the scourge had maintained an undefined pattern since 1996, pointing out that the situation implied that ``we are not winning the war against HIV/AIDS’’. The commissioner however said the state was fighting the scourge aggressively from all fronts. ``We have been using education, sensitisation, HIV testing and counseling, with the provision of anti-retroviral drugs to infected people,’’ he said. Soyinka said the 2010 statistics showed that 2.7 per cent

Delta to commence work on Ogidigben EPZ

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(Nigeria) The Delta State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr Omamofe Pirah, on Thursday announced that work on the Ogidigben Export Processing Zone, a joint-venture between the Federal Government and the Delta Government, would commence soon. Pirah made the announcement in Asaba while presenting his mid-term report. According to the commissioner, the export processing zone, estimated to cost about $20 billion (about N3.12 trillion), is located in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta. He said that the EPZ would house a gas hub, a petrol-chemical plant, a methanol plant, a fertiliser plant, a seaport, a five-star hotel, banks and about 5,000 housing units. The commissioner said that about 400 hectares of land, of the total 2,800 hectares acquired for the project, had been cleared. He said also that the stakeholders have met and agreed to cooperate and build a viable export processing zone. Pirah said that the project would create employment and contribute to

PDP congratulates APC on governors' defection

(Nigeria) The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday congratulated All Progressives Congress, APC, on the purported defection of five nPDP governors to its fold. Mr Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of the party, in a statement in Abuja, said that the PDP was not perturbed by the development. ``As for APC, we congratulate them on their new entrants. We also like to recommend to them that a man who brings home ant-infested maggots should not complain if he is visited by lizards. The PDP is losing no sleep with this cross carpeting because disloyalty is a habit. `` It’s only a matter of time before men who are disloyal to their mother would become disloyal to their step mother. ’’ Metuh said. He said that the Baraje-led nPDP,  which the defected governors belonged, was not recognised by law and could not merge with the APC as was being reported. ``Our attention has been drawn to reports from some persons passing off the cross carpeting of a group of former PDP mem

Policeman arraigned over shooting of 9-year-old

(Nigeria) A policeman, who allegedly shot and killed a nine-year-old boy while dispersing a mob, on Thursday appeared before an Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrate Court in Lagos on a charge of manslaughter. Thirty-nine-year-old Rasak Alowonle is facing a count charge . According to the Prosecutor, Insp Richard Odigie, the  mob attempted to stop the accused from seizing a commercial bus. Odigie told the court that the policeman committed the offence on June 13 at Mile 12, Ketu, Lagos. The prosecutor said that the accused and other members of his patrol team wanted to seize the bus from a driver who was obstructing traffic. ``The accused and his team tried to seize the commercial bus but the driver resisted,’’ he said. Odigie submitted that `the commotion drew the attention of a crowd that attacked the team with stones and broken bottles. He said that Alowonle shot a gun in an attempt to disperse the mob, and the bullet hit the boy. “The victim’s parents and sister went to the

Man docked for allegedly stabbing 3 sisters

(Nigeria) The Police in Lagos on Thursday docked one Saviour Udoh before a Tinubu Magistrate Court, Lagos charged with stabbing three sisters on their heads and shoulders with a bottle and a knife. The injured sisters are: Nkpoikana Silas, Rachael Silas and Alice Silas. The accused, who lives at Ikota Housing Estate, Ajah, Lagos is facing a three-count charge bordering on unlawful assault and breach of the peace before the Magistrate, Mr A.T. Omoyele. The Prosecutor, Cpl. Francesca Okere, told the court that the accused committed the offences on November 25, at 8a.m., at the Ikota Housing Estate, Bamboo II, Ajah. ``Udoh had problems with his neighbours calling his wife a witch and on the said date, he claimed to have approached Nkpoikana to stop calling his wife a witch. ``A row ensued and Udoh grabbed a bottle and stabbed the complainant on her shoulder with a knife and also broke a bottle on her head. ``In a bid to rescue their sister, Rachael and Alice also got a dose

Communities want Shell to pay compensation over oil spill

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(Nigeria) Mr Amoma-Francis Monday, Leader/Coordinator, All Communities affected by Shell Bonga Oil Spill in Niger Delta, on Thursday in Warri, Delta State called for compensation for the communities affected by the oil spill. Monday made the call after a team of experts from the Federal Ministry of Environment and Health concluded their findings on the impact of the Shell Bonga oil spill. He told News Agency of Nigeria that the 2011 oil spill had brought about different ailments and untold hardship resulting in increased death of people living in 800 communities along the coastal belt. Monday said that the situation prompted the group to draw the Federal Government’s attention to the affected communities. ``It was our letter that prompted the Federal Ministry of Environment, Health, and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to send experts to verify our allegations,’’ he said. The coordinator said that the experts were able to administer 60,000 questionnair

Police prevent APC protesters from gaining access to INEC office

(Nigeria) Armed Policemen on Thursday barricaded the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and prevented the All Progressives Congress, APC, protesters from gaining access into the commission’s office. APC is protesting against the outcome of the November 16 Anambra Anambra governorship election. The APC is calling for an outright cancellation of the election, alleging that it was not free and fair. Sen. Bola Tinubu, a Chieftain of the APC, expressed dissatisfaction at the presence of the armed policemen. According to him, they will have no job to do today because this is a peaceful demonstration. ``INEC is our institution and we owe a duty to express our grievances when it is not performing its duty properly,’’ he said. Tinubu stressed that the APC was determined to liberate Nigerians from election malpractice. Another Chieftain of the party, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, said that Nigerians had the duty to ensure free and fair elections. He said

