THE chairman of the ongoing National Conference, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Kutigi (retd), attracted the anger of some delegates on Wednesday when he walked out journalists covering the conference.
His order infuriated many of the delegates who threatened to stage a walkout of the conference if journalists were not allowed to cover the proceedings.
The development stalled the conference proceedings for about 40 minutes, as the majority of the delegates insisted that Kutigi must apologise to the journalists over unpleasant words used to address them.
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday, insisted that the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East is worse than the Nigerian civil war.
Receiving the College of Bishops of the African Church, led by Primate Emmanuel Udofia, who paid him a visit in State House, Abuja, he observed that whereas the battle line was drawn in the case of the civil war and the enemies known, the war on terror was complicated, because the enemies were faceless and within.
He said in spite of that, the enemies would not be able to achieve their goals, especially because of the prayers of the faithful.
Members of the Ekiti Young Professionals (EYP), a group of young professionals from the state scattered all over the country, have called on the governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose, to probe the administration of Kayode Fayemi, saying that Ekiti youths will not forgive him if the allegations that the incumbent used the meagre allocations of the state to build a magnificient university in Ghana, apart from having housing estates in the country, were true.
At a press conference held in Lagos, on Wednesday, at the conference room of In-House Entertainment office at Olateju, Oshodi, Mr Ayo George, the president of the body, said EYP had been following reports from the state and was suspicious of the closed door meeting Fayemi held with Fayose on Monday, at the state house. "We hope it was not to keep under the carpet contentious issues, especially the siting of a university funded by our state, in another country," he said.
Men suspected to be members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect on Tuesday night attacked a military post at Bulabulin Ngaura in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State and killed 16 soldiers.
One of the soldiers that narrowly escaped the attack, who confirmed this to journalists in Maiduguri, said, “We were totally subdued by the insurgents.”
He said, “Some of my colleagues were abducted and many others escaped with bullet wounds. Dozens of Boko Haram insurgents stormed our checkpoint at Bulabulin on Tuesday night.
“The terrorists came in a convoy of over 30 vehicles, mounted with Anti Aircraft guns (AA).”
MAIDUGURI—Some members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, arrested yesterday at Mairi ward behind University of Maiduguri by members of the Civilian JTF vigilante group, have confessed that most of them are fleeing the Sambisa Forest to areas across Borno State owing to what they believe is spiritual attacks from mysterious snakes and bees, which had killed many of their leaders.
According to Kolo Mustapha, one of the arrested insurgents, “most of us are fleeing because there are too many snakes and bees now in the forest. Once they bite, they disappear and the victims do not last for 24 hours.
“We were told that the aggrieved people who had suffered from our deadly mission, including the ghosts of some of those we killed, are the ones turning into the snake and bees.”
Vanguard Editorial
IT is time we decided what we want as a people. We are all upset about the unflagging security situation in Nigeria. When moves are made to take serious measures, we pull our privileges cards to insinuate we have been insulted.
The National Assembly would waste time debating the search conducted on the official vehicle of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Waziri Tambuwal at a security conference in Kaduna. The House of Representatives considers it a harassment of the Speaker, an assault on his office. Tambuwal did the right thing by trekking from that point to the conference venue.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has said that neither him nor any member of the House of Representatives should have impression that he or she is above the law.
Reacting to the incident that occurred at the 17 Hotel, Kaduna, the venue of an international conference on security and development challenges of pastoralists in West and Central Africa, the Speaker said, “I want to tell you that I’m not above the law.
He narrated his experience in the hands of Air France security personnel at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, when traveling to France, saying “As recently as last week Wednesday, when I was travelling to Paris, I subjected myself to screening by staff of the Air France, here at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. My luggage was requested to be searched and I obliged them; I gave them my luggage. My physical person was frisked and I allowed that to happen without any resistance.
A former Managing Director of Bank PHB, Mr Francis Atuche, on Wednesday denied the N25.7 billion theft charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Atuche, who took to the stand in his ongoing trial, before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, told the court that he was not a thief.
The former bank chief and his wife, Elizabeth are being prosecuted for allegedly stealing N25.7 billion belonging to Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank) and are standing trial alongside a former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu.
Atuche, who was led in evidence by his counsel, Mr Tayo Oyetibo, said his Catholic upbringing was responsible for his high moral conduct.
North Korea has promised “merciless” retaliation if a forthcoming Hollywood movie about killing Kim Jong-un is released, BBC reports.
A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said in state media that the movie’s release would be an “act of war”.
He did not mention the title, but a Hollywood movie called, The Interview, with a similar plot is due in October.
Hollywood actors James Franco and Seth Rogen star in the action-comedy film.
They play a talkshow host and his producer who are invited to interview Kim Jong-un, and are subsequently recruited by the US Central Intelligence Agency to assassinate the leader.
The film’s teaser trailer, posted on Youtube, shows a lookalike actor playing Kim Jong-un, as well as fight scenes involving what appear to be North Korean tanks and helicopters, and a nuclear missile launch.
WARRING lawmakers of the Edo State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, held two different parallel sessions at the entrance gate of the assembly complex.
Apparently uncomfortable with the scorching sun they had endured since Monday, some of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers in the assembly helped themselves with the party’s crested umbrellas.
However, the move did not go down well with some of the lawmakers in the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who protested that the action amounted to campaign.
Police hierarchy at the scene quickly arrested the situation by providing umbrellas for all the lawmakers .
The Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO) has described the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as “one of the dangers to democracy in Nigeria”.
That is going by his utterances, especially his call on the All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters to attack security agents with charms and amulets during the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the state.
Also, the Goodluck Solidarity Mandate (GSM), Ekiti State chapter, has faulted the statements credited to the governor and the President, Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Mallam Shehu Sani, that election was fraught with irregularities.
AFCO also condemned the comment by Aregbesola that the election was manipulated to favour the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Ayo Fayose.
President Goodluck Jonathan has immediately suspended his plan to attend an African Union, A.U., summit in Equatorial Guinea, and will return to Nigeria Thursday after a car bomb killed at least 21 people in Abuja Wednesday.
The president travelled to the Central African nation Wednesday for the A.U. meeting just as a blast hit Emba plaza, a busy shopping complex in Wuse 2, Abuja.
Police said 21 persons had been confirmed dead and 17 injured. Force spokesperson, Frank Mba, said one suspect was arrested.
Presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, contacted PREMIUM TIMES late Wednesday to react to an earlier story about the president’s decision to continue the trip amid the explosion.
The Lagos State Police Command, Wednesday night, sought to dispel rumours suggesting that a bomb had exploded at the Apapa area of the state.
Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES via telephone, Ngozi Braide, the Lagos State Police Spokesperson, said that the explosion was caused by a tanker conveying petrol.
“There is nothing whatsoever suggesting that it was a bomb explosion, it was a tanker loaded with fuel that burst into flames,” Ms. Braide said.
“Policemen are on ground there now and we cannot yet ascertain the casualty figures. But everything is under control,” she added.
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