Abike pretty

The police in Oyo State on Tuesday detonated a bomb discovered at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Oyo. The bomb was said to be one of the explosive materials planted at the place by the hoodlums during the deadly attack unleashed on the facility on Friday night. Officers of the custodial centre were said to have discovered the bomb and they invited the Bomb Disposal Unit of the police whose officers came to carry out the detonation of the material. The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Oyo State Command, Lanre Anjorin, confirmed the detonation of the bomb to our correspondent. He said there was no casualty as it was a controlled detonation. The PRO said, “It is true that a bomb was detonated at the custodial centre in Oyo today ( Tuesday). But the bomb disposal unit of the police was responsible for the detonation of the material. “Our officers discovered that there was an explosive planted outside the facility and the police were invited. So, no cause for alarm.” Hoodlums had on Friday night invaded the prison with explosive devices and guns. They eventually pulled down parts of the facility and freed some inmates. While some of the inmates who escaped had returned voluntarily, some others were re-arrested and brought back by security agents. By Olufemi Olaniyi, Ibadan Source:https://punchng.com/jailbreak-police-detonate-bomb-found-at-oyo-prison/

Ambazonia Interim Government, a separatist group in Cameroon, has emphasised that its agitations for a separate country have nothing in common with that of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The leader of the group, Samuel Sako revealed this during a virtual press conference on Sunday, saying unlike IPOB, the Ambazonian activists are not trying to break an existing country. The group said they would not want to jeopardise their relationship with the Nigerian government, noting that thousands of Southern Cameroonian refugees have benefitted from the country’s benevolence, Premium Times reports. “It is political suicide and a very wrong calculation for us to take any position that jeopardises the lives of 120,000 of our people who are enjoying the hospitality of Nigeria right now under the eyes of the government and security forces.” Sako had earlier stated that the activists agitating for an independent Ambazonia have no alliance with IPOB, drawing harsh criticism from the Ambazonia Governing Council, another separatist group led by Ayaba Cho Lucas. At Sunday’s press conference, Sako said the response from Lucas does not carry any weight because he only represents a handful of Ambazonians. “The weight of any statement depends on who made the statement, not the content of the words,” he said. “So if I say that Ambazonia doesn’t have an alliance with IPOB, the weight of that statement depends on who I represent when I said so. This is the interim government, representing more than 90 per cent of the people of the Southern Cameroons. “The opposition in any nation can say anything but what matters is what the government says. And we say we don’t have an alliance and we don’t intend to have one because our fights are not the same. We don’t want to be misunderstood.” “We don’t want to go into those arguments, we don’t even want to create any form of similarity because there is none. “A nation that was granted independence with internationally demarcated boundaries by the United Nations system went into a union with another country that has failed and we are restoring our independence. “We don’t want to be misunderstood or compared to a false equivalent. So it does not work for us by any means to create an alliance that continues to perpetrate that misunderstanding which Paul Biya is building on. “Because all the nations of the world don’t like the idea of secession, they just hate it from face value. But ours is not and we want to make that difference, so this is what it is. “Secondly, at the level that we are right now, we need nations that can recognise us because we are not trying to be independent, we have restored our independence. What we are looking for is recognition. If Biafra or IPOB recognises us, what is that going to change? “We need nations of the world to recognise us. Nigeria voted yes for our independence in 1961, in that Resolution 1608 of our independence. “So we would rather have Nigeria endorse our position to restore our independence than to have a group of activists or movement that is fighting to secede to recognise us. Politically, what’s the calculation?” By SaharaReporters, New York Source:http://saharareporters.com/2021/10/26/we-have-no-similarity-nnamdi-kanu%E2%80%99s-ipob-%E2%80%93-separatist-group-cameroon-ambazonia