Cholera outbreak claims another life in Ebonyi

(Nigeria) The death toll from the cholera outbreak in Ikwo Local Government Area in Ebonyi State has risen to four following the death of one more person in a general hospital. The Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Dave Umahi, announced the development on Wednesday while inaugurating the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week at the Afikpo North Local Government Area. He said the government had put modalities in place to forestall further casualties from the disease. He said the government had set up a nine-man committee comprising staff of the ministry of health and the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, to tackle incidences of cholera and Lassa fever in the state. The deputy governor urged the people to always keep their environment clean and drink water supplied by the state government. In a remark, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Sunday Nwangele, reminded the people of the need to bring out their children for immunisation. Nwangele said people who stopped their

Blair denies pressuring S.Africa to topple Mugabe

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Former British prime minister Tony Blair denied Wednesday putting pressure on South Africa while he was in office to help remove Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe in a military operation. South Africa's ex-president Thabo Mbeki claimed in an interview that Britain had urged it to topple Mugabe when a political and economic crisis escalated in the late 2000s. But Blair's spokesman denied this had happened. "Tony Blair has long believed that Zimbabwe would be much better off without Robert Mugabe and always argued for a tougher stance against him, but he never asked anyone to plan or take part in any such military intervention," he told AFP in London. The statement contradicted the account Mbeki gave to Al-Jazeera news channel. "Tony Blair... was saying to the chief of the British armed forces: 'You must work out a military plan so that we can physically remove Robert Mugabe,'" Mbeki said in the interview published on November 23. "We

Nigeria sharia police smash 240,000 bottles of beer

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(Nigeria) Police enforcing Islamic law in Nigeria's city of Kano publicly destroyed some 240,000 bottles of beer on Wednesday, the latest move in a wider crackdown on behaviour deemed "immoral" in the area. The banned booze had been confiscated from trucks coming into the city in recent weeks, said officials from the Hisbah, the patrol tasked with enforcing the strict Islamic law, known as sharia. Kano's Hisbah chief Aminu Daurawa said at the bottle-breaking ceremony he had "the ardent hope this will bring an end to the consumption of such prohibited substances". A large bulldozer smashed the bottles to shouts of "Allahu Ahkbar" (God is Great) from supporters outside the Hisbah headquarters in Kano, the largest city in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north. Kegs containing more than 8,000 litres of a local alcoholic brew called "burukutu" and 320,000 cigarettes were also destroyed. "We hope this measure will help r

2 dead in Brazil World Cup stadium accident ---- Police

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Two workers were killed Wednesday when a crane collapsed at a stadium set to host next year's World Cup opener, raising fresh doubts about Brazil's ability to finish work for the tournament on schedule. Andres Sanchez, operations director at the Arena Corinthians site, told a press conference that the workers, aged 44 and 42, were crushed to death as a crane hoisting a 500-ton metallic piece to the top of the roof collapsed. He said the cause of the mishap was not yet known but was under investigation. He insisted that the overall structure was not affected. The accident came amid a scramble to meet a December 31 set by football's governing body FIFA to complete work at the venue. A third worker was rushed to hospital with injuries after the accident, which brought a shocked response from FIFA president Sepp Blatter and condolences from the Brazilian ministry of sport. "I'm deeply saddened by the tragic death of workers @Corinthians arena today,&qu

nPDP denies merger with APC

(Nigeria) The Alhaji Kawu Baraje-led new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, said it had not formally merged with  All Progressives Congress, APC, as reported in the media. The National Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr Chukwuemeka Eze, denied the merger when he spoke with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday. According to him, the group is still open to reconciliation. what happened on November 26 is a declaration of intent to merge. ``The parties in the alliance have just set up a committee to work on the conditions of the purported merger. Can we merged without conditions,’’ he asked. Eze said the event which took place at Kano Governors' lodge in Abuja was misrepresented, adding that the parties involved were yet to sign the memorandum of understanding, MoU. He said the report of the committee would be submitted to the steering committee on December 26, adding ``it is only after we have signed the MoU that you can say we have merged. The spokesman of the splinter group sa

Magistrate orders NAN, Vanguard reporters out of court

(Nigeria) A Lagos Magistrate, Mrs O.O. Martins of an Igbosere Magistrate Court, on Wednesday ordered two reporters out of the court. The reporters are Mr Henry Oladele of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, and Miss Onozure Dania of the Vanguard Newspapers. The magistrate, who is in charge of Court 11, Igbosere, ordered the reporters out while monitoring the court's proceedings. NAN reports that the incident occurred when the prosecutor, Sgt. Godwin Oria, alerted the magistrate that some journalists were in her court. “Immediately I entered the court, I noticed the prosecutor whispering to the magistrate and suddenly the magistrate asked if there was any journalist in the court. I stood up and she ordered me and my colleague to get out, which I did without any objection,’’ Oladele said.  Efforts to find out reasons for the magistrate's action from the prosecutor proved futile as he was not ready to talk.

Absence of counsel stalls Useni`s arraignment in CCT

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The formal arraignment of former Federal Capital Territory,  Minister, Lt.-Gen. Jeremiah Useni (rtd) before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Wednesday, was again stalled due to the absence of his counsel, Mr Victor Odjemu. The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation filed a suit on May 10, 2000 against Useni bordering on abuse of office and non-declaration of assets. Useni is alleged to have used his office as minister of the FCT to acquire landed properties in choice locations in Abuja metropolis. At the sitting of the tribunal on Wednesday, the case could not go ahead with the case because Odjemu wrote a letter, seeking an adjournment to enable him appear before the Court of Appeal in Kaduna for another matter. The case was the only matter in the day’s case list and the tribunal’s sitting could not hold. Odjemu’s letter, dated Nov. 26, was addressed to the tribunal’s registrar and copied to Mr Simon Egede, the acting Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation. H