Not more than 408 students of the University of Ibadan have been asked to withdraw from the university for failure to meet the minimum academic requirements to stay in the institution.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018, that the Senate of the University ratified the withdrawal at its meeting where results of graduating and non-graduating students were considered and approved.

It was gathered that majority of those asked to leave the university were those in 100 level, who were admitted into the university without writing the Post-UTME screening examinations.

The institution, it was also learnt admitted a total of 3,483 for the 2016/2017 session when there was opposition to the conduct of post-UTME screening.

Adeyinka Aderinto, the deputy vice-chancellor (Academic) who confirmed the development in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Ibadan, stated that the university would continue to uphold its standards despite dwindling funding to the university.

He, however, asked parents of the expelled students to ensure that they would not lie and continue to extort money in the name of being students of the University.

Aderinto said that the conduct of UI Model of Post-UTME screening has helped to separate ‘men from boys’ and helped the institution in maintaining its historical standard as a global brand.

He said, “The University is determined to uphold standards. We are saying that being admitted to the University of Ibadan is a rarely privilege that require students to be up and doing in their studies.

“There are minimum academic requirements a student must meet at the end of the session and those who fall short of that would have to leave the university.

“UI has been able to invent her own model of screening applicants and it has shown that those who we screened performed far better than those not subjected to our screening after taking JAMB.”

Additional reports by Daily Post.

Suspected commercial motorcycle operators have attacked a Vehicle Inspection Office, VIO, personnel in Abuja.

Kalu Emetu, the spokesman of the agency, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

Emetu identified the victim as Abubarkar Eyge.

He said the incident occurred at the Area 1 roundabout in the Garki District of the territory on Monday morning.

He said that the Okada riders attacked the officer when he tried to take an impounded motorcycle to the operational base of the Ministerial Joint Task Force in Wuye District.

The spokesman said a group of the riders mobilised and pounced on Eyge, inflicting serious injuries on him.

`This is one of the hazards of being a VIO personnel, especially in Abuja.

“The attack would have been more serious if not for the intervention of passersby.

“The officer is now receiving treatment at a medical facility,’’ he said.

Emetu said that the matter had been reported to the police for investigation and prosecution.

He said attacks on vehicle inspection officers were becoming a daily occurrence in the FCT.

He said seven VIO personnel were killed in similar circumstances in the territory in 2017.

The Kaduna State Police Command has confirmed that 10 miners were killed by armed bandits in Birnin Gawri Local Government Area.

Austin Iwar, the commissioner of police in the state, made this known in an interview in Kaduna on Sunday, April 29, 2018.

The 10 local miners were working in a minefield in Mahanga village in Birnin Gwari Local Government of Kaduna State.

“On Saturday, April 28, 2018, nine miners were killed and were buried, while 13 people were critically injured.

“Six were hospitalised at the General Hospital, Birnin Gwari, while seven were transferred to Kaduna for treatment.

“Today, one out of the 13 injured miners died and increased the death toll to 10,’’ he said.

He added that the situation was now under control and that security operatives had been posted to the flashpoints to forestall a reprisal attack.

“We are meeting with stakeholders to see that this incident does not re-occur,’’ he added.

Iwar also said no arrest had been made while investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“We are investigating to see first the reason why it happened and the immediate cause.

” This is to enable us to identify the culprits and arrest them to face the law, ” he said

Iwar assured the public that the suspects would be arrested and prosecuted.

Read more at Naij

There was confusion at the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, following a fire incident at the generator house.

When journalists got to the Headquarters of the CBN on Central Business District, the generator fire had been put under control by a combined team of CBN In-House fire fighters, the Julius Berger team, and men of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Fire Service, FFS.

The fire was said to have started at about 6 pm and lasted for about 30 minutes before it was put out. The huge smoke covered a section of the CBN building up to the roof and left the security guards and other staff on duty worried and confused.

Bello Atayin, the assistant comptroller, FFS, said that the fire started at the generator house and attributed the fire incident to a technical fault at the generator house.

