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(Nigeria) Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, on Thursday alleged irregularities in the remittances of revenue by some collecting banks. The RMAFC said in Abuja while addressing newsmen on the commission's decision on illegalities being perpetrated by some banks in the remittance of FIRS and NCS revenues. He said that most of the banks were engaged by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and Nigerian Customs Service, NCS. The  Chairman of the commission, Mr Elias Mbam, said some of the irregularities were excessive bank charges like Commission On Turnover, COT, on revenue accounts of the FIRS and NCS. Mbam said the commission launched a verification and reconciliation of revenue remittances by the banks to block any leakage to the Federation Account. He said that 53 consulting firms had been appointed to carry out the exercise covering January 2008 to June 2012. He said that they were given three months to submit their rep

Michael Adebowale one of the suspects accused of killing a British soldier in London, on  Thursday appeared at the West Minster Magistrate Court. Adebowale 22, is being charged with murder, and possessing a 9.44 mm KNIL model 91 revolver with intent to cause fear among onlookers and also to trigger violence. On May 22, Adebowale, and another suspect Michael Adebolajo hacked Drummer Lee Rigby, a soldier to death in a brutal attack. At Thursday's short hearing, the suspect only confirmed his name, date of birth, and address, but will stand trial at ``Old Bailey’’  England's central criminal court. Although he is expected to make a bail application by June 3rd, before a pre-trial hearing on June 28. Adebowale who sustained injuries after being shot by police following Rigby's murder spent six days in hospital receiving treatment.  The second suspect Adebolajo 28, is still in hospital and is believed to be seriously injured.

(Nigeria) The Joint Security Task Force, JTF, in Kano State, has arrested three Lebanese suspected of owning the large cache of arms recovered at a bunker in the city. Brig.-Gen. Iliyasu Abba, the Brigade Commander, 3 rd Brigade, Nigerian Army, said one of the suspects was arrested on Tuesday at a house on Gaya Road in Bompai area of Kano. According to him, another suspect was arrested in Abuja while the third suspect was apprehended since May 16,  at Aminu Kano International Airport, on his way to Beirut, Lebanon. ``The one arrested at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport had a sum of $60,000 in his possession.'' He said one Abdullahi Hassan Tahir Padalla, who was the owner of the house in which one of the suspect was arrested was still at large. Abba said among the weapons discovered during the operation on Tuesday were 17 AK 47 rifles, 44 magazines, four land mines and 12 RPG bombs, 14 RPG charger, 11 66 mm anti-tanks weapons, one SMG magazine,

(Nigeria) An Abuja High Court on Thursday refused an application to recall a prosecution witness, Mr Ayuba Ede, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, in the alleged Apo six killings. Justice Ishaq Bello ordered for the continuation of cross examination of the witness. It would be recalled that Mr Rickey Tarfa, counsel to Danjuma Ibrahim, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, had earlier filed an application challenging the recall of Ede as a witness in the case. He said that on Feb. 14, 2012, Ede was cross examined by the prosecuting counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN. "At that sitting, the prosecutor informed the court that he will not be re-examining the witness and the witness was accordingly discharged. My lord, it is pertinent to state that the prosecution thereafter sought for several adjournments to enable them to field other witnesses in support of their case, but they failed to do so,” Tarfa said. He said that when Ede was called, the prosecution led him in

At least seven bombs battered Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim neighborhoods across Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 16 more people in the worst wave of sectarian violence since civil war five years ago, reports Reuters. The bloodletting reflects increasing conflict between Iraq's majority Shi'ite leadership and the Sunni minority, many of whom feel unfairly treated since the 2003 fall of strongman Saddam Hussein, a Sunni. Civil war in Syria between Sunni rebels and President Bashar al-Assad, whose Alawite sect derives from Shi'ite Islam, has aggravated the strife in Iraq. Sunni and Shi'ite Iraqis have been crossing the border to fight on opposing sides in Syria. No group claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks, but Sunni Islamist insurgents and al Qaeda's Iraqi wing have increased their operations since the beginning of the year as part of a campaign to exacerbate inter-communal tensions. A car bomb exploded in the mainly Sunni di

(Nigeria) A Bauchi High Court, on Thursday ordered the reinstatement of a female member of the state Assembly, Mrs Rifkatu Danna (PDP-Bogoro), suspended since June 7, 2012. The state Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Zango, who gave the order in Bauchi, while delivering judgement on the case, also directed the House to pay the lawmaker all her salaries and entitlements which accumulated during her suspension. Zango held that the indefinite suspension clamped by the House on Danna was unconstitutional, null and void and of no legal effect. He described the action of the Assembly as mere arbitrary show of power, which had infringed on the fundamental human rights of the plaintiff. Danna was suspended by the assembly and ordered to apologise for publicly criticising the decision of the House to relocate the headquarters of Bogoro local government from Tafawa Balewa to Bununu. The judge said the comment was not derogatory as claimed by the House but mere criticism o

(Nigeria) Justice Ibrahim Saulawa of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, on Thursday declined hearing of an appeal filed by Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan, challenging a death sentence handed them. Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to late General Sanni Abacha, and Shofolahan former Personal Assistant to Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, are challenging the death sentence handed them by a Lagos High court. The convicts were sentenced to death on January 30, 2012, by Justice Mojisola Dada, for conspiracy in masterminding the murder of late Kudirat. The case which ought to be for argument of the appeal filed by the appellants, could not go on, as the presiding jusctice declined hearing for personal reasons. Justice Saulawa told counsels to the appellants, that he could only assist them in recording a further date for arguments, but will not participate in hearing the main appeal for reasons which he described as personal. He therefore adjourned the case to