NIGERIAN COUPLE WINS $50 MILLION LOTTERY IN CANADA

A Nigerian couple based in Canada and enjoying dual nationality is now $50 million richer after hitting the jackpot in a lottery.
Hakeem and Abiola Nosiru endured a roller-coaster ride of emotions when the lottery ticket went missing only to be found and returned by someone at their church, according to MailOnline of Britain.
“Hakeem Nosiru won the January 17 Lotto Max draw and was one day away from claiming the money when the signed ticket, which he taped to the inside his wife’s purse for safekeeping, was missing after they attended church,” the report said.
It said that “despair turned to joy after a fellow member of the congregation discovered the ticket and reunited it with them on April 1 — a return made possible because Nosiru signed the ticket with their address.

NO NIGERIAN ARMY GENERAL UNDER TRIAL – DHQ

The Defence Headquarters has denied media reports that 15 military officers including 10 generals for giving surreptitious assistance to the Boko Haram insurgents.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen Chris Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Tuesday that the story written by a national daily (not the PUNCH), was meant to inflict a full damage on the image of the military.
Olukolade said that the story which he described as a falsehood was refuted previously by the military but was again brought up by those bent of giving wrong information to Nigerians and the international community in support of their negative propaganda against the military.

NJC APPOINTS MOST SENIOR JUDGE RIVERS CJ

The National Judicial Council on Tuesday directed the most senior judges in the Rivers High Court and Customary Court of Appeal to oversee the assigning cases to judges.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Soji Oye, Acting Director of Information, NJC’s office, in Abuja.
The statement stated that the two senior judges would also perform other related administrative duties.
It said the NJC took the decision at its 67th meeting held on May 27 during which it deliberated on the non-appointment of a substantive or acting Chief Judge for the state.
The statement noted with concern the attendant consequences of this development on administration of justice.

NIGERIA MOTHER AFUSAT SALIU 'TO BE DEPORTED ON TUESDAY EVENING'

A woman fighting deportation to Nigeria who claims her daughters could be subjected to female genital mutilation will be removed from the UK on Tuesday evening, her lawyers have said.
Afusat Saliu, 31, and her daughters, Bassy, four, and Rashidat, two, from Leeds, were given a reprieve on 29 May.
But lawyer Bhumika Parmar said the family would now be deported "some time after 19:00 BST on Tuesday".
The Home Office said the case had gone through the "proper legal process".
Ms Saliu and her daughters were arrested by UK Border Agency staff on 28 May.
'Absolute mockery'
They been due to leave the UK on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Lagos at 22:20 BST last Thursday.

IDI AMIN ACTOR DIES AT 70

Kenyan actor, Joseph Olita, who portrayed former Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, in the films ‘Rise and Fall of Idi Amin’ (1981) and ‘Mississippi Masala’ (1991), is dead.
Olita reportedly died in South East Alego, Kogelo, Kenya, at the age of 70, following worsened high blood pressure on Sunday, a day after his mother’s burial. The actor, who lived in Uganda, had just returned to Kenya for the burial of his mother.
The movie, ‘Rise and Fall of Idi Amin’, is a 1981 biographical film directed by Sharad Patel and stars the deceased as the lead character. The flick details the controversial actions and atrocities of the former dictator of Uganda during his violent rise to power in 1971 until his overthrow in 1979, as a result of the Uganda–Tanzania War.
The late actor, who was six feet 5.5 inches and weighed 150kg, bore a striking resemblance to the late Idi Amin.

RIFT WITH OBASANJO IS OVER, SAYS ATIKU

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the rift between himself and former President, Olusegun Obasanjo is all over, re-iterating that he harbours “no hatred or enmity” against his former boss.A statement by the Atiku Media Office on Tuesday said Atiku spoke in Abuja when he granted audience to the leaders of the Northern Youth Leaders Forum, a group that recently embarked on a mission to heal the rift between the former President and his deputy.
Led by Comrade Eliot Afiyo, the group had weeks ago met former President Obasanjo in Ota, at which event he announced that he had forgiven his former vice president.
“I don’t harbor any grudge against my former boss. Yes, we had disagreements in office. These were mere disagreements. I harbor no hatred or enmity against him or anybody. I never had anything against him and I will never have,” Atiku said while responding to the group.