According to him, “the fire incident started at the generator house on the west side of the building and we were alerted. It was a minor fire incident and it had been put under control.”

“A huge smoke billowed from a faulty generator number three at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, headquarters on Tuesday which caused a fire scare.”

Reacting to the incident, Isaac Okorafor, the CBN’s spokesman, and Acting Director, Corporate Communications, described the report of the fire incident as false.

In a statement, CBN Spokesman, Isaac Okorafor, said passersby who saw a pall of exhaust from the generator house far away from the building apparently mistook the exhaust for fire smoke.

“The CBN maintains a total security system that triggers safety alarms in the presence of smoke and so all fire engines and personnel received the alert only to discover that it was an unusual pall of exhaust,” he said.

The affected generator has been rested and normal work has been uninterrupted, while the engineers are working to rectify the issues with the generator. We hereby assure the general public that there has been no fire at our building,” he added.

Nwagu Nsude, a commercial driver, was on Friday, May 4, 2018, tried before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly driving recklessly and causing the death of a seven-month-old baby.

Narrating the incident, Raji Akeem, the Prosecutor, told the court that the accused drove in a reckless way, thereby hitting a tricycle with five passengers on board.

“The accused hit the tricycle from behind and immediately it somersaulted, a seven months old baby died immediately.

“The other four passengers and the driver were seriously injured.

“The accused was about to escape when passers-by apprehended him as the police met them at the scene.

The accused, 59, a resident of 101, Anuoluwapo Street, Ajasa Command was tried for reckless driving, manslaughter, and damages.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravened Sections 27, 29, and 45 of the Road Traffic Law of Lagos State, 2012.

Jadesola Adeyemi-Ajayi, the chief magistrate, ordered the suspect to be remanded in Kirikiri prison.

Adeyemi, then, adjourned the case until May 23 for advice from the Director of public prosecutions.

Read more at Daily Post

A Sharia Court sitting at Magajin Gari, Kaduna, on Monday, April 16, 2018, ordered that one Shuaibu Umar be given 80 strokes of the cane for calling Suwaiba Abdulkadir, his sister-in-law, a prostitute.

Abdulkadir, who had filed a case of defamation against her brother-in-law, told the court that Umar called her a prostitute after a misunderstanding they had.

“Shuaibu is my husband’s younger brother and we had a misunderstanding; we exchanged words and he called me a prostitute.

“I want this honourable court to grant me justice as what my brother-in-law said about me has tarnished my image,’’ she said.

The defendant, who did not deny calling his sister-in-law a prostitute, added that he spoke in anger and had no regrets.

“I was hurt when she called me a drug addict and a thief, that was why I called her a prostitute and I won’t go back on my words,’’ he said.

Dahiru Lawal, the judge, ruled that Umar be given 80 lashes of cane after giving the defendant a chance to withdraw his statement.

“The defendant confirmed calling his sister-in-law a prostitute and is not ready to withdraw the statement; therefore, I, Dahiru Lawal, rule that Shuaibu Umar be given 80 strokes of cane.

“This is in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad which state that one cannot accuse a person of adultery or fornication except he presents four witnesses who have seen the activity.

“He is to receive 80 strokes of cane in place of the person he accused because he has defamed the person’s character,’’ the judge said.

A multi-billionaire, Kano businessman and Islamic scholar, Sheikh Isyaku Rabiu is dead.

According to reliable sources who spoke to the News Digest, Sheikh Isiyaku passed away after a brief illness in the United Kingdom.

He was aged 90 years before his death. A business Associate who confirmed the news to the News Digest said he will be buried according to Islamic rites as soon as his body arrives Nigeria.

Sheikh Isyaku founded a major family operated holding company with a history of investment in manufacturing, insurance, banking and real estate.

In the 1970s, the group invested in manufacturing with its first investment being the Kano Suit and Packing Cases company, a factory producing suit cases and handbags. The firm was a joint venture with Lebanese investors.

