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Top 10 stories of Wednesday, April 20, 2016

SARAKI PRESIDES AT PLENARY

The Senate President, senator Bukola Saraki, yesterday go against the code of conduct tribunal (CCT) as he was in charge of the plenary for over two hours. He was expected to appear at the CCT at 10.am but instead left the plenary at 11:31am and arrive the tribunal at 11:55am in the company of his colleagues.

The trial commenced after about one hour, forty minutes. The tribunal rejected the request by Saraki for a one week adjournment but insisted trial must continue daily. At the hearing yesterday, a star witness,  Mr. Michael Wetkas said Saraki declared his assets before and after his tenure as governor of Kwara State and added that there was no where in the petition they investigated where Saraki’s assets declaration was in contention.

 

DASUKI NOT TO BE TRIED IN SECRET

The Federal Government request was turned down yesterday by a federal high court sitting in Abuja to conduct secret trial of former national security adviser, Colonel Muhammad Sambo (rtd) in the charges of unlawful possession of firearm and money laundering brought against him in September, 2015. The court said that there was no need for the witness to give their evidence secretly as it is not genuine.

Justice Ademola made available to the public the 11 witnesses to testify without fear or favour because the charges were not terrorism charges and no information that the life of any of the witnesses to testify was at stake.

 

SECURITY FORCES VERSUS FULANI HERDSMEN

A police man identified as corporal Ebiakpo Akparakazi attached to police mobile force in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State has been reportedly missing after a gun fight in a combined team of security forces in an encounter with Fulani herdsmen in the Agatu area of Benue state after the herdsmen attacked and shot two youths identified as Sunday Oche and Ngbede Okwu but were rescued and rushed to a hospital at Agila.

The fulani invaders opened fire on the security forces that made them flee away, it could not be said if the cop was killed or seized by the herdsmen. The police spokesperson for Benue state command Asp. Moses Yamu,  confirmed that,  as at about 3:08pm yesterday, the mobile policeman had not been found.

 

TWO JUDGES TO RETIRE

The  national judicial Council on Tuesday said, it had sanctioned two judges,  justices Idris Evuti and Tanko Usman over giving false information about their dates of birth.

The NJC’s acting director of information Mr. soji Oye said that the council had ordered the two judges for a compulsory retirement. The council instructed the government of Niger State to deduct all salaries received by Justice Idris from September,  2015 till date from his gratuity and remit same to the NJC, while the council did not recommend Justice Tanko’s compulsory retirement because it had already accepted his retirement with effect from March 1, 2016.

 

FG TO FIX POWER SECTOR –  DOGARA, OTHERS

Members of the house of Representatives and other stakeholders on Tuesday has urge the Federal Government for the need to fix the power sector as it is declining the manpower of the country, thereby creating unemployment and causing huge crime activities.

The speaker of the house,  Mr. Yakubu Dogara, confirmed that unemployment had not only given way to crimes but made way for criminals to further defraud job-seekers.  He recalled that the country’s unemployment rate was seriously growing by at least 16 percent each year and as a matter of fact,  the federal government should provide more opportunities to fix and put the system in place.

 

FEC HOLDS MEETING TODAY

President Muhammadu Buhari will today (Wednesday)  bring out measures for the monitoring and implementation of the 2016 budget at the Federal Executive Council meeting which the Secretary to the government had been ordered to announce.

The FEC meeting of today would therefore focus on the problems associated with the 2016 budget. The minister of budget and national planning,  Udo Udoma, had also submitted a memo which would be discussed at the FEC meeting and they will deliberate and approve on the 2017 budget preparation calendar.

 

BOKO HARAM ATTACK BORNO STATE

Army, Brig. Gen. Victor Ezugwu, the acting general officer commanding the 7 division has luckily escaped from an attack by the Boko Haram sect in Borno state on his way to visit troops in Bama by 8:30am on Tuesday.

While the general officer commander escaped, a soldier was killed while two others were injured in the attack, however, some members of the troops were killed, a vehicle and some weapons recovered.  The acting GOC continued his operational visit to Bama while the body of the late soldiers and the two wounded soldiers taken to Maiduguri.

 

SSG, APC ARRAIGNED BEFORE COURT

The Department of State Service on Tuesday took the Secretary to the Rivers state government Mr. Kenneth Kobani and Mr. Kenneth Wanjoku of the All Progressives Congress to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

They were before the high court because of the dilemma that befall the state and national assembly rerun elections in Rivers, which disrupt the peace of the state. Kobani among others was charged despite his plea. They were however, granted bail till June 15, 2016.

 

EXPLOSION IN LAGOS

Following the collision between two fuel-laden vehicles that crashed and exploded on Gbaji Bridge, Iyana Yafin in Badagry, Lagos recently, was reported that 10 persons were killed including a baby, they were burnt beyond recognition. It was revealed that 12 person were injured and were rushed to the Badagry general hospital.

According to the federal road safety commission (FRSC), the bus drove against traffic directives to evade arrest by customs officials, the vehicles exploded on impact, causing a huge fire. The FRSC Badagry unit commander Fatai Bakare alarmed that the commercial drivers are reckless and called for a more tougher sanctions. The bodies have since been deposited in the morgue.

 

GHOST WORKERS UNCOVERED

The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, yesterday, has uncovered 37, 395 ghost workers on the Federal civil service payroll. At an anti-corruption sensitization programme, organised in works and housing sector, added that the government workers lost about N1 billion to ghost workers.

He stated that EFCC has caught up with 37, 395 ghost workers in the Federal civil service and investigations are still ongoing. He explained that the commission had established a procurement fraud unit to handle the increasing rate of violations and urge civil servants to avoid any act of such or would be imprisoned ranging from 5 to 10 years and may face dismissal from service.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Major Headlines

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