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UNICAL staff quarters Armed gunmen, suspected to be militants, on Thursday invaded the staff quarters of the University of Calabar, Cross River State and abducted the  a first-year student in the Department of Banking and Finance, Onyebuchi Okwueze. Onyebuchi is the son of the Dean of Graduate School, Prof. Emeka Okwueze. After abducting Onyebuchi, the gunmen had while escaping, inflicted injuries on a lecturer in the Department of Physics, Dr Anthony George and his wife who were driving in and got caught up in the attack. The gunmen were said to have gained entry to the staff quarters through the porous boundary with the creeks of Calabar estuaries. Earlier in May 2016, gunmen suspected to be militants had through the same route stormed the quarters and abducted the wife of a lecturer, Mrs. Nancy Ndifon alongside her daughter, Oyebah. The same gang also abducted a medical doctor, David Iniama, in the same premises. Southern City News learnt on Friday that the gunmen had sto...

Cattle rearer A herdsman on Friday sustained bullet wounds in an attack on a Fulani cattle rearers’ settlement in Aku, a community in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State. Our correspondent learnt that three other herdsmen are missing in the wake of the attack, which was reportedly carried out by youths of Aku community. It was gathered that the relationship between members of the community and the herdsmen had been tense for a long time due to misgivings on the part of the villagers over the destruction of their crops by cows. It was also learnt that the herdsmen, who are usually armed, have been harassing the villagers. A 17-year-old herdsman, identified as Wareri, sustained three gunshot wounds during the attack. Three other herdsmen, said to be Wareri’s siblings, are said to be missing. Wareri’s father, one Alhaji Sodu, also a herdsman, identified his missing children as Musa, Baba and Muhammed. Sodu said about 100 cows in his herd were scattere...

The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said the economic recession facing the country will not last until 2020 as predicted by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba. Osinbajo, who  said this in Ede, Osun State on Thursday in an interview with journalists after the eighth convocation  of the Redeemer’s University, stated that the recession would end very soon because the administration was focused on measures to revive the economy and make it strong. He blamed the recession on destruction of oil pipelines which resulted in the reduction of crude oil being sold by the country and the drop in the price of crude oil in the international market. Osinbajo said, “As far as we are concerned and so far as all of us who are working seriously hard are concerned, the recession must be short-lived. “The reason is that as of February last year, we were generating 5,000 megawatts of power and that was the highest ever in the history of this country and th...

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun The Federal Government has approved plans for external loans from the World Bank, China and Japan. It specifically said Nigeria would take loans from institutions such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Export-Import Bank of China, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. This will include low-cost and long-term loans with interest rates of 1.25 per cent and maturity of 20 years, according to comments posted on its Twitter. The Federal Government said that details of a proposed Eurobond due later this year would be announced “in due course.” According to the Presidency, the government is now waiting for lawmakers to approve the plans. President Muhammadu Buhari had announced a N6.1tn ($19.4bn) spending plan aimed at stimulating the economy this year. The economy contracted in the first two quarters as oil revenue plunged. Buhari said he expected the Federal Government to raise about ...

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday postponed the Edo State 2016 Governorship Election to Wednesday, September 28. The decision was announced to journalists on Thursday night, about eight hours after the commission had insisted that the election would hold as scheduled on Saturday, September 10, despite warnings from security agencies. But the leadership of the main opposition party in the country, the Peoples Democratic Party, led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has reiterated its earlier position that the Saturday, September 10, election date should remain sacrosanct. Spokesperson for the PDP, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, who stated this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said the postponement of the election was illegal and a coup against Nigerians As a prelude to the announcement of the postponement of the Saturday poll, the police beefed up security around the commission’s headquarters in Benin with riot policemen frisking vis...

