Tinubu: APC targets over three million votes in Lagos (Nation)
Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) members got a challenge yesterday —to target three million votes in next year’s elections. Party stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said this is to reinforce its relevance in the Centre of Excellence. “We have six million votes in Lagos. Your target should be half; three million or the entire six million. We must deliver over three million votes in Lagos,” he said. However, to succeed in the exercise, the former governor urged members to renew their faith in reconciliation, embrace peace, work for unity and embark on the aggressive mobilisation of the electorate. Read more
9 soldiers to face military court martial in Ibadan (Vanguard)
The General Officer Commanding, GOC, 2 Division Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. O.F. Azinta, yesterday, inaugurated a General Court Martial, GCM, to try erring personnel of the Division. However, the Army did not disclose the offence(s) of the affected soldiers. Speaking during the inauguration of the General Court Martial at the Tiger Officers’ Mess, Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo State, the GOC enjoined members of the GCM to base the Court Martial on due process and in conformity with extant civil and military laws especially the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Armed Forces Act. Read more
Igbo leaders backing Atiku are saboteurs, say Buhari supporters (Nation)
A group, the Presidential Support Committee has said that Igbo leaders who endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are working to sabotage the chance of the Southeast to produce the President in 2023. Its Southeast caucus spokesman, Charlene Adeasor, said in Abuja at the end of their meeting that Southeast governors and leaders were determined to subvert the aspiration of the Igbo people. He said it is important that President Muhammadu Buhari should secure bloc votes from the region as part of the process marking the greater integration of Igbo into the ruling party. Read more
OAU sex-for-mark jailed six years (Nation)
A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday sentenced former senior lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife Prof. Richard Akindele to six years’ imprisonment for demanding sex to pass his student, Miss Monica Osagie. The presiding judge, Justice Maurine Onyetenu, gave the judgment after the former don had changed his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty”. Akindele, on a four-count charge, was sentenced to 24 months on count one, 24 months on count two, one year on count three and another one year on count four. Read more
2,000 Bakassi militants surrender in Calabar (Vanguard)
Two thousand members of Bakassi Strike Force led by Benjamin Ene, yesterday, surrendered a cache of arms and ammunition to Operation Delta Safe, bringing to an end five years of militancy in Bakassi Peninsula and surrounding creeks. The event, which took place at the Bakassi Local Government Council secretariat at Ikang was witnessed by a crowd comprising those sympathetic to their cause and those who were victims of the struggle. Read more
Troops deployed in Southern Kaduna as gunmen kill 12 in fresh attack (Nation)
The Kaduna State security council said it has deployed troops to Ungwan Pa-Gwandara in Jema’a Local Government Area of the state as unidentified gunmen allegedly killed 12 persons in the village at the weekend. Reports from the area said 21 other persons were seriously injured during the attack by the gunmen. An eye-witness account claimed that at about 7:30 to 8pm, heavy armed herdsmen invaded the community during a wedding and opened fire, allegedly killing 12 people instantly. The news about the deployment of the troops to the troubled community was contained in a statement yesterday by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity, Samuel Aruwan. Read more
Fayose squandered N18b Paris Refund to Ekiti, says Fayemi (Nation)
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has accused immediate past Governor Ayodele Fayose of squandering the N18 billion Paris Club refund the state got from the Federal Government. Fayemi expressed dissatisfaction with how the former governor, who owed between four months’ salary and eight months’ pension arrears, could not pay the backlog of workers’ benefits with such a huge amount of money but diverted it for other uses. The governor said he had not reneged on his avowed commitment to offset the outstanding salary and pension before marking his first year in office. Read more
Pay us our salaries, Abia Poly lecturers beg Ikpeazu (Vanguard)
Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics, SSANIP, Mr Chucks Nwachukwu has begged the Abia State Government to pay their salaries and not politicize it because they and their families are hungry. Nwachukwu, who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in Aba said the state government was insensitive to the plight of the polytechnic workers. The lecturer made the call after the government announced closure of the polytechnic, alleging plans by opposition parties to use lecturers to cause mayhem in the school in form of a protest. Read more
Sweepers seek payment of Nov, Dec salaries (Nation)
