News

Six Children Die in Taraba Community Due to Cholera Outbreak

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  Six people have reportedly died while 40 others are currently hospitalized due to the cholera outbreak in the Jukun Community of Didango, in Karim Lamido Local Government Council of Taraba State. Sunday Danjos, the Chairman of the Council, disclosed this distressing news over the weekend during a press briefing in Jalingo, the State Capital. Read Also: Alleged Suspects Arrested by Sokoto NDLEA Over Killing of its Operative Urging patience from the affected community, he said: “I want to call on my people to exercise patience with the current happenings, particularly in Jukun, Didango, of Karim Lamido Local Government.” Explaining further, Danjos said: “The pandemic is cholera; this is because of the bad water people drink. They drink it together with animals, so this has caused a problem for their health, as they are purging and vomiting. “I am going now to see the Commissioner of Health to report to him what is happening in my Local Government so that he will take it to the higher authority for necessary action.” The outbreak, according to locals, began on Thursday, 14th December 2023, when people, especially children, started experiencing stooling. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Bodiya Buma, confirmed the incident, assuring that the State Government is actively working to control the matter. Fredrick Nyanganji, the Director of Primary Health Care of Karim Lamido Local Government, revealed that the outbreak which occurred on December 14, 2023, had claimed the lives of six children.

Japa Syndrome: FG May Repatriate Absconded TETFund-Sponsored University Lecturers

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  The Federal Government of Nigeria says it is alarming the number of university lecturers who were sponsored to study abroad under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) but have absconded. Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, made this known while speaking with newsmen during the TETFund management retreat held in Makurdi, Benue State on Monday 18th December 2023. He said TETFund would compel the absconded lecturers to either refund the money spent on them or be repatriated. “I don’t want to give figures because it is alarming. Sadly, this opportunity being given is being abused,” Echono said. Read Also: Governor Dapo Appoints Oladunjoye as Senior Media Consultant   Speaking further, he said: “The figure is comprehensive. That is why it is a bit large because others have come back home but did not complete the minimum [years] of their bond before deciding to relocate or [join] what is called the Japa syndrome. “We have a database now, which we are refining each time because the institutions are the ones submitting the report. Although it is difficult to get accurate reports, for some, it is not that they absconded; they exceeded their course period. But some have extensions in their programmes. We have a very good idea and the number is not encouraging and I can tell you that even the security agencies are becoming interested and they are looking at that.”

Victory in Ikoyi Badminton for Opeyori and Adesokan

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Victory in Ikoyi Badminton Classics for Opeyori and Adesokan

At the third Ikoyi Club National Men and Women Badminton Classics on Saturday,16 December 2023, in Lagos, Anuoluwapo Opeyori (Lagos), the Men’s Singles Winner, defeated Victor Ikechukwu (Rivers) 2-1 (21-12, 16-21, 21-10) in the championship match. Using their national rankings, the best 36 players in the nation were invited to compete for the title. Sofiat Obanisola (Rivers) was beaten 2-0 (23-21, 21-18) in the Women’s Singles final by Former African Champion Dorcas Adesokan. The joint third-place winners in the men’s division were Habeeb Bello (Oyo) and Aliyu Shehu (Niger), while the women’s division was won by Deborah Ukeh and Ruth Ebere, the upset winner, both of Edo State. N500,000 was awarded to the champions of the men’s and women’s divisions, N300,000 went to the runners-up, and N150,000 was given to the joint third-place winners. Read Also: EPL: Klopp Gives Reason Why Liverpool Failed to Defeat Man Utd All of the players who competed but lost were rewarded N50,000 each, while the semi-finalists received N100,000 apiece. Abe Adedapo Tejuoso, the first Nigerian to be honored, made history after the championship when he was admitted into the Nigerian Badminton Hall of Fame.    

Governor Dapo Appoints Oladunjoye as Senior Media Consultant

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Governor Dapo Appoints Oladunjoye as Senior Media Consultant

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, appointed Tunde Oladunjoye a former chairman of the Ijebu East Local Government Area and the State’s Publicity Secretary for the All Progressives Congress, as a Senior Consultant on media. The information was presented on Monday, 18 December 2023, and was included in the appointment letter that Abiodun himself signed on December 11, 2023. Oladunjoye served as the APC Presidential Primary Publicity Committee’s Secretary and Assistant Publicity Secretary for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the Directorate of Strategic Communications of the APC-Presidential Campaign Council. Oladunjoye has a passion for the arts, social policy, politics, human rights reporting, and media advocacy. For several years, he covered the world’s largest film festival, the Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France. He also covered the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, President Goodluck Jonathan’s Eminent Persons Agricultural Summit in Geneva, Nigeria, and the World Hunger Summit, the UK hosted in 2013. Read Also: Kano Guber: There is no Plan to Compromise Supreme Court Judgement -APC He participated in the 2013 Presidential Delegation to the World Economic Forum, which was held in Switzerland. Oladunjoye was congratulated by the Governor, who also expressed his gratitude for the appointment and offered his best wishes for a productive term in office.    

