Navy bombs Arepo creeks to dislodge pipeline vandals

The Nigerian Navy on Thursday began the aerial bombardment of Arepo creeks in Ogun State in an effort to dislodge pipeline vandals who have long been entrenched in the area.

Reports indicate that the vandals tried to fight back with General Purpose Machine Guns, GPMG mounted on wooden boats but were overwhelmed.

Security sources said that the decision to use aerial bombardment was borne out of the inaccessibility of the creeks by land and sea.

There have been rumours of casualties emanating from the aerial bombings but the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai told newsmen yesterday that you it too early to confirm since the area was still inaccessible.

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13 inmates escape in Kogi prison jailbreak

13 inmates of the Kotonkarfe in Kogi State reportedly escaped in the early hours of Saturday after bringing down the wall of the facility.

It is still unclear how the inmates executed the plan but a security source told Vanguard that “It’s as if someone in the prisons did not do his/her job well and the prisoners took advantage of that to make good their escape.”

It was learnt that some kidnapping kingpins paraded by the Department of State Services were being detained at the facility.

Abujacitynews learnt that the Comptroller General of Nigeria Prisons Service, NPS has despatched a representative to assess the situation.

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Environment Minister jogging with public servants at National Stadium Abuja (Photo)

The Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed on Saturday led a team of public servants for the July 2016 Jogging and Exercise at the National Stadium, Abuja.

Photo by Esther Agbarakwe.

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Fear of violence: PDP candidate withdraws from Kano by-election

The main opposition candidate in the Minjibir by-election, Auwalu Ubale Minjibir of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP withdrew from the race Saturday morning, just hours to the commencement of voting.

Minjibir cited the violation of the agreement reached with other critical stakeholders in the election as the reason for his decision. He said that his ambition was not worth the blood of any member of the electorate.

"We agreed on a number issues that would ensure free polls, but that gentleman's agreement has been sacrificed on the alter of desperation.

"From the evidence on ground, there is high risk of violence if I insist on my mandate, and I feel my ambition is not worth the life of my people.

"In the interest of peace, I have withdrawn from the race for another day," he said.

Meanwhile, voting commenced in all the eleven wards with very few voters turning up for the exercise.

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Buhari approves Board of Trustees for Ogoni clean up

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the Governing Council & Board of Trustees for the Implementation of the Ogoni land Report.

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Police calls for prosecution of Navy Commander who shot okada rider

The Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, NOPRIN has called for the investigation and prosecution of a naval officer who shot and critically wounded a commercial motorcyclist in Idah, Kogi State.

Muhammed Idachaba was shot by Navy Commander Otuh Bassey on July 26 , 2016 after being frog matched for apparently contesting the right of way with the military officer who was driving a Sport Utility Vehicle.

In a statement signed by its National Commander, Okechukwu Nwanguma, NOPRIN detailed the inhuman treatment meted on the hapless motorcyclist by the naval officer.

“Because the road was bad, the motorcycle rider felt that the Naval officer was trying to manoeuvre through the potholes.

“A little distance ahead, the okada rider met the same Naval officer parked by the roadside and as he passed, the Naval officer entered his vehicle and gave chase. He double-crossed the okada rider and forced him to a stop.

“The Naval officer, who was carrying a girl in his SUV, came out from his car and ordered the okada rider to park his bike, and he obeyed. He ordered him to kneel down and he also obeyed, and he then ordered him to frog-match.”

Saturday Punch reports that NOPRIN gathered that it became apparent that Bassey was visiting a past grievance on Idachaba when he pointedly told the motorcyclist that the time had come to waste him as he had promised during an earlier encounter.

“At this point, the Naval officer drew his pistol and started to shoot the boy and that he shot him several times until the boy fell in a poll of his own blood.

“Believing that the okada rider was dead, the Naval officer entered his SUV and drove to a motor park where he dropped off the girl he was carrying in his car and left.”

Unknown to Bassey however, a plainclothed policeman had trailed him to the motor park where he dropped off the girl in his SUV.

He arrested the girl and took her to the police station from where she was made to call Navy Commander Otuh Bassey who then came and made a statement.

“The girl then called the Naval officer from the police station and informed him about her arrest. He arrived at the police station and made statement claiming that he did not shoot the boy on purpose."

According to reports, Idachaba is billed to undergo surgery at the Federal Medical Center, Lokoja on 12 August 2016.

NOPRIN in its statement called on the Navy authorities to dismiss Commander Bassey and hand him over to the police for prosecution.

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FG has paid N63.12b to construction firms - Fashola

According to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Federal Government has so far paid 70 construction companies the sum of N63.12bn for works done in the first quarter of 2016.

Fashola said on Friday that following the payment, the firms had mobilized back to their  construction sites, and in the process, recalled over 5,000 workers that had hitherto been laid off.

He stressed that the budget was an article of faith through which government expressed its commitment to the people.

“From the N4tn average budget in a time of plenty, this administration sets an ambitious N6tn with a 30 per cent capital expenditure. It pays serious attention to its budget as the article of faith that defines its commitment. Since the budget was passed in May, 70 construction companies got paid N63.169bn for the first quarter in Works ministry alone.

“The response is that in the last few weeks since budget was passed, construction companies that had demobilised from their sites and laid off workers due to lack of payment since 2014, are remobilising to rail, road, power and other construction sites, and are re-calling workers.

“The Kaduna-Abuja rail project, which was commissioned but never ran in the past government, was opened to public service on July 26 by this new administration. These are the first signs of productivity, they signal a clear pathway out of recession, and although results take time to manifest, Nigeria has chosen an appropriate pathway out of economic difficulty," he said.

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