In 1972, he formed the Bagauda Textile Mill, manufacturing woven cloths for uniforms. From then on he established a series of ventures in different segments of the economy including frozen food service, real estate, sugar and a motor vehicle and parts distribution company specialized in Daihatsu products. However, unfavourable exchange rates and economic conditions forced the company to scale back on manufacturing and returning to its trading roots.

He had a large family with many children and grandchildren, including his first son Nafiu Rabiu; influential Nigerian businessmen Abdulsamad Rabiu, Chairman of BUA Group; Rabiu Rabiu, owner of IRS Airlines, Naziru Rabiu, Quraish I Rabiu, Makiu Rabiu, Abdullahi Rabiu, Muhammad Rabiu and Daha Rabiu among others.

He lived in the biggest single mansion in kano. He was widely loved and respected and known for his generosity and Islamic spirituality.

Read more at www.NewsDigest.ng.

The Nigerian Police in Lagos has arrested Chris Mordi, a 35-year-old pastor, of the Miracle of Fires Ministry, Langbasa, Ajah, Lagos, for allegedly propagating hate speech in the state.

Edgal Imohimi, the commissioner of Police in the state, disclosed this to journalists on Monday, 7, 2018, stressing that the suspect was arrested on May 5, 2018, at Ado Road, Langbasa area of Ajah in Lagos.

Edgal said that the Pastor was arrested allegedly while in possession of an inciting publication titled: “Beware of Catholic Women Organisation, CWO, and Knights of the Catholic for they are occultic.”

He said that the pastor had invited his church members for a programme where he was to make a public pronouncement on the issue before the publications were intercepted on May 5, 2018.

“This is a case of insult to religion and propagation of hate speech which contravene Sections 124 and 168 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

“This should be a lesson to be imbibed by all religious leaders. We must encourage and preach religious tolerance,” he said.

He said that the clergyman would be charged to court for alleged hate speech and religious intolerance.

Read more at Daily Post

So many tales of vicious household workers who unleash mayhem on their employers and in most cases their children abound. These stories are mostly amplified by the employers to highlight the danger of getting household helps without doing background checks.

For instance, the story of a house help, who fed her employer’s 18 months old baby with her own vomit. When asked why she did it, she said that it was because her employers abuse, maltreat and starve her. According to her, she only gets to eat one meal a day, while her employers and their children eat as many times as they are hungry.

What many do not realise is that behind these atrocities committed as reprisals by the house helps are cruel employers who have lost a feeling of humanity.

Recently, a picture surfaced on social media of woman in a restaurant with her children and a boy whom many believe to be her house help. The woman – and her children – were eating and the house help was not. The outcry was so huge on social media that the story made it to the conventional media platforms.

Ruptured intestines and tortured in her privates, Faith Nwanja, a 12-year-old, was a normal pre-teen with all the hopes and aspirations that come with that age when one childless Mrs. Nkechi Bartholomew showed up with the pretext that she wants to adopt Faith, an orphan.

That was the beginning of the journey into the house of horror for Faith. Over time, Faith’s mistress, Nkechi, became her tormentor in chief.

According to reports, Faith was tortured by Nkechi who inserted sticks into Faith’s private parts and would turn it over several times. In the process, her reproductive systems were ruptured leaving Faith needing multiple surgeries.

Faith’s ears were also chopped off, her lips and face badly disfigured by her ‘adopted mother’. According to Faith, it was by sheer luck that one of her eyes was not plucked out as the scare in one of her eyes shows.

Briefing journalists, Godwin Igwe, the head of department, Child Development of the Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, said that the health condition of Faith has worsened.

“The child was battered, dehumanized and subjected to degrading treatment by Mrs. Nkechi Barth at Onitsha in February. That child has been undergoing medical examination by a team of expert gynecologists, a team of orthopedic doctors, a team of expert pomologists because of serious harm inflicted on her reproductive system, her hand, her ear, her teeth all over.

“The woman inflicted injuries on all parts of her body. Recently, her medical examination was concluded and the hospital management said that the report would be released to the police as soon as it is demanded”, he said.

Tortured, starved and abused for breaking a plate

Handed over by her mother to an agent at the age of 10, Titi was crammed into a truck in the tiny West African nation of Benin and driven across the border into southwest Nigeria.

