News In Brief.

Good morning! The news in brief..


Lagos High court bars NDLEA from forcefully extraditing Kashamu.



A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday restrained security agencies in Nigeria from unlawfully arresting and forcibly transporting the senator-elect for Ogun East Senatorial District, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, to the United States to stand trial for alleged drug-trafficking offences.
Justice Okon Abang, in a judgment on Wednesday, also ordered the unfettered swearing-in of Kashamu as a senator with all the attached privileges since his victory in the March 28, 2015 election had not been upturned.
The judge declared as illegal any attempt to abduct or forcibly transport Kashamu to the US to stand trial in relation to drug-trafficking allegations from which he had been exonerated by two British courts.
Abang also granted Kashamu’s prayer that having earlier obtained the judgment of a Nigerian court on January 6, 2014, barring his arrest and extradition to the US, and the judgment having not been set aside, the respondents could not arrest and extradited him to the US.

(Hmnn the trials of brother Buruji, LOL)



I was a motor park tout-Benue governor-elect.


he Benue State incoming Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has described his experience as a motor park tout and his election as governor as a divine arrangement and the handiwork of God.
Ortom, who bared his mind to The PUNCH in an exclusive chat in Makurdi, said his elevation from grass to grace was due to hard work and his firm believe in God.
He said, “My journey from being a motor park tout to an elected governor is purely a divine arrangement. I cast my mind back to when I dropped out of school in Form 2 but I remained hardworking and I did not engage in crime to survive.
“One thing I know is that hard work pays and you must keep faith with God; power belongs to God and He alone gives it to whoever He will.”
The former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment said he had dropped out of school in Form 2 due to lack of funds but this did not force him to engage in criminal activities to survive.


Amaechi, Jang, others to shun new govs’ inauguration

Two days to the expiration of their tenure, some governors have jetted out of the country, thereby refusing to personally hand over power to their successors.
They include Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, and his Katsina State counterpart, Ibrahim Shema.
Also, some governors, who did not travel out, have decided to shun the inauguration ceremonies of their successors.
Preparations for the inauguration of the nation’s 4th Republic intensified on Wednesday with Nigeria and the international community gearing up for the ceremony.
The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to be inaugurated as the country’s Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces while governors are expected to be inaugurated in their respective states
.Lamido left Nigeria last week after handing over to the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abdu Babura.
The governor, whose tenure expires on May 29, had before departing Nigeria for Saudi Arabia told newsmen last week Thursday that he was taking a well deserved rest.
At the conference, Lamido confirmed that he was leaving behind a debt of N2bn.
Putting the debt issue in perspective, the governor explained that of the N14bn debt in the name of the state, N12bn, which his administration used in the construction of the Dutse International Airport, was owed by the Federal Government.


Don’t single me out for probe, Jonathan tells Buhari
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday advised the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, not to single out his administration in any probe he may want to carry out after his inauguration on Friday.
He said all those advising Buhari to probe his administration must also advise him to extend his probe beyond his regime or else, the probe will be seen as a witch-hunt.
Jonathan made his position known at the valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council which he presided over at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He also said those calling for his administration’s probe should add that the probe should be extended to the way oil wells and fields were allocated in the past.
A former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, had over the weekend joined the growing number of persons calling on Buhari to probe the Jonathan administration.
Jonathan said, “Some people are even calling for the probe of this government. I agree that in Nigeria, there are a number of things that we will probe; very many things.
“Even debts owed by states and this nation from 1960 up to this time. They are saying it is Jonathan’s administration that is owing all the debts.
“I believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are extended beyond the Jonathan administration, otherwise to me, it will be a witch-hunt. If you are very sincere, then it is not just the Jonathan’s administration that should be probed.


PDP: Dickson expels Jonathan’s loyalists.

The Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday expelled nine of its members from the party over alleged anti-party activities in the last general elections.
The expulsion of the members, said to be President Goodluck Jonathan’s henchmen in the party, was allegedly orchestrated by Governor Seriake Dickson.
The decision for the expulsion was contained in a statement presented to journalists by the state acting chairman of the party, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff, at its secretariat in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The affected members are Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange, Mr. Nestor Binabo, Chief Werinipre Seibarugu, Mr. Waripamowei Dudafa and Mr. Chamberlain Kren Ikidi.
Others are Mr. Osomkime Blankson, Mr. Emmanuel Okponipre, Mr. Ebikapade Dibiya and Joyce Fouyowei.
The expulsion came just as the ‘suspended’ Chairman of the party, Col. Sam Inokoba (retd.), accused Dickson of impunity.
He said the disciplinary committee set up by the state working committee and its leader was illegal, null and void.