  L-R: National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; Senate President, Bukola Saraki and President Muhammadu Buhari Senate President Bukola Saraki says he and other leaders in the country are also feeling the pain caused by the current economic recession. Saraki said this on Friday while addressing State House correspondents after observing the  Jumat  prayer with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. While urging all Nigerians to continue to pray for the success of the government, he wished Nigerians, especially the Muslims, a happy Sallah  celebration. The Senate President said, “Once again, as a country in this period, we will continue to pray. On Sunday, the day of Arafat, we offer prayers for our leaders and the President so that we can do what is right, because we feel the pain. “We know what the country is going through because there is no Nigerian with blood flowing through his veins that will not know that things are diff...

Lassa fever The Delta Government has said that only 13 out of the 55 people that had contact with the doctor who died of Lassa fever in the state are still under observation. The Commissioner for Information, Mr Patrick Ukah, in a statement on Friday in Asaba, said the 13 people would be closely monitored for one more week. Ukah said that 32 people out of the 55 have been declared free of the disease. He said, “Sensitisation and advocacy to local government areas, Primary Health Care Centres, schools, market places, among others will be intensified to achieve the desired result.” He advised all persons living in the state to keep their environment clean and cultivate appropriate sanitary behaviours.

Oluwakemi Otun A jealous housewife, Oluwakemi Etu, who hacked her husband, Kehinde Etu, to a coma on Saturday has told the police that she bought a new machete two weeks before the act for the purpose of punishing Kehinde. The acting Police Public Relations Officer for the Ogun State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who stated this on Monday, also told our correspondent that Oluwakemi explained further that after purchasing the machete, she hid it in her apartment in the Erinlu area of Ijebu Ode, so as not to arouse suspicion. “She said her waiting paid off last Saturday as she succeeded in luring her husband to her apartment,” the PPRO added. Our correspondent gathered that she had invited the husband over to her residence to spend the weekend with her, which the man honoured without suspecting any foul play. It was learnt that while he was there, she treated him warmly, but later attacked him with machete, inflicting several deep cuts on his chest and other parts of...

There was chaos on Wednesday at the Lagos State Abattoir, Agege, as Hausa and Fulani traders clashed. No fewer than three persons were killed, while more than 20 people reportedly sustained varying degrees of injury and were rushed to different hospitals in the area. PUNCH Metro , during a visit to the area, counted six vehicles that were vandalised and some cattle that were also reportedly killed by the warring groups. Our correspondent observed patrol vehicles from the Elere, Abattoir, Alakuko police divisions, while some military officers and men of the  Rapid Response Squad  were deployed in the area to maintain peace and order. Our correspondent gathered that the two groups started having issues after the Nigeria Railway Corporation demolished some shanties and shops erected around the railway line. The structures were reportedly owned by the Hausa, who were majorly scrap collectors. They were said to have accused the Fulani, who were cattle dealers of being respo...

'Basketmouth' Armed robbers on Tuesday invaded the apartment of popular comedian, Bright Okpocha, aka  Basketmouth , in the Lekki area of Lagos State, carting away valuables. Our correspondent learnt that the gun-wielding robbers stormed  Basketmouth’s apartment in the Lekki Phase 1 area around 2am, and held the comedian and his family members hostage for about two hours. This is just as some gunmen attacked residents of Ogudu in the Ojota area, during which there was an exchange of gunfire  and one robbery suspect was shot dead. The gunfire exchange, which occurred around 12pm, was between the police and the fleeing robbers. PUNCH Metro  learnt that in the robbery in Basketmouth’s  apartment, the robbers made away with valuables of the comedian, including the Closed-Circuit Television Cameras installed in the apartment. A fellow comedian and  Basketmouth’s  friend, Bovi Ugboma, said on his  Instagram  page that altho...