At least two persons were brutalised as gunmen reportedly invaded Community High School, Ijoun, in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State on Monday. It was learnt that students of the school allegedly hired the hoodlums to attack and send their teachers away from the school. Weapons such as machetes and axes were said to be used on the persons identified as Messers Stephen Oyelekan and Kayode Olatunji, before fleeing. The incident occurred barely one week after some students of Unity High School, Kajola, Ibooro, in the same local government also reportedly hired thugs to beat up their teachers. A source told Punch that the hoodlums stormed the school premises with weapons and descended on the teachers, inflicting varying degrees of injury on them. "The attackers invaded the school at about 10.45am on Monday and freely used weapons such as machetes and axes on Messers Stephen Oyelekan and Kayode Olatunji, before fleeing," he stated. However, the incident was reported at the Eegua Police Station while the victims had been taken to hospital for treatment. "The principals of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Mr. Sowunmi and Kayode Amusa respectively, were said to have informed the Adele of Ijoun Community, Chief Olaleye Emmanuel, and the head of the Amotekun in the community," a source disclosed. The Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said he had heard about the incident, but not yet officially briefed. By SaharaReporters, New York Source:http://saharareporters.com/2021/10/26/gunmen-invade-ogun-state-school-brutalise-teachers

A woman, identified only as Ebere, has succumbed to the injuries she sustained when her husband allegedly set their apartment ablaze during a fight. The incident happened on Ifesowapo Street, Asolo-Agbede, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. PUNCH Metro gathered that the couple was at home when an argument ensued between them, which degenerated into a fight. Out of anger, the husband allegedly locked Ebere inside the apartment and set it ablaze. Ebere was said to be shouting and writhing in pain when her husband, who could no longer bear his wife’s cry, attempted to open the door. It was learnt that as he opened the door, the intensity of the fire caught up with him. The victim, who suffered severe burns in her hand, chest and other parts of her body, was rushed to a hospital where she died. During a visit to their residence on Saturday, a neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was sitting at his passage when Ebere suddenly ran downstairs, sat on the floor and wriggled in pain on October 9, 2021. “We only saw that her hands were burnt; she was telling us to rush her to a hospital. So, we rushed her to the Aduraking Hospital and Maternity. It was when we got there that I discovered that her chest was also burnt. From there, she was referred to the Ikorodu General Hospital. “The hospital used an ambulance to convey her to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where she was admitted for treatment. After struggling for survival, she died a week after being hospitalised at LASUTH. “Since then, we have not seen her husband. We learnt that he was also burnt and was receiving treatment in another hospital. No one knew anything was happening until his wife rushed downstairs with burnt hands. I don’t know the cause of the fight, but I have been reading different stories online,” the neighbour said. A Toyota Camry car reportedly belonging to Ebere’s husband was parked at the front of the couple’s residence. A source in the area told our correspondent that the fight between the couple bordered on allegations of infidelity. “The fire also affected the husband. His wife, who was inside the building, could not survive the injuries she sustained when she got burnt. It was the husband that used petrol to set their apartment ablaze,” the source added. The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the case was not reported to the police. He said, “I just called the Owutu Divisional Police Officer, and was told that no case of such was reported.” By Deji Lambo Source:https://punchng.com/woman-dies-after-husband-sets-lagos-home-ablaze-during-fight/

No fewer than 100 Bakassi agitators on Monday blocked the Cross River Governor’s Office in Calabar, the state capital, to protest against the non-payment of their allowances by the state government since 2018. The agitators were mostly from the former Bakassi Strike Force based in the Bakassi Local Government Area. The agitators, who stormed the governor’s office about 8am, wore black trousers on black T-shirts and barricaded the gate preventing workers from entering the premises. The main gate of Cross River Governor’s office was attempted to be pulled down, but some of them intervened and prevailed on their colleagues not to be violent. One of their leaders, popularly known as Timaya, told journalists that they were protesting the non-payment of their allowance since December 2018 and are not going anywhere until the governor settles them. “Since 2018 the governor has reneged on agreement after we laid down our arms in December 2018. After we surrendered, we went for training and the governor promised that we were going to be given starter packs and be integrated into the system. “Instead of fulfilling his promise, the governor went and put up a sign-post in Bakassi to say, he has paid us. He has since refused to attend to us and we are very angry,” Timaya said. However, the Permanent Secretary Special Services (security) Governor’s Office, Dr Alfred Mboto, pleaded for more time to enable government to sort out their grievances. "The state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, is working on their case and would call for a meeting with their leaders,” he said. Meanwhile, the counsel to the ex-agitators, Ozinko Ozinko, affirmed that the government had failed to keep to their own part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed that made them lay down arms. By SaharaReporters, New York Source:ohttp://saharareporters.com/2021/10/25/bakassi-agitators-block-cross-river-governors-office-protest-non-payment-three-years%E2%80%99