Street sweepers yesterday besieged the Lagos State Secretarial at Alausa, Ikeja, protesting the non-payment of their November/December salaries. They said they were back at the secretariat because of the non-fulfilment of the promise to pay them by last Friday. One of them, Oluwatobi Adeyeye, said they met the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Biodun Bamgboye, with the head of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and other top government officials in attendance. He said: “We called the permanent secretary on the phone, but he did not respond. He also refused to respond to our SMS. Read more
Ooni inducts Udom into Hall of Fame (Vanguard)
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan, has inducted Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom State into Hall of Fame. Governor Emmanuel was inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame in Lagos after he was named the best performing governor in the country by Hall of Grace. Justifying the decision to honour Governor Emmanuel, the Ooni said Udom has shown good leadership to the people of Akwa Ibom State by delivering dividends of democracy to them. Read more
Women tourists found dead in Morocco (BBC)
Two Scandinavian women tourists have been found dead in Morocco with cuts to their necks, the country’s interior ministry said. Both bodies were found near the town of Imlil in the High Atlas mountain range, near the foot of North Africa’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal. The women, from Denmark and Norway respectively, have not yet been named. A police investigation has been launched into their deaths, the interior ministry statement said. Read more
Labour makes no-confidence move against PM (BBC)
Jeremy Corbyn has tabled a motion of no confidence in Theresa May, after she said MPs would not vote on her Brexit deal until the week of 14 January. The PM had delayed the vote from last week, admitting she was set to lose. Labour leader Mr Corbyn said on Monday it was unacceptable for MPs to wait a month to vote, adding the PM had led the UK into a “national crisis”. But No 10 sources told the BBC the government would not make time for the no-confidence vote. Ministers would not “go along with silly political games”, they added. Read more
Yemen ceasefire ‘broken within minutes’ (BBC)
A ceasefire in Yemen’s war was broken minutes after coming into effect, pro-government officials say. The warring sides had agreed for a truce deal to be implemented in the port city of Hudaydah at midnight local time on Tuesday. But there have been reports of sporadic clashes between the Houthi rebels and pro-government forces in the city, which is a vital gateway for aid. The rebels have reportedly shelled government forces in eastern Hudaydah. One pro-government official told AFP news agency clashes were ongoing. Read more
Arsenal’ll recover quickly after Southampton loss – Iwobi (Nation)
Arsenal attacker, Alex Iwobi has declared that the Gunners will work hard to recover fast from their 2-3 loss to Southampton, as he believes they can go on another unbeaten run. Footballlive.ng reports that Iwobi admitted it was disappointing seeing the Gunners’ long run in all competitions ended by The Saints, with a 3-2 scoreline on Sunday, but the Super Eagles’ star insists his team will dust themselves up very quickly and try to go on another run, as they host Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup tomorrow. Read more
Balogun demands action against racists after Mainz experience (Punch)
The Brighton defender, 30, made childhood wishes come true by playing in the World Cup for Nigeria and then following idol Thierry Henry into the Premier League. But earlier in 2018 the kind of bigotry he sometimes experienced while growing up in Germany reared its ugly head when he was playing for Mainz. Balogun, son of a Nigerian father and German mother, said, “It was at Hannover, my first club as a professional. “During the second half, we warmed up just in front of their ultras stand. I was there with team-mate Anthony Ujah, who is also Nigerian and has really dark skin. Read more
Kidnapped Anambra man found dead in forest (Punch)
A 48-year-old man, Angus Okoye, who was kidnapped from his house some days back,has been found dead in a forest. PUNCH Metro learnt that Okoye’s corpse was found at the boundary between Isu Anioma in the Awka North Local Government Area and Nawgu in the Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State. The businessman was said to have been kidnapped from his home in Ifite Isu village, Isu Aniocha on Saturday. Read more
Court remands pastor who defiled church member’s twin daughters (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command on Monday arraigned the Assistant Pastor of the Anointed Chosen Vessel Ministry, Okota, Lagos, Mike Oliseh, who allegedly defiled the 12-year-old twin daughters of a church member and his close friend. PUNCH Metro had reported that the 54-year-old Oliseh allegedly had carnal knowledge of the first victim, he also inserted his fingers into the private parts of the twin sister. The victims’ mother had travelled on a business trip in 2017, during which time Oliseh started sleeping in their home. Read more
Alleged rapist impregnates 12-year-old girl, opts for out-of-court settlement (Punch)
An alleged rapist, Nwanne Nwaora, who impregnated his neighbour’s 12-year-old daughter, on Monday, approached a Lagos State High Court to ask for an out-of-court settlement. Nwaora’ counsel, Worer Obuagbaka, prayed that the case, which is in its early stage, should be settled out of court in the interest of the toddler born as a result of the act. He added that Nwaora had decided to enter into a plea bargain agreement with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. Read more