Yaba Magistrate's Court. File photo A driver, Mayowa Adenuga, has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stealing his boss’ Automated Teller Machine card and withdrawing over N2.7m. Also arrested were suspected accomplices in the crime – Adewale Opeyemi, 18, and Jeremiah Iyitoye, 29. PUNCH Metro  gathered that 25-year-old Adenuga, who is also a computer expert, was employed as a driver by a lecturer at UNILAG, Prof. Simbo Banjoko. It was learnt that the suspect had driven Banjoko to the Bells University on the day of the incident. While waiting for his boss on the university premises, the driver found Banjoko’s Zenith Bank ATM card in the car and hid it. Our correspondent gathered that when the victim did not notice that his ATM card was missing, Adenuga used software to uncover the card’s PIN code. After withdrawing N200,000 from the bank account through the ATM, he allegedly bought four iPhones, valued at N495,0...

Tanko Abdulateef A 22-year-old housekeeper, Tanko Abdulateef, who was arrested by the police in Lagos State for killing his employer in the Lekki area of the state, says an evil spirit moved him to commit the crime. Abdulateef, who was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja, on Thursday, said he stabbed the 50-year-old woman, Mabel Okafor, four times in the stomach. PUNCH Metro  had reported on Tuesday, September 6, that Abdulateef was arrested by police operatives in the Bali area of Taraba State about two weeks after he committed the crime. Okafor was reportedly stabbed to death in her apartment on Close 9, Victoria Garden City in the Lekki area on August 17, 2016. The woman’s phones, some cash and other valuables had also been carted away after her murder.  The police thereafter went on the trail of the suspect who fled the apartment on the day of Okafor’s murder. He was arrested on Saturday, August 27. Speaking with  PUNCH Met...

• The baby Photo: Olaleye Aluko Residents of Shodipo Crescent in the Ikeja Government Reserved Area of Lagos State were shocked on Wednesday to find an abandoned baby boy crawling on the road. PUNCH Metro  learnt that the nine-month-old baby, whose name had yet to be ascertained, was seen crawling by residents, who quickly alerted some policemen on patrol in the area. Our correspondents gathered that the child was picked up by the policemen and brought to the Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja. The baby was thereafter taken for a checkup. It was gathered that the nine-month-old was believed to have crawled out of his parents’ apartment, although no resident in the area had showed up for the baby boy. A police source told  PUNCH Metro  that the child would remain in the police custody until his family showed up with concrete proofs of relationship. She said, “We found the boy on Shodipo Crescent in the Ikeja GRA. He is about nine month...

  National Assembly Complex At a time Nigerians are groaning under the yoke of recession, members of the National Assembly comprising the Senators and members of House of Representatives have received a total of N6.78bn as salaries and allowances in one year, investigation by Economic Confidential has revealed. The report by Economic intelligence magazine showed the ‘legitimate’ remuneration of the federal legislators in compliance with the statutory approval of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission. The remuneration package includes: annual salaries, accommodation, vehicle maintenance and fuel, personal assistants, house maintenance, domestic staff, entertainment and utilities allowances. others allowances are; constituency allowance, annual leave, hardship allowance, wardrobe, newspapers and responsibility allowances. A careful scrutiny of the report shows that each Senator has an annual salary of N2.02m while a member of House of Representati...

File photo The Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress,  Afenifere , former federal lawmakers, security experts and rights activists, on Saturday vowed to resist any attempt by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to further increase fuel price. They stated this in separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH  against the background that former and present bosses of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, expressed fears that the current pump price of N145 per litre, was no longer feasible. Past and present Group Managing Directors of the NNPC, unanimously declared on Saturday that the current N145 per litre price of fuel was no longer realistic. They said the amount does not correspond with the price determining components of the commodity and the fluctuations of the foreign exchange rate. They stated this after a one-day meeting they held with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, in Abuja. The NNPC in its statement said, ...

  National Assembly Complex At a time Nigerians are groaning under the yoke of recession, members of the National Assembly comprising the Senators and members of House of Representatives have received a total of N6.78bn as salaries and allowances in one year, investigation by Economic Confidential has revealed. The report by Economic intelligence magazine showed the ‘legitimate’ remuneration of the federal legislators in compliance with the statutory approval of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission. The remuneration package includes: annual salaries, accommodation, vehicle maintenance and fuel, personal assistants, house maintenance, domestic staff, entertainment and utilities allowances. others allowances are; constituency allowance, annual leave, hardship allowance, wardrobe, newspapers and responsibility allowances. A careful scrutiny of the report shows that each Senator has an annual salary of N2.02m while a member of House of Representati...