Titi feared the worst. She recalled how a previous employer in Nigeria had welcomed her with a thin mat and a leather whip.

“Sometimes, she beat us,” said Titi, recounting the businesswoman who had flogged the girls for the smallest mishaps, such as breaking a plate.

“Sometimes, she didn’t give us breakfast till after 1 p.m.,” Titi, now 14, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Lagos, where she works for a ‘nicer’ family – cleaning, cooking and caring for children for 18 hours a day.

Horrible injuries on the face

A deep gash on her forehead tells it all. The journey of Abigail Opebiyi, 15, was not such a pleasant one in the hands of her employer, Tolu Ola, a lawayer.

The gash on Abigail’s face generated serious outrage on social media and prompted the Lagos State Police command to arrest Ola for inflicting bodily injury on Abigail. Although Abigail’s offence was not disclosed by the Police, Imohimi Edgal, the Lagos State Police Commissioner said that they swiftly moved to arrest Ola before further damage could be done to Abigail.

‘Imprisoned’ and left to starve

Precious Nwafor was brought to Lagos with the hope of continuing her education, going by the promise made to her parents by Chinye Umunze, her employer.

According to Precious, her employer’s sister always locks her up each time she was going to work. She would eat just a meal until she comes back. Kind-hearted neighbours alerted the police when they saw Precious looking emaciated and peeping through the burglary proof window.

Edgal, the Lagos State police commissioner, said, “Care keepers should treat those placed under their custody in accordance with the constitution. Lagos State makes adequate provision for the right of the child. It is inhuman, wicked and satanic for anybody to lock up a child in a room that is not ventilated, without putting into consideration that there could be a fire outbreak or any other disaster and she would be trapped.”

Burnt with a hot water and pressing iron

Nkeriuka Ngwu, a mother of four, said that she could not stomach the beatings meted out to her children by her 10-year-old house help (names withheld). According to Ngwu, neighbours alerted her to her children’s incessant cries anytime she was not around.

This made her ask her children. It was confirmed that her 10-year-old maid usually beats them. The enraged Ngwu plugged a pressing iron and seriously scalded her maid’s legs.

As if that was not enough, she boiled hot water and poured on the maid. The incident was reported to the police when the girl went to school with the injuries unattended to. She told the school authorities that her employers tortured her.

Forced to drink bleach

Agnes Mancilla was brought from the Philippines to Saudi Arabia to work as a maid. She was subjected to series of inhumane treatment by her employer.

Agnes was recently rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery when her employer forced her to drink household bleach. Doctors also discovered other body injuries on the 35-year-old.

The Saudi authorities have since arrested the employer and would soon charge her to court.

Pilipinos make up the fourth largest group of foreigners in Saudi Araba and the country is the largest employer of oversees Philipino workers in the world.

Read more at RealNews

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, on Monday, May 14, 2018, said that gunmen had attacked the guard post at the NAF Helipad at Igbodene in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, killing an airman.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the attack appears to be a resuscitation of the deadly confrontations in the resource-rich Niger Delta, which has seen a lull in recent years.

Olatokunbo Adesanya, the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who confirmed the incident in a statement in Abuja, said the attack occurred early on May 13, 2018.

“In the early hours of Sunday, a group of unknown gunmen attacked the guard post at the Nigerian Air Force Helipad at Igbodene in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

“Although the NAF personnel on duty were able to repel the attack, an airman paid the supreme sacrifice in the process.

“Sadique Abubakar, the Chief of the Air Staff, has ordered an investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident,’’ Adesanya said.

The Federal Government has been battling militants in the Niger Delta for many years. The militants have been fighting to have greater share of resources in the area.

The Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed the death of seven persons in a fresh attack by gunmen of Gidan-Labbo village in Gidan-Goga district of Maradun Local Government Area of the state.

Muhammad Shehu, the public relations officer of the Command, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Gusau on Sunday, May 27, 2018.

He said the unidentified bandits on Friday attacked people of Gidan Labbo village at Malikawa Forest while the victims were clearing their farmlands to prepare for this year’s rainy season.