Kano Guber: There is no Plan to Compromise Supreme Court Judgement -APC

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  The All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that it has no plan to compromise the expected Supreme Court judgement on the Kano governorship election. In a statement issued on Sunday, 17th December 2023, by the Kano APC Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, he said the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has been spreading rumours to its members to give them false hope ahead of the Supreme Court judgement. He said rumours had it that NNPP had approached President Bola Tinubu to step in in the matter in favour of the party’s candidate to remain governor and subsequently decamp to APC. Abbas noted: “There is no such meeting held either with Mr President or any leader of the party.” President Bola Tinubu is a Democrat and strongly believes in the rule of law and the right thing to be done therefore will not be part of any arrangement or reconciliation to subvert justice and support people who have stolen votes or breached the electoral act to emerge as leaders.” He pointed out that APC, as a party, was not aware of such an arrangement and would instead intensify all efforts to pursue its case at the Supreme Court to a logical conclusion. The chairman added that the party was confident that it would be victorious at the Supreme Court, especially from the convincing evidence presented at both the Tribunal and the Appeal Court, which ultimately led to the party’s success.

EPL: Klopp Gives Reason Why Liverpool Failed to Defeat Man Utd

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  Liverpool Manager, Jurgen Klopp has disclosed that his team did not have enough calmness in front of the goal, following Sunday’s 17th December 2023, 0-0 draw against Manchester United. The result made the Reds miss the opportunity to go back to the top of the Premier League, after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Brighton earlier in the day. Klopp’s side tried throughout the match, but United defended bravely. “The determination was not there today, they were not calm enough, too much of a rush. “When it is that fierce, to make the right, calm decisions at the moment is another step” “The way we played unsettled them a lot but we did not see that. They just threw themselves at the ball. That means there is always a free player. We did not see that. That is why we drew the game,” Klopp stated at the end of the game.

Alleged Suspects Arrested by Sokoto NDLEA Over Killing of its Operative

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Alleged Suspects Arrested by Sokoto NDLEA Over Killing of its Operative

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), disclosed on Friday, 15 December 2023, that it arrested 59 suspected drug dealers in Sokoto, including the mastermind behind the killing of its operative. Mr. Muhammed Iro, the NDLEA State Commander, said the undisclosed suspect were arrested in January 2023 at Bagarawa Village in Bodinga Local Government Area. He said; “In the process, the suspect alerted villagers who assisted him to escape arrest, leading to an attack on our personnel, and the brutal killing of one of them.” Iro stated his sadness over lack of community support for the agency, and emphasised the need for the public to be aware of its responsibilities. “A drug dealer, who is destroying your children’s future, and instead of assisting us in effecting his arrest, you came out to attack us.” “However, after forcibly releasing him, you go ahead to kill one of our officers,” Iro said. He said the arrested suspect had been on the wanted list of both the Nigerian Police, and NDLEA. The Commander assured that the suspect would face the full force of the law and that investigations would be carried out to identify his accomplices. “We are committed to ensuring that the suspect faces the full force of the law, including those responsible for the brutal killing of our officer,” he said. The commander attributed the arrest of the 59 other suspects to the efforts of a joint operation, involving the Army, Civil Defence Corps, Police, and other Security Agencies in the State. “This operation aligns with Gov. Ahmed Aliyu’s commitment to reversing the security situation in the state. Iro said; “We have made significant strides, arresting 54 males and 5 females at various drug joints in the Sokoto metropolis.” The suspects will undergo investigation to identify the dealers for prosecution, users for counselling and those not involved in drug activities will be severely warned. He underscored the severity of the drug abuse menace and its connection with security challenges. Read Also: EFCC Arrests Couple for N410m Fraud in Kano Iro said that the operation would continue in order to rid society of the crime and raise public awareness about its dangers. “We believe that by addressing drug abuse, we can significantly reduce criminal activities and social vices in society. “Our commitment to combating drug merchants and users remains sacrosanct as we work towards a society free from drug-related crimes,” the commander said.                

9-Day Old Baby and Mother killed in Ondo State

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9-Day Old Baby and Mother killed in Ondo State