I won’t forgive Wike unless justice is done – Amaechi
THE Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Wednesday fired what seemed to be another salvo at the state Governor-elect, Chief Nyesom Wike, ahead of the Friday’s inauguration.
Amaechi, who declared that he would not forgive or settle the feud between him and Wike, unless justice was seen to have been done, had on Tuesday accused the governor-elect of being behind the deaths recorded in the state during the general elections. Wike had denied the allegation.
The governor made this declaration during his 50th birthday thanksgiving service at the Corpus Christi Cathedral in Port Harcourt, while reacting to the plea by the Catholic Bishop of Port Harcourt Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Camillus Etokudoh, that both politicians (Amaechi and Wike) should reconcile their differences in the interest of the people.
Amaechi, who agreed that the views of the bishop in a Catholic church should not be opposed, maintained that justice must come before forgiveness, adding that those that were killed during the general elections and their families must get justice.
Amaechi expressed surprise that the bishop congratulated Wike on his victory during the governorship election in the state, even as he called on the church to join the All Progressives Congress in praying that the party reclaimed its mandate.

Petrol sells for N110 at depots
Tankers loading petrol from depots in Apapa, Lagos are currently paying between N90 and N110 per litre instead of the N82 before the advent of the current scarcity of the product in the market.
This, according to market sources, is the reason behind the high prices for which the product is selling at filling stations across the country.
Since the National Association of Road Transport Owners and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ arm of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers called off their strike, which was called to protest the debts owed their members by the petroleum product marketers, nearly all the filling stations have refused to sell petrol at the official pump price of N87 per litre.
The product is currently being sold for between N150 and N200 per litre.
The Chairman, NUPENG, Lagos Zone, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, confirmed to our correspondent in a telephone interview that loading of products from the depots had been intensive since the strike was called off.
This, however, has not led to the normalisation of the price at the depots.


Jonathan sends confab report to N’Assembly for approval
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday forwarded the report of the 2014 National Conference to the National Assembly, with two days to the end of his tenure on Friday (tomorrow).
The tenure of the current National Assembly too will end on June 5, just eight days away.
The document was forwarded to the legislature in a covering letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, read the House’ copy of the letter to members on a day that also turned out to be the valedictory session for the 7th House.
Jonathan said the conference made far-reaching recommendations on many areas, including political restructuring and forms of government; political parties and electoral matters; public finance; national securities; land tenure matters and national boundaries; energy; human rights and legal reforms; and devolution of power.


11 killed in Kwara auto crash
No fewer than 11 people were confirmed dead while nine people received varying degrees of injured following an auto-crash involving a Toyota Hiace Bus and a Turbo branded truck.
Our correspondent gathered on Wednesday that the accident occurred about 2am at Oko Olowo Village along Ilorin/Mokwa Road.
The bus with registration number GA 52 XA was said to be conveying 11 people including the driver; while the trailer with Registration No: XA 939 GZA had about nine people on board.
An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the bus collided with the truck. He added that while all the 11 people in the bus died, eight people in the truck survived but sustained varying degrees of injuries.
He stated that the bus was heading for an unnamed state in the northern part of the country while the trailer was coming from Kebbi State and was heading for Oyo State before the accident.
He said officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps later came to the scene for rescue operations.
According to him, the road safety officials packed the badly mutilated bodies of the victims inside a Hilux van and conveyed the injured victims in an ambulance, said to belong to a para-military body, to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin.
He said, “We heard a big bang around 2am inside our hut and wailings of human beings but none of us could come out to verify what happened until this morning when we got to the horrible scene.”
The Kwara State Sector Commander, FRSC, Mrs. Marry Wakawa, confirmed the accident.
She stated that all the 11 people in the bus died while nine people in the truck survived but sustained injuries.
She warned motorists and passengers against travelling at nights.


El-Rufai appoints SSG, others
he Kaduna State Governor-elect, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, ahead of his inauguration on Friday, has announced the appointment of Mallam Balarabe Abbas-Lawal as the Secretary to the Government of the state.
Abbas-Lawal, a former Chief of Staff to El-Rufai when he was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, was the Chairman, Kaduna APC Transition Committee.
El-Rufai, in a statement he personally signed in Kaduna on Wednesday, also named Mallam Salisu Suleiman as his Principal Private Secretary, while Mr. Abu Musa Sheyin would serve as Private Secretary to the Deputy Governor-elect, Mr. Barnabas Yusuf Bala.
Also, the Governor-elect announced the appointment of Mr. Bala Yunusa as the Deputy Chief of Staff (Legislative Affairs) while Mr. Samuel Aruwan would serve as Special Assistant on Media.
Aruwan worked as the spokesman for the Kaduna State APC Campaign Council in the 2015 elections. He began his journalism career with the Leadership Newspapers. Until his appointment, he was the Kaduna Bureau Chief of the Blueprint Newspapers Limited.
The new SSG was a former lecturer and had also served as a director in the Nasir el-Rufai Campaign Organisation.