“As soon as we received the report, our men were deployed to the area. They discovered seven bodies”.

He said the command and other security agencies have already deployed security personnel to the area to maintain peace and stability.

He urged people of the state to continue to support security agents with information on criminals to enable them take proactive measures.

NAN reports that Governor Abdul’aziz Yari on Sunday, May 27, 2018, disclosed that the bandits are now sending threat letters to farmers in the state, asking them to keep away from their farms.

Yari made this known while launching the sales and distribution of fertiliser to farmers in the state at Nasarawar-Burkullu town in Bukkuyum local government area of the state.

He described the threat as unfortunate and worrisome as the majority of Zamfara people are farmers, promising that he would meet President Muhammad Buhari and security chiefs over the issue.

Justice Mustapha Akanbi, a former head of Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC,  will be buried on Sunday, June 3, 2018, hours after his death.

One of the children of the late legal luminary, Dr. Usman Akanbi confirmed the burial to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday in Ilorin.

He said the pioneer ICPC chairman, died around 1:00 a.m on Sunday and that he will be buried according to Islamic rites on Sunday afternoon.

Born September 11, 1932, in Accra, Ghana, Justice Akanbi, was appointed the ICPC chairman by then President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000 and served until 2005.

He obtained a scholarship to study law at the Institute of Administration, now Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

He then went for further legal studies in the United Kingdom.

He was called to the English Bar in 1963, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in January 1964.

He joined the Ministry of Justice and became a Senior State Counsel in 1968.

In 1969 he set up a private practice in Kano. In 1974 he was appointed a judge of the Federal Revenue Court, and in January 1977 he was elevated to the Court of Appeal Bench.

In 1992 he was made President of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, a position he held until retiring in 1999.

Two persons have been confirmed dead in an auto crash involving a Volk Wagen Golf car on Kano-Birninkudu road, Birninkudu in Birninkudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

The incident which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, June 3, 2018, claimed the life of two, leaving five others with severe injuries.

Angus Ibezim, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety in the state,confirmed the accident to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Dutse.

Ibezim said that the incident was caused by tyre burst as a result of overloading, adding that all the victims were taken to the Federal Medical Centre Birninkudu for treatment.

He said the car, which was supposed to carry five passengers, was conveying 10 passengers.

“We felt bad about this avoidable crash and admonish commercial drivers in particular to desist from speeding, overloading and using second hand tyres.

“The crash could be attributed to a number of factors working simultaneously – bad tyres, overloading, speeding and brake failure,” he said.

The sector commander said the incident could have been avoided if the driver obeyed all critical rules in driving.

“Therefore, the FRSC advised motorists to desist from speeding and overloading and using second hand tyres under whatever circumstances,” he added.

The sector commander further said that the corps recovered N240,000 belonging to the deceased and had been handed over to their relatives.

Read more at Pulse

Kidnappers of a traditional ruler in Delta State, Obi of Ogodo of Aniocha North Local Government Area, Sunday Olisewokwu, have demanded the sum of N15 million ransom.

The traditional ruler who is also the Chairman of Aniocha North traditional rulers committee was abducted by gunmen after his palace was invaded over the weekend.

The kidnappers eventually contacted the family on Monday, June 4, 2018 and demanded the N15million ransom to be delivered by 6:00 pm.

The police spokesperson in the state, Andrew Aniamaka had earlier confirmed the kidnap noting that police officers were already in search of the victim in a nearby bush where he is suspected to have been held hostage.

Read more at Channels TV

An unidentified woman jumped into the Lagos Lagoon off the Third Mainland Bridge on Sunday, June 10, 2018.

A video, sent to The Trent by a reader,  shows a Ford SUV parked at the spot where the woman reportedly jumped off the busy Lagos bridge.

By standers can be seen suggesting that the authorities be reached with the registration details of the vehicle for the purposes of identifying the woman who jumped off the bridge.

A man, presumably the maker of the video, is seen at the end of it calling for those who watch the video to assist in identifying the owner of the SUV. He also says that the driver of the car, a woman, is the person who jumped into the bridge and she locked the vehicle and went down with the keys.