The resident pastor of Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Apapa, Lagos, Pastor David, who was sentenced to death has been released. He spent 14 years and seven months in prison. David disclosed this in a special thanksgiving service on Sunday at the Celestial Church of Christ Global Genesis, Lagos. The ex-convict, who was condemned to death for a crime he claimed, he didn’t commit, gave gratitude to God for using the Shepherd-in-Charge of Genesis Global, Prophet Israel Ogundipe to bring him out of prison. The pastor who was a transporter before his conviction said he had no case file and was waiting for the day he would be called up to die before Ogundipe intervened, Guardian reports. “I had nobody. I was sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Olusola Williams in September 2013. I didn’t even have a case file. No father, no mother, no relatives, nobody to speak for me. Some people who came to preach, encouraged me and gave us palliatives, but nobody offered to help,” he said. During the service, Ogundipe said their paths crossed in 2020, when he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for fraud. Ogundipe, who spent five months in prison, said, “When I newly got into the prison, I was introduced to David, who was the resident pastor. Immediately, he handed over the microphone to me and I began holding church services in the prison. He gave me that opportunity to preach the gospel. As a result of his gesture, when I got out of custody, I didn’t forget him. “Interestingly, when I was there, God used me to help other people come out of the place for charges they were not guilty of. Pastor David never once pushed himself forward as I was helping other people. "He kept serving the Lord in prison and without informing him, I told myself, once I am out of here, I will do all I can to get him out. Getting him out today was not by my own strength but by the grace of God and the entire Genesis Global.” He said God at times permits some circumstances to happen to some people as a way to answer their prayers. According to him, it was the conspiracy that led him to prison that fast-tracked David’s release as he had no case file though he was sentenced to death. As part of an effort to rehabilitate him into society, members of the church who were moved by David’s testimony donated over N500,000, a plot of land, a bag of rice, a bus for commercial use, household appliances and utensils, among others to resettle him after his prison years. By SaharaReporters, New York Source:http://saharareporters.com/2021/10/25/nigerian-pastor-death-row-regains-freedom-after-14-years-prison

The nation's apex bank, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has rolled out eNaira, which is Nigeria's first digital currency. The digital currency has two applications which are eNaira speed wallet and eNaira merchant wallet. The two apps were rolled out on Google playstore and Apple store, according to checks by TheCable on Monday. The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele in a conference at the beginning of the month, promised that the country would start digital Naira currency. Emefiele had announced plans to launch Nigeria's digital currency this year after the Nigeria government barred banks and financial institutions from dealing in or facilitating transactions in cryptocurrencies in February. He had previously said the eNaira would operate as a wallet against which customers could hold existing funds in their bank accounts, and that this would accelerate financial inclusion and enable cheaper and faster remittance inflows. "The CBN and other partners were working round the clock to ensure a seamless process that will be for the overall benefit of the customer," he had said. He said this would make Nigeria "one of the first countries in Africa, and indeed the globe, to adopt the digitisation of its national currency." By SaharaReporters, New York Source:http://saharareporters.com/2021/10/25/central-bank-nigeria-launches-digital-currency-puts-enaira-wallet-apps-google-apple

