NEPOTISM GOVERNMENT ! Buhari under fire for giving ‘strategic’ appointments to Fulani, Hausa, Kanuri

A Civil Rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has expressed apprehensions over the lopsided appointment by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government.

HURIWA condemned the continued domination of strategic appointments by Hausa, Fulani, and Kanuri extraction under Buhari’s administration.

It stressed that due to the deep-seated Northern Muslims domination of all strategic federal appointments under Buhari including the skewed appointments in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), the next government may need to “convoke a year-long National Constitutional Conference to try to mend the deeply broken fences.”

A statement sent to DAILY POST by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko reads: “The current Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has skewed all strategic appointments to favour his cronies and political affiliates in the Core Moslem North and a sprinkling of some Christian Northerners but millions of Northerners are left marginalised just like the heavily marginalised Southerners under the current administration.

“However the impact is felt more in the far North whereby due to a large-scale state of wars by armed hoodlums many poor individuals in places like Sokoto and Katsina States have since the last two years migrated into Niger Republic for succour and security whilst only a few Northern elites with assets offshore are the few controlling the national assets under the watch of the selective administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Last year the Daily Trust reported that Many Nigerians residing in Katsina State have fled to neighbouring Niger Republic to escape persistent attacks by kidnappers and bandits. In addition to evacuating their family members, the Nigerians are also acquiring plots and building houses in Niger Republic’s towns of Maradi and Dan Issa. This is even as some of them have obtained resident permits, allowing them to stay in the West African country.”

HURIWA blamed the unequal redistribution of national wealth for the total state of anarchy in the North.

- DAILY POST 

COVID-19 lockdown: Crisis in Ogun as pregnant woman allegedly dies at police checkpoint

Youths of Ibiade in Ogun Waterside Local Government area of Ogun State were said to have taken to the street to protest the death of a pregnant woman.

DAILY POST learnt that the unnamed pregnant woman, on Thursday afternoon, died at a police checkpoint on her way to the hospital.

The deceased woman, while going to the hospital for delivery was reportedly stopped by the police who were enforcing the COVID-19 lockdown order in the area.

The woman who was conveyed with a motorbike allegedly died at the police checkpoint while they were being questioned by the cops.

Angry youths in Ibiade were said to have taken the corpse of the woman to however Abigi Divisional Police Headquarters, blaming the police for being responsible for her death.

Some of them alleged that the motorcycle carrying the woman was delayed because the police were demanding money from them before they could be allowed to go.

But, Ogun State, while confirming the incident, denied the involvement of its men.

The state police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the officers on official duty enforcing the lockdown order stopped the bike for carrying three persons, violating the social distancing order of two occupants on a bike.

Abimbola declared that “our officers were not responsible for the pregnant woman’s death.”

He said there were three occupants on a motorcycle as against the directive of the state government.

He said they were questioned on why they did not obey the sit-at-home order, adding that they were asked to go when they informed the police that the woman was being conveyed to hospital for delivery.

Oyeyemi said the police stopped them to be sure the woman was not being kidnapped.

He stressed that the woman did not die at the police checkpoint.

Meanwhile, DAILY POST learnt that normalcy has been restored in the area with the prompt intervention of community leaders

- DAILY POST

UK pledges £20m to Africa’s fight against COVID-19

The United Kingdom has pledged £20 million to support the African Union in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

While announcing the funding on Wednesday, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, UK’s international development secretary, said it is part of the Africa anti-COVID-19 fund to tackle the disease and save lives.

According to Trevelyan, the fund will be used to recruit health experts and deploy them where they are needed most.

She added that it would also strengthen the global tracking of the pandemic, combatting potentially harmful misinformation, providing specialist COVID-19 training for health workers and making information about the virus more accessible to the public.

“As the UK faces its biggest peacetime challenge in tackling coronavirus, it’s never been more important to work with our partners in Africa to fight the disease,” Trevelyan said.

“No one is safe until we are all safe and this new funding and support for African leadership will help protect us all – in the UK, Africa and around the world – from further spread of the virus.”

Speaking on the development, Catriona Laing, British high commissioner to Nigeria, said the fund indicates collective effort to fight the disease.

“The truly global scale of the current crisis means that international cooperation and solidarity is more important than ever,” Laing said.

“This £20 million UK funding contribution to the African Union will provide important additional support to Nigeria and other countries across Africa and is testament to the fact that the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Nigeria in our collective challenge to defeat this terrible virus.”

According to the British high commission, the new AU funding brings the total UK aid contribution to fighting COVID-19 to £764 million ($935.6 million).