Mourning ensued amongst the residents of Aiyedun Quarters, in Akure South Local Council of Ondo State, following the tragic incident of the death of a nine-day-old baby and her 30-year-old mother. The mother, identified as Bose Sanusi who christened her baby on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, was in her house – a one-bedroom detached bungalow – together with her baby when an overhead water tank crashed into the building. However, the baby’s grandmother and elder brother narrowly escaped because they were in the kitchen, which was unaffected by the collapse. The lifeless bodies have since been evacuated and deposited at the mortuary, at the State Specialist Hospital. Confirming the incident, the Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, said a 30-year-old mother and her daughter were killed in the incident. According to her, an investigation has begun to figure out the reason for the collapse of the overhead water tank. Correspondingly, a Niger State High Court in Minna presided over by Chief Judge Halima Abdulmalik, has sentenced one Stephen Jiya to death for setting his mother ablaze, resulting in her death. Delivering this verdict, in a case of culpable homicide against Jiya, the Judge found him guilty of the offence, punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code which attracts the death penalty. Jiya was arraigned by the Office of the Attorney General of Niger State for setting Comfort Jiya, a retired Director in the Niger State Ministry of Education, ablaze, in December 2021. Jiya was arraigned before Justice Abdulmalik Halima on September 14, 2022, while hearings on the case commenced on November 23, 2022. Abdulmalik made known that all pointers indicating the convict was responsible for the crime were established by the prosecutor and that all the evidence, and prosecuting witnesses that testified were able to prove that the convict was culpable. The judge said: “The prosecutor has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant, and I, hereby, find you, Stephen Jiya, guilty of the offence of culpable homicide, which is contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code.” “In the circumstances, the sentence of the court upon you is that you should be hanged by the neck, electrocuted, executed, or injected with lethal injection until you are dead, and may the Lord have mercy on your soul.”

The Ready Writers Consult Announce 2024 Internship

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The Ready Writers Consult Announce 2024 Internship

The Ready Writers Consult (TRWC), on Monday, December 11, 2023, took to its WhatsApp Announcement platform to make known the internship opportunity open for 2024. According to the Announcement signed by the Registrar of the Organization, the training starts in January 2024 and runs through for 15 consecutive weeks with all classes to be held on the Zoom platform. TRWC, a creative writing outfit, seeks opportunities for individuals who, either full-time or part-time aspire to build a lucrative career in writing; or an existing writer who desires to hone their writing skills to be a part of the training. TRWC further offers a rare opportunity to master other forms of writing, ranging from Lifestyle writing, and Evangelical writing amongst others to build a diverse writing portfolio. The classes, centred on handpicked topics within and around writing and its rubric will be discussed by prolific professionals some of whom are Wale Oni (UK), Tope Olaiya (Guardian), and Kunle Shittu amongst others. Registration for The Ready Writers Consult 2024 Internship can be made  

EFCC Arrests Couple for N410m Fraud in Kano

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Aisha Salihu Malkohi and her husband, Abubakar Mahmoud, have been charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Aisha Mahmud of the Kano State High Court for defrauding Farida Ibrahim of N410,518,000. This was revealed on Monday, December 11, 2023, in a post made by the Financial Crimes agency on its X (formerly Twitter) account. The EFCC added that Malkohi’s arrest came about as a result of a petition filed by Ibrahim Mohammed Abdulrahman and Farida Ibrahim, who claimed that the pair had stolen their hard-earned money by pretending to give them automobiles and other goods from Saudi Arabia. However, when the defendants entered a not guilty plea to the offence that was read to them, Justice Mahmud decided to postpone the case to December 15th in order to consider the bail application. The statement read, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Aisha Salihu Malkohi (a.k.a Ummitah, Arab Money) and her husband, Abubakar Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud (at large) on five-count charges bordering on misappropriation of funds to the tune of N410,518,000 (Four Hundred and Ten Million, Five Hundred and Eighteen Thousand Naira only). “They were arraigned on Friday, December 8, 2023, before Justice Aisha Mahmud of the Kano State High Court sitting in Kano.” “One of the charges reads “that you Aisha Salihu Malkohi and Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud (now at large) on or about 2022 in Kano, Kano state within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, did obtain the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty-Five Million, Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand Naira only (225,259,000) belonging to Farida Ibrahim between 6th January to 16th December 2022 into account bearing Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud domiciled at Zenith Bank that the said money was paid to you for the purchase and supply of 64 cars, from Saudi Arabia facts which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 1 (a) & (b) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related offenses Act,2006”. “The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the five counts when they were read to her. “In view of her plea, EFCC counsel, Zarami Mohammed prayed to the court for a trial date. Defence counsel, G.I Abubakar moved a bail application for his client which was opposed by Mohammed. Justice Mahmud thereafter adjourned the matter till December 15, 2023, for a ruling on the bail application. She also remanded the defendant in EFCC custody pending a ruling on her bail application.” “Malkohi was arrested by investigators of the EFCC in Kano following a petition from two petitioners, Farida Ibrahim and Ibrahim Mohammed Abdulrahman alleging that she conspired with her husband and defrauded them of their hard-earned monies under the guise of supplying them with cars, gold, electronics and kitchen utensils from Saudi Arabia.” “Upon the receipt of the petition, the Commission swung into action and conducted a thorough investigation which so far revealed that the defendant had collected a total sum of N410,518,000 (Four Hundred and Ten Million, Five Hundred and Eighteen Thousand Naira only) through bank accounts belonging to her company, Golden Grass Hill International Ltd and her husband’s Zenith Bank account. Further investigation also revealed that the defendant, alongside her husband, who is still at large, diverted the monies into several bank accounts.”