ABUJA— Detectives from force headquarters, yesterday, grilled Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State for four hours at Government House, Yola, over a recent memo he sent to the Northern Governors Forum, NGF, alleging genocide in the North by President Goodluck Jonathan.
This came as the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, warned politicians, including serving governors, against inflammatory and divisive statements capable of endangering the peace and security of the nation.
Vanguard gathered that the team of investigators, drawn from the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Intelligence Bureau and the IGP monitoring unit, included two Deputy Commissioners of Police, one Assistant Commissioner of Police and two Superintendents of Police.
…sick, traumatised, recount ordeal
Reps summon service chiefs
Military failed to act –Senators
Four more school girls abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok two weeks ago were yesterday rescued around Monguno area of Borno State.
This brings to 48, the number of girls that have escaped so far from the clutches of the terrorists, while 230 were said to be still missing.
Our correspondent gathered that the girls were rescued by some good Samaritans in a village near Monguno on Sunday before they were handed over to security operatives in Maiduguri, the state capital.
The government of Enugu State yesterday seized a helicopter belonging to the Aero Contractors for allegedly landing at the Governor’s Lodge without approval.
A source told reporters that the helicopter caused panic at the Government House as workers were said to have scampered for safety on sighting the helicopter.
The source added that security operatives attached to the Government House cordoned off the area when the flight landed and arrested the operators.
Chief press secretary to Governor Sullivan Chime, Chukwudi Achife, who confirmed the development in a statement, explained that it took place at about 10.30am when workers were already in their offices.
The North’s delegates to the ongoing National Conference circulated yesterday their position paper.
The 47-page document marked “Key issues before the Northern delegates to the 2014 National Conference” also has a sub-title: “Northern Nigeria the back bone and strength of Nigeria”.
It was articulated by a think tank constituted by Northern Governors, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.
The position paper, which was described as “highly provocative” by some Southern delegates, detailed the position and demands of the North from the Conference.
It specifically asked northern delegates to reject all claims to oil resources by oil producing areas which the document claimed led to the cancellation of the onshore/offshore oil dichotomy.
Women from Borno State yesterday protested the abduction of their daughters from the hostel 15 days after, by members of the Boko Haram sect, in Chibok.
The women, dressed in black attire lamented the inability of the Federal Government to rescue the 234 schools girls who were writing their final examinations.
Armed with placards containing emotional inscriptions, the bewildered women expressed fears that the kidnapped girls may be undergoing varied forms of torture and molestation in the hands of their captors.
Some of the placards read: ‘Our girls in captivity for 15 days’; ‘Nigeria, come to the rescue of our girls’; ‘Mr President, rescue our daughters’; ‘A vacuum has been created’; ‘Save our daughters, please’; etc.
The leader of the obviously traumatised parents, Mrs. Naomi Mukhtar, said the essence of their visit to the National Assembly was to further draw global attention to their predicament.
A Nigerian citizen pleaded guilty yesterday to U.S. charges of providing material support to an al Qaeda affiliate, and participating in its media and recruitment campaigns.
Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, 33, appearing before a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The plea came ahead of a July 14 trial date and followed a Nigerian court’s decision in August to grant a U.S. request for Babafemi’s extradition.
Prosecutors said that, from January 2010 to August 2011, Babafemi traveled from Nigeria to Yemen twice to meet with leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP.
The police in Ekiti State have arrested a 57-year-old Vice-Principal of St. Mary Girls College, Ikole Ekiti, Mr. Ayo Ajayi, for allegedly raping a 12-year-old pupil of the school inside his office.
Our correspondent gathered that the pupil had gone to the office of the vice-principal on March 18 and she did not come out as quickly as expected. This was said to have fueled the suspicion of some teachers.
One of the teachers, who reported the case to the police, was said to have moved closer to the door to open it but discovered that the door had been locked from inside.
She was said to have knocked on the door and the pupil and the suspect allegedly hurriedly stopped what they were busy doing inside.
The demeanour of the VP and the pupil was said to have given them away and one of the teachers reported the case to the police.
A father of two, Mr. John Ujatalor, has accused the Medical Director of Ogbeide Medical Centre Ubiaja, Edo State, Dr. John Ogbeide, of negligence in the death of his baby and wife, Eunice.