Lagos cancels movement’s restriction for May sanitation.
The Lagos State Government says it has cancelled the restriction of movement during the May edition of the monthly sanitation scheduled for Saturday.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello, said the decision was to allow for a hitch-free inauguration of the incoming Governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, and the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
The commissioner explained that the cancellation of the restriction on movement would allow Nigerians to fully participate in the inauguration and other planned ceremonies.
Bello further stated that the cancellation would allow easy transportation of fuel from tank farms in the state to other parts of the country.
The commissioner said, “The Lagos State Government has cancelled restriction of human and vehicular activities during the May monthly sanitation coming up this Saturday as the state prepares for the swearing-in/inauguration ceremony of the new governor.
“This cancellation is to allow for a hitch-free swearing-in and inauguration coming up both in Lagos and Abuja. The restriction of movement was lifted in order to allow full participation of our people during the state and national inauguration ceremonies.
“The restriction of movement was lifted to also allow easy transportation of fuel from the various tank farms from Lagos to other parts of the nation, as well as allow normalcy to return to our roads. The next edition of the cleaning exercise will come up in June.”


S’Court affirms Aregbesola’s victory, dismisses Omisore’s appeal
The Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the victory of the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the state.
The seven-man panel, led by Justice John Fabiyi, declared Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress as duly elected, after dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Iyiola Omisore, challenging the outcome of the poll.
In its unanimous decision, the apex court resolved six issues out the seven formulated by Omisore against him.
The court held that although the first issue was resolved in his favour, it was not sufficient to grant his appeal.
Justice Chima Nweze, who read the lead judgment, endorsed the findings of both the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Akure Division of the Court of Appeal, both of which held that the Omisore failed to prove the alleged irregularities in 17 local government areas of the state.
Justice Nweze held, “In all, I find that there is no merit in the complaints regarding issues two, three, four, five, six and seven.
“Although, issue one was resolved in the appellant’s favour, it does not alter the fate of the appeal which is bound to fail. I therefore make an order dismissing the same.”
“I further affirm the concurrent findings of the trial tribunal and the lower court (Court of Appeal) on the due election and due return of the 1st respondent, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, as the Governor of Osun State,” Justice Nweze ruled.



Executive, legislature feud embarrassing, says Tambuwal

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, on Wednesday deplored the frosty relationship which existed between the 7th National Assembly and the executive arm of government, describing it as an “an embarrassment to the nation.”
He blamed the sour relationship on the failure of the executive to recognise the independence of the legislature as a separate arm of government, with the powers to exercise checks on the other arms.
The Speaker expressed his views in an address he delivered to his colleagues at the valedictory session of the House, held in Abuja.
Tambuwal noted that the unhealthy relationship between the executive and the legislature had led to a situation whereby the ruling Peoples Democratic Party could not effectively relate with the National Assembly.
The speaker advised the incoming All Progressives Congress majority government to steer clear of the path that created problems for the PDP.
It was a session laden with emotions, as Tambuwal, who is now the Governor-elect for Sokoto State, bid his colleagues farewell.
He said, “I must say that the frosty relationship between the Executive and Seventh House was an unnecessary distraction and a source of embarrassment to the nation.
“It is unwarranted that a ruling party with clear majority boxed itself into that situation.
“If the executive fails to recognise the independence of the legislature and expects that it is a rubber stamp, then frosty relation is bound to follow.
“I would strongly urge the incoming executive arm and indeed the ruling APC to avert this unwholesome situation.”


Jonathan, N’Assembly settle constitution amendment rift

President Goodluck Jonathan has agreed to sign the amendment to the 1999 Constitution passed by the National Assembly with some of the proposed alterations which the President had rejected deleted.
This was contained in the terms of settlement which was filed before the Supreme Court on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), and the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The terms of settlement attached to Adoke’s notice of discontinuance and filed before the apex court put an end to the suit filed by Adoke to challenge the final passage of the alterations into law.
The seven-man panel of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed struck out the suit after Adoke’s lawyer, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), moved the application for the discontinuance of the suit on Wednesday.
With the concession which was said to have been reached between the representatives of the President and the National Assembly earlier on Tuesday, the President conceded six out of his 13 initial objections to the alterations.
The agreement between the President and the National Assembly saw the removal of alteration to section 9 of the Constitution which allowed the National Assembly to dispense with the President’s assent in the process of constitution amendment.