On social media, however, someone has emerged to give a different account of the incident. According to the social media user, the Ford SUV seen at the scene of the crime belongs to a man who has confirmed that his wife is alive and well. Another user quickly countered that narrative.

This cannot be true. I saw a video of same car. With more cars and more people trying to get the details from the vehicle licence sticker, with the hope of getting enough information to know the owner. A woman came out of that car and jumped into the lagoon.

— Lady Glitter Sparkle Seriously (@Im_a_MARVEL) June 10, 2018

How did her vehicle come to be at the scene of what is believed to be a suicide? According to a post on Twitter, the owner of the vehicle is a “good Samaritan” who stopped the car to dissuade the jumper from making the leap to her death.

No word from authorities on the facts of the incident at the time of filing this report. The jumper has not yet been positively identified either.

In 2017, a medical doctor committed suicide by jumping off the Third Mainland Bridge into the Lagos Lagoon.

The Lagos State Police Command on Monday, June 11, 2018, said it had commenced investigation into the report that an unidentified lady allegedly packed her car on the third mainland bridge and jumped into the Lagoon.

Chike Oti, the Command’s Spokesman, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that though the police had not received any official report, they were already making efforts to find out the true story.

He said that the report of their investigation would be made public as soon as the police find anything.

“There is no official report yet. It is the news making the rounds. However, our rescue team is searching, divers and Marine policemen are working.

“Investigation is ongoing, findings will be made public please,” the police spokesman told NAN.

The purported incident was said to have happened at about 8.45 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, 2018.

The Tragic Jump

An unidentified woman jumped into the Lagos Lagoon off the Third Mainland Bridge on Sunday, June 10, 2019.

A video, sent to The Trent by a reader,  shows a Ford SUV parked at the spot where the woman reportedly jumped off the busy Lagos bridge.

By standers can be seen suggesting that the authorities be reached with the registration details of the vehicle for the purposes of identifying the woman who jumped off the bridge.

A man, presumably the maker of the video, is seen at the end of it calling for those who watch the video to assist in identifying the owner of the SUV. He also says that the driver of the car, a woman, is the person who jumped into the bridge and she locked the vehicle and went down with the keys.

On social media, however, someone has emerged to give a different account of the incident. According to the social media user, the Ford SUV seen at the scene of the crime belongs to a man who has confirmed that his wife is alive and well. Another user quickly countered that narrative.

This cannot be true. I saw a video of same car. With more cars and more people trying to get the details from the vehicle licence sticker, with the hope of getting enough information to know the owner. A woman came out of that car and jumped into the lagoon.

— Lady Glitter Sparkle Seriously (@Im_a_MARVEL) June 10, 2018

How did her vehicle come to be at the scene of what is believed to be a suicide? According to a post on Twitter, the owner of the vehicle is a “good Samaritan” who stopped the car to dissuade the jumper from making the leap to her death.

No word from authorities on the facts of the incident at the time of filing this report. The jumper has not yet been positively identified either.

In 2017, a medical doctor committed suicide by jumping off the Third Mainland Bridge into the Lagos Lagoon.

Three persons were on Friday, June 15, 2018, reported killed in Aba, the commercial city of Abia State.

This was owing to a bloody clash between personnel of the Nigerian Army attached to the Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base (Charlie Coy) and personnel of Mobile Police Force, PMF 55, unit in Osisioma Local Government Area of the State.

According to The Nation, one eyewitness, Chinyere Ikem said the incident forced many shop owners to quickly close for business while many petty traders along the Expressway abandoned their wares to scamper for safety as lorry load of mobile and regular policemen arrived the scene that was already charged with gunshots.

Ikem said that while some passengers going to different parts of the country that were yet to board vehicles to their locations were trapped in the shootout, others coming into the country, used alternative routes to avoid being caught in the web of the crisis.

“It happened like what we used to watch in American movies. It happened in a flash and before you know what is happening, trucks of army and police vans were everywhere.