- THECABLE

Shocker: I stabbed my husband to death because I thought sex was bad – Teenage wife

A teenage wife who stabbed her husband to death for wanting to have sex with her said she carried out the act because she thought sex was a bad thing.

Salman Hassan, 18 from Itas Gadau Local Government Area of Bauchi State was arrested by the State Police Command for allegedly stabbing her husband, Mohammed Mustapha to death while trying to have sex with her.

As she was paraded at the Police Command headquarters, Bauchi on Thursday, Hassan did not deny stabbing her husband, but said she stabbed him in the chest because he insisted on sleeping with her.

“I did not really mean to kill my husband, it was an accident. I stabbed him on the chest because he wanted to have carnal knowledge of me. I felt sex was a bad thing, so I objected to his advances.

”I regret killing my husband I only meant to use the knife to scare him away. I don’t know what will happen to me now” She said in her confessional statement at the Police Headquarters obtained by The Nation.

According to her, she love her husband, but said she got angry and stabbed Mustapha with a knife when he refused to stop.

Phillip Maku, State Commissioner of Police, said Salma committed the crime on April 24 2020, saying that one Hauna Musa reported the matter at the Itas-Gadau Police Division after which she was arrested.

- PM NEWS

LOOTING PROJECT ! Abayomi: Lagos has spent at least N640m on COVID-19 tests

Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health in Lagos, says the state has spent N640 million on COVID-19 tests.

He disclosed this  on Thursday, while giving an update on the COVID-19 situation in Lagos.

According to the commissioner, the state spends between N40,000 and N50,000 per test, and has tested 16,000 people so far.

TheCable multiplied N40,000 by 16,000 and arrived at N640,000,000. The actual money spent on the test could be higher since the commissioner did not give a breakdown of the figures.

“Regarding the testing, we so far have performed 16,000 tests in Lagos, which is much higher than anywhere else in Nigeria, and we’re planning to continue to test up to about a thousand tests a day,” he said.

“So, in the next month or two, we’re going to be ramping up our capacity to test. How much does it cost to test? Well, for now, the government is providing testing free of charge and the government pays about N40,000 to N50,000 per test.

“But to ramp up our testing, we’re going to try and use some means of subsidising those tests, either through insurance or through some contributions from donors or from developmental partners to help us to subsidise the tests.

“For now, the state government is providing COVID-19 testing free of charge and all citizens who need to be tested for COVID-19 because they are not feeling well, or they’ve had a close contact, can get that test free of charge at any of our COVID-19 testing sites in the four laboratories.”

- THECABLE

Nigeria Customs intercept N1.2bn cannabis – “largest single seizure” in history

Operatives of the Western Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) have intercepted drugs suspected to be Cannabis Sativa valued at N1,002,050,000 during a seagoing patrol on Lagos waters.

The Controller of the command, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters, revealed this in a statement in Lagos on Thursday.

Peters described the seizure as the “largest single seizure” of such drugs on the waters in the history of the Nigeria Customs.

He said that his men relied on intelligence and carried out round the clock surveillance for a period of three days before swooping on the target area where the seizure was made.

According to him, the suspected smugglers seen from afar with the drugs dived into the water to escape upon sighting customs officers approaching to make the seizure.

“The drugs were suspected to be coming from Ghana and had passed other countries by water before getting to Shashi area of Lagos where it was seized.

“Since no suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure, it will be liable to destruction in collaboration with relevant government agencies like National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigeria Police,” he said.

Peters said that the command had achieved 39 seizures within the first four months of the year, which is higher than 12 seizures made within the same period of 2019.

He said that the command made seizures with a total duty paid value of N1,063,427,800 which was higher than DPV of N36,420,481.46 achieved within the same period of last year.

He listed the breakdown of the 2020 seizures made so far as 1,816 bags of rice valued at N38,134,375; 733 cartons of poultry products worth N7,421,625; and 104 bales of second-hand clothing worth N4,393,400.

He also listed 665 bales of textile materials worth N2,094,400 and 112 kegs of 25-litre petroleum products valued at N112,000.

Other seizures listed are, 25 bales of second-hand shoes and belts worth N8,019,000; 25 cartons of chewing gum worth N1,203,000 and the unprecedented seizure of cannabis

The Comptroller attributed the seizure recorded to the renewed spirit of work amongst officers and men of the command to achieve the Comptroller General of Customs strategic plan of zero tolerance to smuggling.

He also attributed it to a high level of intelligence gathering and enhanced customs community relations.

Peters said this was in addition to close collaboration with other government agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, among others.

- PM NEWS