Jonathan, PDP owe decoration firm N360m
Less than 48 hours to the inauguration of a new administration, the company which handled the contract for the decoration of Peoples Democratic Party presidential campaigns in all the states of the federation on Wednesday threatened to drag President Goodluck Jonathan and the party to court over unpaid debts estimated at N360m.
The decoration firm has, however, scheduled a protest for today (Thursday) at the PDP Headquarters in Wadata House, Abuja to possibly prevail on the party to release its funds.
The Managing Director of Twinkles World Ltd., Mr. Tunde Agarawu, and the Project Coordinator, Mr. Awonaiya Olayemi, at a press briefing in Abuja, said their lawyer had already issued a seven-day ultimatum on the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation within which to offset the debt or face a legal action.
Agarawu said since Jonathan lost the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari, he and the PDP hierarchy had failed to pay most debts incurred for the campaigns.
He alleged that Prof. Jerry Gana and other members of the PDPPCO deliberately withheld their money, even though a directive had been given by the immediate-past chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu, that the debts be cleared.
While several efforts by journalists to get Jerry Gana for response were not successful, calls and text messages to his Personal Assistant, Mr. James Agbo, over the same matter were not replied.
Agarawu, who said no mobilisation fund was given to them before the commencement of the project, added that banks and corporate bodies where they sourced loans to execute the project were already demanding for payment of their funds.


Plaintiff, lawyer’s absence stalls anti-Buhari inauguration suit.

he suit filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the inauguration of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, as the President, came up on Wednesday but neither the representative of the plaintiff nor its counsel showed up.
The suit was filed on Tuesday by a non-governmental organisation, Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative.
With an affidavit of urgency filed along with the plaintiff’s application for interim injunction, the matter was assigned to Justice Ahmed Mohammed, and was listed for hearing on Wednesday.
The matter was mentioned three times on Wednesday within intervals of two hours in between successive stand-downs, but neither a representative of the plaintiff or its lawyer who filed the suit on its behalf, Mr. Philip Ekpo, was present in court.
Though the application filed by the plaintiff was an ex parte, Buhari was represented in court by a Senior Advocate of Nigerian, Lateef Fagbemi, who remained within the court premises until the court rose.
Justice Mohammed also disclosed that none of the court processes, including the originating summons, had been served on the respondents in the suit.
It could not be ascertained if a new date had been fixed for the hearing of the suit.


Nigeria earns N2.8trn from petroleum products in 3 months
Nigeria earned N2.838 trillion from the export of petroleum products in the first quarter of 2015, according to data released, yesterday, by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS.
The amount is 64.18 per cent of the Federal Government’s 2015 budget of N4.425 trillion.
The NBS, in its Foreign Trade Statistics for the first quarter of 2015, stated that the export of petroleum products accounted for 87.86 per cent of Nigeria’s total merchandise export of N3.23 trillion in the first quarter.
Giving a breakdown of the petroleum products export, the NBS disclosed that crude oil emerged the highest exported commodity in the quarter under review, valued at N2.251 trillion, representing 69.7 per cent of the country’s total export.
The value of the country’s crude oil export in the first quarter of 2015 represents an appreciation of 0.54 per cent when compared against N2.239 trillion recorded in the preceding quarter. The amount is, however, a decline of 30.4 per cent from total crude oil export of N3.234 trillion recorded in the first quarter of 2014.
Liquefied Natural Gas followed with an export value of N306.16 billion, while the country earned N152.268 billion from the export of liquefied propane.
Also, N128.49 billion was earned from the export of partially refined crude oil products; N21.247 billion from liquefied butanes and N4.706 billion was earned from the export of Liquefied Petroleum Gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons.
In general, the NBS stated that Nigeria exported mainly mineral products, which accounted for 2.880 trillion or 89.2 per cent of total exports.
Continuing, the NBS said: “The value of merchandise exports totalled 3.23 trillion in the first quarter of 2015, an increase of 275.6 billion or 9.3 per cent over the value recorded in the preceding quarter. ”