IG OVERRULES MBU ON #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS PROTESTS IN ABUJA

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP) has upturned the immediate ban issued by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police on #BringBackOurGirls protests, saying it is the constitutional right of the protesters.
At a press briefing in Abuja the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) Frank Mba said the "bulk stops at the table of the IGP" and he did not give such directives but rather advised that protests of whatever nature is to be carried out, it will be wiser to seek Police guidance and protection to prevent it from being hijacked by miscreants.
"The Police High Command wishes to inform the general public that the Force has not issued any order banning peaceful assemblies/protests anywhere in Nigeria."

CLARK ASKS FG TO REVOKE TOMPOLO, DOKUBO’S CONTRACTS

A prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to revoke the multi-billion naira pipeline and maritime protection contracts awarded to two former leaders of the Niger Delta militants, Government Ekpemukpolo (Tompolo) and Asari Dokubo.
The Ijaw leader, who said this while contributing to a debate on the report of the National Conference Committee on Public Finance and Revenue, said government should revoke the contracts because it has not contributed to reducing oil theft as desired by government.
“I want to advise the government to withdraw the contracts awarded to Tomplolo and Asari Dokubo because they have failed to stop oil thefts in the country. Instead, youths from areas where oil facilities are located should be given the job,” said Clark.
The Octogenarian said the militants were sabotaging the efforts of government to stop oil theft because they want to retain their pipeline contracts.

324 LAGOS BUS DRIVERS FAIL HARD DRUGS, ALCOHOL, EYE TESTS

Out of the 500 commuter bus drivers screened by the Lagos State Government at two motor parks in the state, 324 of the drivers tested positive to hard drugs, high alcoholic intake and bad eyesight.
The drivers were tested recently at the T&M CMS and CMS-Epe Motor Parks at Marina, Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
They were screened for high blood pressure, diabetes, eye disease, blood alcohol content (BAC) and narcotics during a five-day screening, awareness and sensitization campaign organized by the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
According to the Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, 176 people were screened for hypertension and diabetes, 351 drivers had their eyes screened, 120 people underwent urine test, 80 drivers were screened for alcohol content level using breathalyzer and 83 people underwent one-on-one mental health counselling.

THE WORST YET? RIHANNA ATTENDS FASHION SHOW IN SEE-THROUGH SHEER DRESS

I think the reason she gets away with this easily is because she's one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Imagine if it were a reality star, struggling singer, upcoming actress or video vixen dressing this way, people will be too quick to call her trash. Not impressed with this dress.
The singer wore this see through custom-made shear embellished halter dress by Adam Selman to the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards yesterday. The dress is embellished with 216,000 Swarovski crystals and she rocked it with a matching sparkly turban. She wore a flesh colored thong to cover her herself up but had no bra on. She was honoured with the Fashion Icon Award......More pics after the cut...

KIDNAP KINGPIN ARRESTED INSIDE AIRCRAFT OPENS UP IN POLICE CUSTODY, SAYS: ‘I’VE LOST COUNT OF PERSONS I’VE KIDNAPPED’

Okwudili Nnagbo, a kidnap suspect fleeing to South Africa, arrested after boarding his escape aircraft to South Africa at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, last month was yesterday paraded at the headquarters of the State Anti-robbery Squad, Awka, Anambra State, alongside 13 other suspects caught for various offences.
Nnagbo, from Nri in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state, said he had been in the business of kidnapping for many years, adding that he had lost count of the number of persons he had kidnapped in the past.
He said he decided to quit kidnapping when one of his relations in South Africa invited him over, noting that he thought he had covered his tracks only to be arrested at the point of departing the country.

EZEKWESILI HEADS FOR COURT AS POLICE BANS #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS PROTESTS

Former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili has vowed to head for court today to challenge the action of the Nigeria Police, which yesterday announced a ban on all protests in Abuja over the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls.
Federal Capital Territory Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu, who announced the ban at a news conference, had claimed that there were plans by “dangerous elements” to infiltrate the protesters and detonate bombs.
However, Ezekwesili, who has been leading the #BringBackOurGirls protests, immediately rejected the ban as illegal and said they would seek redress in court.

