innosreport

Attacks in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq killed nine people Sunday, exactly a month before parliamentary polls with violence at its worst since the country emerged from a bloody sectarian conflict. The latest violence came hours after seven soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint in a late-night attack by militants in the north, the latest in a surge in bloodshed that has killed more than 2,200 people already this year. The unrest has been driven principally by anger in the Sunni Arab minority over alleged mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led authorities, as well as by the civil war raging in neighbouring Syria. A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives on a major bridge in Ramadi, a city west of Baghdad where security forces are still grappling to retain full control after militants took over several neighbourhoods two months ago. The blast killed seven people and wounded 10 more, and also badly damaged the Hauz Bridge, a key crossing used by civilians

(Nigeria) Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has charged the men of the State Traffic Management Agency, ESTMA, to stop and arrest him or the State Deputy Governor if their vehicles beat the red light rule, saying no one is too big to contravene laws in the state. Speaking during a meeting with officers and men of the Agency at the Government House, weekend, Oshiomhole said men of the agency to be firm but civil in carrying out their duties, saying they must not treat ‘big  men’ with levity because of their status in the society. He said: “you must not extort, you must not criminalise innocent people, you must not let offenders go after extortion, if anybody beats the red light, you must arrest the person no matter his status. If it’s the Governor or Deputy Governor, you must block him and interrogate him. The only person exempted from the red light rule is the President or Deputy President when they visit, in which case the road will be blocked for their easy passage. “

(Nigeria) The Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar, has died on Sunday in a private hospital in Abuja, the Secretary to the Niger Government, Alhaji Saidu Kpaki, has said. Kpaki confirmed the monarch’s death in a telephone interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Minna, Niger State, saying “I can confirm that the Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Abubakar, is dead and the burial is slated for 5.00.p.m in Agaie, today (Sunday)." Abubakar Ubandoma III, aged 52, was appointed the traditional ruler of Agaie Emirate in Niger on April 30, 2004. He had Higher Diploma in Animal Health and Husbandry and a Post-graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Abubakar was one of the promoters of the creation of the proposed Edu State out of Niger and Kwara, being homeland for the Nupes with the capital in Bida.  

(Nigeria) The Department of State Services, DSS, on Sunday morning, foiled an attempted jail break at its headquarters in Abuja, a statement has said. The statement, which was signed by Marilyn Ogar, the Deputy Director, Public Relations, DSS, said that the attempt occurred at 7.15 a.m. Ogar said that ``this was when the service suspect handler went to the detention facility within the headquarters to feed suspects. ``One of the suspects attempted to disarm the handler by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff. The suspect’s attempt to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility, who fired some shots to warn and deter others.’’ She explained that the gun shots attracted the attention of the military ``with whom we have an understanding of mutual assistance in the event of any threat. ``The Army immediately deployed a team to reinforce our perimeter guards to forestall any external collaborators. The situation has since been brought under control,

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has shut the operations of Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company, NIPCO, reports NAN. A NAN correspondent who visited NIPCO operational headquarters at Apapa, Lagos, on Friday, reports that more than 100 trucks were on queue at the loading bay. A top management staff of NIPCO told NAN on condition of anonymity, that this was done on the orders of NUPENG. He said that the issues surrounding the shut in followed the leadership tussle within the top echelon of the Nigeria Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). According to the source, the situation, which is the fallout of union politics, i-west, to another round of petrol scarcity. “We don't have any industrial crisis that could have warranted the shutdown of operations. “I urge the Federal Government to intervene in the matter before its gets out of hand,” the source said. The top management source said that the company was losing an av

(Nigeria) No fewer than 40 stalls were burnt in a fire outbreak at the Garki Model Market in Abuja on Saturday morning before it was put out. Mr Ibrahim Yahaya-Joe, the Manager, Abuja Market Management Limited, AMML, told News Agency of Nigeria that the fire started at 6.02 a.m. Yahaya-Joe said he received a phone call and was informed that the fire started from a cold-room store before spreading to other parts. ``I received a distress call at exactly 6.02 this morning that there was fire outbreak in one of the shops with a big refrigerator and gas cylinders. We used fire extinguishers as an interim measure to curb the outbreak before the arrival of the fire service personnel. The fire fighters came from the State House, the Federal Fire Service and the FCT Fire Service.’’ He said there were also other cold rooms and cylinders around the area which aggravated the fire’’, he said. Yahaya-Joe commended the men of the fire services for their prompt response to stop the fire. He add

(Nigeria) The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, DPP, has absolved the founder of a church -- Perfect Christianity Mission -- Pastor Sign Fireman, of complicity in the murder of a 12-year-old girl. This is contained in a legal advice by the DPP to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigations Department, M.A.K. Smith Street, Yaba. The legal advice, dated February 27, was signed by Ms Olayide Eboda on behalf of the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye. The girl was allegedly strangled to death by one Ikechukwu Egbo in Badagry, Lagos State on December 31, 2013. Egbo had in a confessional statement claimed that it was Fireman, who asked him to murder the girl and obtain her excreta for a N100, 000 reward. However, the DPP cleared Fireman of the crime after the conclusion of Police investigations into the incident, while Egbo was found culpable. The DPP said the facts in the file revealed that the suspect tricked the