Sambisa Forest: Army dismisses 200 soldiers for cowardice
The Nigeria Army at the Rukuba Barracks in Jos, Plateau State, has dismissed about 200 soldiers from service for their failure to capture the Sambisa Forest, a notorious hideout for Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
They were dismissed for laxity and cowardice in the course of duty.
One of the affected soldiers, Aguloye Sunday, an indigene of Ondo State, who confirmed the dismissal to journalists in Jos, said they were arraigned on a two-count charge of “failure to perform military duty and disobedience to standing order.”
He, however, argued that they would seek redress in court as the charges pressed against him and his colleagues were “untrue, false and malicious.”
Denying the claim by the army authorities that the soldiers abandoned their duties and ran away, Mr Sunday explained that sufficient weapons were not provided for them to fight the terrorists and, therefore, they ran out of weapons.
He also said the weapons provided for the troops were obsolete.
According to him, “the bombs given to us were made in 1964; they were expired, so we could not use them.
“Each of us was given five bullets, not five rounds, to fire. While in the forest, our biggest weapon was to cover just a distance of 400 meters, but our enemy had aircraft weapons that could cover a distance of more than 1,000 metres, aside other dangerous weapons.
“We only retreated to our base and waited in vain for ammunition for three days.”
Meanwhile, Nigerian Army has said the figure being bandied was incorrect and that no dismissals were pre-planned by the Army High Command.


I’ve never killed anybody —Wike
Rivers State governor- elect, Mr Nyesom Wike, has denied ever killing anybody or conspiring with any person whatsoever to kill any person in his life and in all his political pursuits, noting that killing anybody has never and will never form part of his strategy to win any election.
Wike, in a statement by Mr Emma Okah, Chairman, Media and Publicity of the PDP Campaign Organisation, Rivers State, was reacting to the allegation of killing made against him by the outgoing Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
According to Okah, “People no longer take Amaechi seriously. Wike did not need to kill anybody to win the 2015 governorship election in the state and one wonders why Amaechi, who is the Chief Security Officer of the state, has kept quiet or refused to press criminal charges against Wike until he  is about to be sworn in as governor of Rivers State.”
Okah said Wike has no immunity and wondered what Amaechi was waiting for to prosecute him or anybody he accuses of such a heinous crime if he was to be taken seriously.
“It is shameful for a man to speak loosely the way Amaechi does and we urge him to seek spiritual and medical attention,” Okah opined, noting that no matter how much distractions he causes, he must account for his misdeeds in Rivers State during his tenure as governor.




Mimiko laments spate of sexual exploitation of children

The Governing Council of Osun State University, UNIOSUN, has terminated the appointments of three principal officers of the state institution including the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bashir Okesina with immediate effect.
The termination of their appointments followed the recommendations of a visitation panel set up by the Visitor to the university, Governor Rauf Aregbesola. The panel looked into the allegation of financial mismanagement in the institution.
As at the time of filling this report, the termination of the appointment of the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Bashir Okesina has been recommended to the Visitor, Governor Rauf Aregbesola for approval by the council while letters for the Registrar and Bursar Dr. Julius Faniran and Alhaji Fatai Lasisi respectively were handed over to them last Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the university branch of Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, has said that the action was done in bad faith.
ASUU in a statement by its Chairman, Dr. Abiona Oluseye and eight others said the sack violated the principle of equity and fairness.
The statement said: “It is instructive to state that a visitation panel was constituted by the Governor of the State of Osun and the report submitted. ASUU-Uniosun is of the opinion that it would have been better for the council to wait for the white paper on the report to be released by the Governor before assuming the position of a judge in their own case.’’
“Against the backdrop of the on-going, ASUU-UNIOSUN hereby calls for the immediate reversal of the decision pending the outcome of the white paper on the matter.’’



ACF alleges plot to frustrate Buhari
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has accused outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan of deliberate plot to hinder the smooth take off of the incoming government of Muhammadu Buhari.
Citing the current energy crisis engulfing the nation due to scarcity of petroleum products nationwide following alleged Federal Government’s indebtedness to various groups, the ACF lamented that, “Nigerians do not deserve such a parting gift from Jonathan after he has earned himself a global applause for statesmanship.”
The ACF pronouncement is contained in a statement in Kaduna yesterday after the monthly meeting of its national executive council.
The statement signed by the ACF National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim, noted that the nationwide fuel scarcity had virtually crippled the economy and put untold hardship on Nigerians.
The statement read, “this has seriously affected power generation and distribution, transportation system, telecommunications, banking, water supply and other sectors of the economy.
“In fact, the situation is terrible, worrisome and capable of shutting down the country. Certainly, few days to the handover of government to the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the ACF  and indeed Nigerians are worried and disturbed at the rate the Nigerian state is being grounded by actions and inactions of the outgoing Jonathan’s administration.
“All these unwarranted hardships including the persistent insecurity and many others which the outgoing regime will bequeath to Gen. Buhari appear to be deliberate and calculated to hinder the smooth take off of the new administration.