DUNCAN MIGHTY REQUESTS OUTSTANDING N50 MILLION FROM GOV AMAECHI

It is on record that on the 30th of March 2011, I, Mr. Okechukwu Duncan Mighty single handedly organized a Celebrity Youth Endorsement Concert in Port Harcourt where I successfully endorsed over 18,000 youths who are eligible voters for the Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. During the organization of the event under the express approval of the Governor of Rivers State and his cabinet, he gave me the sum of Ten Million Naira through the then Secretary to the state Govt. Senator Magnus Abe which totally went into the project. The Governor also gave me his word that the balance of Fifty Million Naira will be paid to me as soon as possible. In pursuit of the said project, I thereafter raised funds through different sources including personal savings, loans and credit facilities, acquired operational vehicles and branded them for the project, procured several souvenirs, printed many publicity materials, paid for venues, engaged musicians from different parts of the country, undertook logistics such as flight/Accommodation/Transportation and welfare.

TWO YEARS AFTER CRASH, ANYENE FAMILY STILL GRIEVES

Two years after the death of six members of the family in the Dana crash that occurred on June 3, 2012, the Anyene family has said it will be difficult to replace the joy taken away by the crash.
Legal practitioner, Onyeka, his wife, Maimuna and their children, Kamsi, Kaina, Kaima and Noah, who were passengers on the Dana plane died on their way to Lagos from Abuja, en-route the US where they lived.
The plane crashed few meters to the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, killing all the 163 passengers, crew members and some people at the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State.
A statement by one of the family members, Mr. Ifeanyi Anyene, on Monday said the crash was a cruel occurrence to the family and other families that lost their loved ones.

NRC DRIVER DIES AS TRAIN CRASHES INTO BUILDING

A Nigerian Railway Corporation commercial train crashed into the Iddo Station Complex, Oyingbo, Lagos on Sunday night, killing the driver on the spot.
The assistant driver was said to be in a critical condition and was receiving treatment in a hospital in the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the driver of the train, which was coming from Kano, lost control after departing the Agege Terminus in Lagos.
The train was said to have sped on till it got to the Iddo Station, where it finally hit an iron hurdle which forcefully detached the driver’s compartment.
A worker at the NRC told PUNCH Metro that the detached part, which included the ticketing section, smashed into the Iddo complex, killing the driver.

AIDING BOKO HARAM: ARMY COURT-MARTIALS 10 GENERALS, 5 OTHERS

No fewer than 15 senior military officers including 10 generals have been tried before a court-martial and found guilty of giving information and ammunition to Boko Haram terrorists.
In the recent past, the Army and the Defence headquarters have raised the alarm that some of their officers and men are leaking official information to the terrorists and that some of them have been arrested and arraigned before some court-martials in some army divisions in the north.
Military sources told LEADERSHIP that some of them who were tried at their division levels still have hope until the final review of the judgement at the headquarters in Abuja.

POLICE BEGIN NATIONWIDE ENLIGHTENMENT CAMPAIGN ON TERRORISM

Security tips against terrorism
In view of the current security and terrorist threats in some parts of our country, the Nigeria Police Force is calling on the citizens to stay vigilant and join hands with the security agencies in making Nigeria a safer place.
In line with the above, the Police High Command wishes to acquaint the general public with the following security tips which the Force believes will help in strengthening both personal and communal sense of safety.
Know your neighbours: You must strive to know not only the person living in your house but in your surrounding environment. Find out their means of livelihood as every strange face must be probed.
Observe what your neighbour normally brings home at night or what he normally moves away in the early morning hours as this may be dangerous to the safety of all.
Landlords should conduct background checks on all their prospective tenants. They should equally create avenues for meeting with their tenants from time to time.
Community leaders working in conjunction with the local Police, are encouraged to form neighbourhood associations and periodically meet to appraise security situation in their areas.

MILITARY QUIZZES SUSPECTED BOKO HARAM SPONSORS

Military authorities yesterday hinted that they have closed in on some politicians believed to be financiers of Boko Haram sect and will soon bring them to trial once their interrogation is completed.
Director of Defence Information, DDI, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, told a press conference in Abuja yesterday that the military high command was establishing the link between the politicians and the insurgents.
He however declined to reveal the identities of the politicians, some of whom had been quizzed by the security operatives. “We cannot give you the identity of those top suspects who are sponsoring the insurgents now until during trial,” Olukolade said.
Some of the politicians are alleged to be leading a media campaign both in Nigeria and abroad to smear the image of the armed forces of the country and their offensive against insurgents.