 Operatives of the Imo State Police Command have arrested 36 suspected cultists in various parts of the state. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, who paraded the suspects before journalists on the premises of the state police command in Owerri, said that the arrests were made when useful information was made available to covert operatives of the command. “Considering the spate of cultism in the state and following a tactically coordinated operation by operatives of the state police command on August 24, 2016, intelligence report gathered through credible sources revealed that some notorious cultists were planning to hold an  initiation party for new members within the Nekede area of Owerri,” Lakanu  said. The police boss listed exhibits recovered from the suspects as three talking drums of different sizes, sachets of salt, berets, emblem and kegs of palm wine. Lakanu said those arrested had confessed to being members of the “Aye...

The suspects The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four teenagers for alleged involvement in oil theft and the abduction of two expatriates  in the Epe and Igando area of the state. Our correspondents learnt that the four suspects – Michael Loko, 19; Oluwatomi Obosi, 19; Francis Cyprian, 19; and Olatoye Semiu, 18 – were nabbed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, on Tuesday. PUNCH Metro  learnt that the suspects were also alleged to be involved in pipeline vandalism in the Isawo, Ikorodu area of the state. It was gathered that two expatriates had been allegedly abducted in the Epe and Igando areas of the state at different times in July, after which undisclosed ransoms were paid before their release. A police source said, “The teenagers also assisted oil thieves to carry petrol siphoned from pipelines into the trucks for sale.” The police added that Loko was the leader of the gang. Speaking with  PUNCH Metro , Loko, who confessed...

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni The police in Lagos State have arrested a 22-year-old suspected robber, Moses Akpan, who allegedly attacked some residents of Oniru, in the Lekki area of the state. PUNCH Metro  learnt that the police recovered a toy gun from the suspect after his arrest on Thursday. Our correspondent gathered that Akpan, who hails from Akwa Ibom State, had allegedly gone to rob on Oniru Market Road around 2pm on Thursday. The suspect was said to have dispossessed some residents of their valuables. Operatives of the Maroko division were said to have trailed the suspect and arrested him in his house. The operatives also reportedly recovered a refrigerator from the suspect’s house. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed Akpan’s arrest. She said, “The case is under investigation and the suspect will be charged to court. The suspect has also confessed to the use of a toy gun for robber...

Ojuwoye Market There was confusion at Ojuwoye Market, in the Mushin area of Lagos State on Saturday after a suspected female kidnapper was nabbed by residents. The suspect would have been lynched but for the intervention of policemen from the Olosan division. It was learnt that the suspect had refused to disclose either her name or address. PUNCH Metro  learnt that the mother of the children, Modinat, a trader in the market, had laid the children, identified as Hammed Rasheed (six years old) and Farida Raheed (two years old), on the floor. She was reportedly attending to a customer when the suspect took them away. Our correspondent was told that a resident, who knew the mother of the children, challenged the suspect and raised the alarm when she could not give a satisfactory response. A witness, Saheed Bayedun, said, “The children’s mother is a trader in the market. She left the children to attend to a customer. The kidnapper, who is about 22 years old, sneaked ...

Niger Delta Avengers A militant leader in the Niger Delta region, ‘General’ Don Waney, emerged from the creeks on Monday and warned members of the Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups not to come close to Rivers State. Waney, who said he was ready to surrender his arms and ammunition and embrace the amnesty offered by Governor Nyesom Wike,  urged militant groups in the oil-rich region, including the NDA, to embrace peace and put an end to the destruction of oil facilities. The militant leader, who is the leader of the Aggrieved Youth Movement, said in Aligwu, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area on Monday that he would fight any militant group that decided to make Rivers its target. Explaining that the state could not achieve any form of development without peace, Waney added that his group was not into kidnapping or any form of violence. He stated that his group (AYM) was only agitated as a result of youth unemployment, lack of technical training for...