The Anambra State Government has approved Saturdays as school days in place of Mondays, which have been taken by the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). IPOB had on July 30 ordered a sit-at-home protest in the South-East every Monday until Nnamdi Kanu, its leader, would be released from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). However, on August 14, the group announced a suspension of the order. But weeks after, business activities are still grounded every Monday out of fear as some hoodlums have been enforcing the sit-at-home directive. In Anambra, Saturday classes will commence on October 30, 2021, according to a memo from the government that has been released. Titled, ‘Anambra State Government Approves Saturday as School Day.' The memo reads “I am directed by the Executive Secretary to inform you that the Anambra State Govt. has approved Saturdays as school days in place of Mondays. “All HMs are to notify teachers, pupils as well as parents about the new development. Quality Assurance supervision and every other supervision henceforth will hold on Saturdays. “Every game permission for absent from classes on Saturdays must be addressed to the Executive Chairman ASUBBEB through the Executive Secretary following due process. Saturday classes will commence on 30/10/21 ie next week.” Confirming the memo, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba said the government wants children to learn well hence the approval for Saturday classes. According to him, the state government is passionate about the learning of the children and never wants them to miss anything. He added that the governor approved the Saturday classes so that the children will not lag behind. By SaharaReporters, New York Source:http://saharareporters.com/2021/10/25/anambra-adopts-saturday-school-day-replace-monday-over-ipob%E2%80%99s-sit-home-order

…say registration centres extremely crowded Telecommunication subscribers are clamouring for a two-month extension of the October 31 deadline for National Identity Number-Subscriber Identity Module data verification. The President of National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, highlighted the need to further extend the deadline of the SIM-NIN exercise to allow for the full implementation of the security policy. He said, “We have been at it for close to one year now. They started by giving a six-week deadline, and on and on till March, then June, and now October 31. “In view of the current security situation, which necessitated the policy, we want the deadline to be extended to the end of the year, so that from January 1, there won’t be any excuse. But I also would want a situation where subscribers should take advantage of the remaining days left in this window.” According to Ogunbanjo, registration centres for NIN are now jam-packed because the deadline is about to expire. “Unfortunately, the centres are now jam-packed. I was at one on Friday. Another two months won’t be bad. We are pleading for a two-month extension – November and December – so that full implementation of the security policy can start in January,” he said. Speaking on the number of registrations, he said about 60 million unique subscribers had linked their SIMs to their NIN. Ogunbanjo said, “According to Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria, they said they had done close to 60-something million. And there are over 110 to 118 million unique subscribers. There is a need for an extension to cover everyone. Whoever doesn’t register afterwards by end of December would have themselves to blame.” When asked if the date for the SIM-NIN linkage would be extended, a source in the NCC told one of our correspondents, “What I know is that the deadline is there. There has not been any statement yet on whether it would be reviewed or not.” The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Umar Danbatta, had recently disclosed that over 180 million telephone lines had been linked to NINs. Since the SIM-NIN policy came into effect, telecommunications companies have lost over 18.58 million subscribers after the total number of subscribers peaked at 207,578,237 in October 2020. The NCC, in a recent radio broadcast, said the October 31 deadline for SIM-NIN linkage was sacrosanct. According to the NCC, Nigerians without NIN will be denied the opportunity of acquiring driving licences and passports. “Soon, people without NIN will be denied of necessary services that play vital roles in their lives including acquisition of driving licence, passport,” NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, had said. Reacting, the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Ikechukwu Nnamani, said, “When we check how many people have been registered and see if we’ve met the target, if it does it may not extend. If it doesn’t, they may not. It all depends on the analysis of the target. This analysis would be done a few days before the expiration of the deadline.” Also, a source in ALTON, said, “We think so, there should be an extension. Because there is still a long way to go. There are only about 81 million unique subscribers that have been confirmed. And there are about 187 million subscribers. “Because of the NIN-SIM exercise, there has been a loss of subscribers. However, the NIMC still has capacity issues, as they cannot absorb everyone and need to expand their capacity. They need to expand their capacity. Based on the telecom ban in some states, there is hope for an extension. Otherwise, the people there would be disenfranchised. We as an association are also pushing for an extension.” By Temitayo Jaiyeola and Sami Olatunji Source:https://punchng.com/nin-sim-linkage-subscribers-want-two-month-extension-as-deadline-nears/