Eunice was said to have died on April 5, 2014 while she was being delivered of the baby at the hospital. She was said to have been over 10 months pregnant at the time.
In a telephone interview with PUNCH Metro, Ujatatlor said the scan results showed Eunice was expected to give birth in March 2014.
Ujatalor said, “Eunice had her first two deliveries in that hospital. Naturally when she was pregnant for the third time, we went back there. Ogbeide told us that from the scan results, Eunice ought to have given birth in March. Ogbeide also said from his own calculation, she ought to have delivered in February. He assured us that there was no cause for alarm so, Eunice kept showing up for ante natal clinics as at when due.”
On April 4, 2014, Eunice was said to have begun her labour at about 10pm. Ujatalor said his wife was left in the care of the nurses on duty.
President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, sacked his Political Adviser, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, in an unceremonious manner.
Sources told Vanguard that Gulak’s sacking might not be unconnected with his undue meddling in the affairs of some People’s Democratic Party, PDP, states.
However, Gulak told Vanguard that his leaving the government had nothing to do with the face-off with the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and Chairman of PDP Governor’s Forum, Chief Godswill Akpabio.
He said that he left the presidency to join the governorship race in Adamawa State, saying “indigenes of Adamawa State are fed up with the misgovernment of Admiral Murtala Nyako, whose accomplishments in office has been very negligible and controversial.”
He said the people of Adamawa have been urging him “to come and contest and the need to give his people the type of leadership that they deserve has come.
ASABA — THREE Fulani herdsmen were, yesterday, killed in a gun battle with the police when they were allegedly caught in the act robbing motorists plying Asaba-Benin highway.
This came barely one week after Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State set up a task force to checkmate the movement of the herdsmen, which he said was posing a security threat.
Addressing newsmen in Asaba, yesterday, the State Police Comand’s spokesperson, Celestina Kalu said: Operatives of Special anti-robbery squad (SARS) Asaba received information that hoodlums were sighted in the forest linking Issele-Azagba/Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku.”
Source: Vanguard
The Federal Government is to call additional witnesses and produce more evidence in support of its case against a senator from Borno State, Aliyu Ndume.
Ndume is standing trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja on allegation that he has a link with the insurgent group, Boko Haram.
The Federal Government’s plan to add fresh evidence and call more witnesses was contained in a motion filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
Yesterday, a lawyer from the AGF’s office, E. Orji, urged the court to allow him file additional proof of evidence against Ndume.
“The application is intended to give the accused a fair hearing and also the right to cross-examine the witness and contradict the evidence that shall be given.
“We urge this court to grant this motion and dismiss the the accused’s counter affidavit because it is intended to clog the wheel of justice,” he said.
Senators from Nigeria’s terrorist-torn Borno State yesterday opened a can of worms, painting a clear picture of how the country’s military and the Jonathan administration have woefully failed to act on intelligence reports that could have led to the rescue of the over 200 innocent girls abducted over two weeks ago from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok.
Senators Ahmed Zannah (Borno Central) and Ali Ndume (Borno South) gave the heart-rending expose while contributing to a motion entitled “Abduction of School girls in Chibok, Borno State” sponsored by Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba and 107 others. Below are their exact words:
Senator Ahmed Zannah (Borno Central): “Since the beginning of this siege, I kept mute on this issue as far as press releases and press interviews are concerned.
“I have been constantly in touch with the security agencies, telling them the developments, the movement of the girls from one place to the other and then the splitting of the girls and eventually the marriage of these girls by the insurgents.
“What bothers me most is that whenever I inform where these are, after two to three days, they will be moved from that place to another and still, I will go back and inform them that see, this is what is happening.
• Police arrest 4, retrieve deity
Onitsha While Christians were celebrating Easter, Abatete community, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, was thrown into confusion and fear, following the disappearance of the popular Omaliko deity.
Respite, however, came as a police crack team, attached to the Ogidi Police Division, intercepted a gang which took away the deity.
According to a member of the community, who pleaded for anonymity, some people entered the shrine, took away the head of Omaliko deity, its staff of authority and symbol of authority.
The source said the Chief Priest (Eze Muo) of Omaliko broke the news of the stealing of the deity to the elders of Abatete community, who immediately reported the theft to the police.