CASH CRUNCH HITS NATIONAL CONFERENCE

…drivers, aides, others threaten to disrupt sitting
Delegates ejected from hotels
The ongoing National Conference may be disrupted today, following threats by aides of the delegates to forcefully halt proceedings to press home demands for an enhanced welfare package.
The planned action highlights the severe cash crunch that has hit conference delegates with many of them evicted from their hotels, following the failure of the secretariat to pay allowances for over six weeks.
Some of the delegates have also accused civil servants of seeking bribes to release funds approved for their upkeep. The situation came into the open during proceedings yesterday when the deputy chairman of the conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, read a petition written to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, by the aides who had resolved to stage a peaceful protest today. The aides had also written to the conference leadership expressing their dissatisfaction with the way they were being treated, urging the leadership to intervene.

2015 TUSSLE INCREASING TEMPO OF TERROR ATTACKS –FG

The Federal Government has raised the alarm that the race for the 2015 general elections is increasing the tempo of terrorist attacks in the country.
Featuring yesterday during the first edition of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) programme tagged “Good Morning Nigeria”, Information Minister Labaran Maku claimed that most of the recent bombings in Nigeria were orchestrated to achieve a political objective in the 2015 general elections.
According to him, bombs now explode whenever there is a major development in the country as a plot to discredit President Goodluck Jonathan and make Nigerians hate him.
“As we head towards 2015, more bombs are being exploded. And from the national and international intelligence services, we know as a fact that a lot of the bombings are aimed at a political objective,” said the minister.

WORK WITH OKOCHA, FACE DISMISSAL, RIVERS WARNS JUDICIARY STAFF

Amaechi urges Kalabaris to fight for Soku oil wells
The Rivers State Government has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any judiciary officer in the state that recognises or works with Justice Daisy Okocha as the administrative or chief judge of the state.
The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Wogu Boms, said the warning had become necessary because of rumours making the rounds that Okocha had been appointed the administrative judge of the state by the National Judicial Commission (NJC).
Boms spoke Monday shortly after a meeting of the state Judicial Service Commission at the state High Court complex in Port Harcourt.
While dismissing the rumour, Boms said both the NJC and the Rivers State Judiciary were incapable of making such appointment and urged the general public to disregard such rumours, and equally warned those peddling the rumour to desist forthwith, or be ready to face the wrath of the law.

APC CHAIR: TINUBU RE-STRATEGISES AS IKIMI, JAJA EMERGE MAIN CONTENDERS

Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi and erstwhile deputy national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, have emerged favourite candidates of two major blocs in contention for the office of national chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC.
Two other aspirants, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, who are also in contention, are being propped up as fall-back options by the two blocs that have been built around the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and northern governors in the party.
Odigie-Oyegun, who was earlier being promoted by Tinubu, Vanguard learnt, may have lost out in a recent realignment that has seen the Tinubu camp shift allegiance to Sam Jaja.

PRESIDENCY DISOWNS AUSTRALIAN BOKO HARAM NEGOTIATOR

THE Presidency has nothing to do with Dr Stephen Davis, the Australian who was reported to be negotiating with Boko Haram insurgents to free the over 200 girls the terrorists abducted in Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 14.
This is according to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, who denied government’s knowledge of the negotiation when the Nigerian Tribune sought to confirm the authenticity of the claims made by Dr Davis, published in the United Kingdom-based MailOnline.
Abati pointed out that the Defence Headquarters had already distanced the military from the purported negotiation, saying that the position of the presidency could not be different from the military because “the military is directly responsible for the operation and takes instructions from the president.”

CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRLS, MOTHERS IN LAGOS FOR THERAPY

No fewer than 25 mothers of the schoolgirls abducted by insurgents from Chibok, Borno State are currently receiving intensive therapy in an undisclosed location in Lagos.
Also with them are three of the girls who escaped from Sambisa forest following the abduction of over 200 girls from the Government Day Secondary School in Chibok.
The girls and mothers are in Lagos courtesy of three non-governmental organisations led by Omoluabi Network. The two others are: Chibok-based Gabassawa Women and the Unlikely Heroes, based in Los Angeles, California. They arrived in Lagos on Saturday.

SUNTAI FOR MEDICAL CHECK-UP IN LONDON

Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai will Tuesday leave the country for London, United Kingdom for medical checkup.
The governor was flown from Jalingo to Abuja in a Skyjet plane marked ZS-KBS Monday afternoon.
With him on the trip were his Chief Detail, Joel Danladi and the Chief Security Officer (CSO) Tino Dangana who survived the air crashwith him, his Chief of Staff Aminu Jika, his brother Babangida Suntai and other loyalists.
Suntai’s Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa told TheNation that the governor will spend 14 days abroad before returning home.