The General Manager of the Lagos State Printing Corporation, Mr. Sakirudeen Odusanya, on Monday said parents and guardians should ensure a responsible use of the social media by children. He added that youngsters must be appropriately guided on the use of the internet to prevent them from accessing contents that could jeopardise their lives. Odusanya spoke at the Lagos Book Expo organised by the Lagos State Television with the theme, ‘Book Publishing and Challenges of the Social Media.’ He said the social media had come to stay, adding that a proper guidance on which medium to visit would prevent regrets in the future. The LSPC boss, who was represented by the LSPC Secretary, Mrs. Adefunke Odutola, observed that in as much as the social media would assist people to do their jobs efficiently, the culture of reading and writing books must not be abandoned. Odusanya said the expo provided the opportunity for individuals and firms to showcase their equipment and products,...

File photo The Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress,  Afenifere , former federal lawmakers, security experts and rights activists, on Saturday vowed to resist any attempt by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to further increase fuel price. They stated this in separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH  against the background that former and present bosses of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, expressed fears that the current pump price of N145 per litre, was no longer feasible. Past and present Group Managing Directors of the NNPC, unanimously declared on Saturday that the current N145 per litre price of fuel was no longer realistic. They said the amount does not correspond with the price determining components of the commodity and the fluctuations of the foreign exchange rate. They stated this after a one-day meeting they held with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, in Abuja. The NNPC in its statement said, ...

Ask any smoker, and he will tell you that smoking is one of the most difficult habits to kick. Worse is the fact that even the various medical interventions that are supposed to help come with negative side effects. One of such is the nicotine gum, which is marketed under the brand name Nicorette Gum. According to General Practitioner, Dr. Timothy Ogbonnaya, on the average, most medicines have side effects, but the hope is that the typical medicine will give the user more positive relief from the ailment than side effects. Experts say this could not be said of nicotine gum as concerns its ability to make smokers quit smoking. While many ex-smokers say the product actually helped, many more say it is as addictive as the cigarette they want to stop smoking. Researchers say that the quantity of Nicorette Gum that an individual chews each day may sometimes be influenced by his smoking habits, as he is advised to only chew a piece of Nicorette gum when he feels the urge to smoke. Cons...

Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie Dr Sylvester Ikhisemoji The disease associated with Zika virus infection which first began like an occasional issue in Latin America last year has finally showed up outside of the Americas. It has made landfall in Asia and one can say that it is only a matter of time before it reaches us in Africa. Already, we have all it takes for the virus to spread without hindrance in most communities on the continent. The weather is warm and mostly humid. There is abundant vegetation especially in sub-Saharan Africa. There are lots and lots of mosquitoes. The Zika virus is spread essentially when an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito bites an individual and injects the virus from its salivary glands into the person’s blood. The virus soon finds its way into the blood stream and begins to cause certain features which are only currently being studied. In many ways, this is a new disease because never before have its effects been so widespread. The Zika virus causes o...

The police in Lagos State have detained a sergeant, identified only as Isaac, who allegedly shot dead a motorist, Fatai Ajani, in the Orile-Iganmu area of the state. PUNCH Metro  learnt that Isaac, who is attached to the Special Protection Unit, was arrested around 7pm on Sunday when the incident happened. Our correspondent gathered that the sergeant, had, at about 6.30pm, escorted a Toyota Land Cruiser, with number plate, PF 742 SPY, to the area. It was learnt that the sergeant had ordered everyone to move away for the vehicle, during which he allegedly started shooting into the air. PUNCH Metro  was told that a commercial bus driver, Ajani, who was heading for the bus stop with a friend, Kehinde Ganiyu, was hit in the process and he died. The matter was said to have been reported at the Orile Police Division. The sergeant and the driver of the vehicle were subsequently arrested. A police source told our correspondent that Ajani was hit in the stomach by the policeman...