“Police and army were shooting themselves face-to-face. From what we later learnt, two policemen and a soldier died in the gun duel. It is better seeing that being told. I don’t know what is happening at this Osisioma junction. Don’t forget that some time ago, police and army clashed here and shoot at each other leaving one policemen dead.

“I saw some people running with blood stain and I guess that they were hit be stray bullets. Police and army leadership in the state should call themselves to order. They are sister agencies and I don’t think that it is in their own interest to be fighting among themselves when they are supposed to be working hand in hand with each other especially as the state Governor is doing his best in tackling insecurity in the state,” Ikem stated.

While normalcy has since returned to the area, shop owners were yet to open for business as people in clusters recount their experience of the incident.

However in a swift reaction, Abia State Government in a press release through the commissioner of information in the state, Chief John Okiyi said that the state received with sadness “disturbing reports of an unfortunate confrontation between a group of soldiers and police officers at the Osisioma area of Aba earlier on Friday, June 15, 2018.”

Okiyi, who said that the state government was working with heads of security agencies to bring the situation under control, also assured that investigation was ongoing to know the cause of the incident and to fish out those behind the incident.

“We are working with the heads of the concerned security agencies in the state to ensure that the situation, which has been brought under control, does not repeat itself or escalate within the state.

“Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has also directed full investigation of the circumstances that led to the breach of public peace with a view to preventing future occurrence of such armed confrontation that endanger the lives of innocent citizens and security agents working in the state.

Four farmers were killed on Thursday, June 14, 2018, by thunder at Anagada village near Zuba in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT.

Journalists learned that two other farmers were admitted at a private clinic in Zuba.

A resident of the community, Yahaya, said the incident happened at about 3 pm when the farmers were working on their watermelon farm.

He said the farmers were weeding their farm when the thunderstruck amidst heavy rainfall, killing four of them.

He said two other farmers sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital at Zuba, while the remains of the dead were later buried at the community.

City News learnt that the watermelon farmers hailed from Kebbi State and had been into watermelon farming over the years in the area.

Muhammed Bello Umar, the Agora of Zuba, who confirmed the incident, expressed sadness over the loss of lives and injuries.

He prayed for the deceased to rest in peace, while urged the bereaved to bear the loss.

Read more at Daily Trust

A deadly clash by two rival cult groups has resulted to the death of an unidentified man at Alapere in Ketu, near Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, crime correspondent learnt that the incident took place at Modupe Street, off Kazeem Street in Alapere late on June 17, 2018.

A resident of the area, who claimed to have witnessed the fight told NAN that the cultists came from a nearby street, describing the area as a hotbed of cult activities.

NAN learned that the Alapere cult war has been on for more than three years, resulting to the death of no fewer than eight people within the period.

The source, who pleaded not to be identified, named the rival cults as members of Eiye and Aye confraternity.

“These cultists are always at war with each other, shooting guns at night all the time.

“Kazeem, Aminu and Akampson Streets near the transformer at Alapere are notorious for cult activities,” the source said.

Chike Oti, the spokesman for the Lagos Police Command, confirmed the development, saying that the dead man was stabbed to death.

Oti said that the identity of the dead man was not yet known.

He said, however, that the body had been removed by police officers from the Alapere Division and deposited at a mortuary.

The spokesman said that no arrest had been made on the development.

The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, in Katsina State has confirmed the death of 11 persons in a road accident, on Sunday, June 17, 2018, while celebrating Sallah.

Godwin Ngueku, the Katsina Sector Commander of the corps, who confirmed the incident to NAN, said that the accident occurred when a Peugeot Saloon Car carrying the youth had a head-on collision with a tipper truck along Katsina-Niger Republic highway.

“The accident happened about 8:00 p.m. along the Katsina-Niger Republic International road. All the occupants of the Peugeot saloon car died at the scene of the accident.

“The corpses were evacuated to the Katsina General Hospital mortuary at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday evening. The family members of the victims have started picking the corpses for burial,” Ngueku said.

The sector commander appealed to parents to caution their children against reckless drinking and driving along the highways.