Gunmen kidnap six family members in Zamfara

 Unknown Gunmen on Friday kidnapped six children of one Alhaji Sani Gyare and one other in Kadauri village, Maru Local Government Area of the state, NAN reports.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Shehu Mohammed, who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Zamfara on Friday, said the command received information on the abduction of seven children, six of whom are children of Alhaji Gyare and the seventh, a female picked from a neighbouring house all in Kadauri village.

“The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Abutu Yaro has deployed a combined team of CTU and Police Mobile Force who are currently on the trail of the suspects.

“The CP, who said that peace had been restored in the area, vowed to rescue the victims soonest.

“He urged the residents of the communities to continue to give useful information to law enforcement agents, in order to bring the criminals to book,” Muhammed said.

Speaking to newsmen, father of the six victims, said he suspected the abductors came for him but missed him and took away his children instead.

“I was informed that when they got to the village, they went straight to my house.

”When they discovered l was not home they went away with my children and the daughter of one of my close friends and neighbour, Alhaji Sani Yellow,” he said.

- DAILY POST

JUNGLE POLICE !! Sources: Police plotting to detain Sowore for as long as possible

 

Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police, has instructed his men to detain Omoyele Sowore, convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, “for as long as possible”, according to sources.

Sowore and four others were arrested on New Year’s eve during a protest “against bad governance”.

They were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful assembly and incitement, and remanded at the Kuje correctional centre in Abuja.

Marshal Abubakar, counsel to the defendants, moved a bail application on behalf of his clients after which Mabel Segun-Bello, the magistrate, reserved ruling for Friday.

The magistrate also transferred the defendants to the force criminal investigation and intelligence department (FCIID) in Area 10, Abuja, after Sowore reported that they were denied access to healthcare, food, and water.

However, at the court session scheduled for ruling on bail applications, the defendants were absent.

Abubakar told journalists that the police refused to bring his clients to court because they are no longer in their custody and there is no available means of transportation for them.

He said he received information that the DIG of FCIID requested the case file of Sowore from the office of the commissioner of police in Abuja.

Reaching out to the FCIID, Abubakar said they insisted that they do not want to bear the responsibility of Sowore’s case because of its nature, “which is political”.

The counsel added that a signal was sent to the court stating that the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) has mandated the office of the directorate of public prosecution (DPP) to take over the case file from the police.

However, there was no legal representative from the DPP in court.

Funmi Eguaoje, public relations officer of FCIID, refused to comment on the issue when TheCable reached out to her.

There was also no response from Frank Mba, force spokesman, and the office of the AGF.

- THECABLE

Avoid Lagos Airport Road flyover, public warned

 

The public has been warned to avoid using the Lagos Airport Road Flyover, burnt by petrol tanker fire, pending the determination of its structural safety.

Giving the warning in Lagos Friday was the Federal Controller of Works Mr Olukayode Popoola.

The bridge which runs over Toyota Bus Stop on the Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway being reconstructed, was engulfed by fire when a petrol tanker burst into flames on Thursday.

The federal and Lagos State officials on Friday carried out a joint inspection to know the extent of damage to the bridge and adjoining roads.

Leading the state and federal officials, Popoola raised concerns over the safety of the bridge, saying that its structural integrity had yet to be ascertained.

He said samples were being taken from the burnt bridge for analysis to be able to ascertain the level of damage and where to carry out repairs.

Popoola said that 200 meters of the rigid pavement of the Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway reconstruction project, being carried by the Dangote Group, was burnt.

He added that the deck of the flyover was burnt and its pier badly damaged, raising fears of structural instability of the bridge.

The controller said that the bridge was barricaded after the fire because of safety concerns, regretting that the barriers were removed at night.

Popoola warned that there would be risks in using the bridge.

“We are taking some samples to go and analyse before we know the structural stability, but physically, a lot of damage has been done to this pier of the bridge.

“The integrity is already compromised.

“On Thursday, the road was barricaded but in the night, some people removed the barricade.

“We are advising that members of the public should not take the risk of using this bridge,” he said.

Popoola said that about 200 meters of the bridge deck as well as the pavement of Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway being reconstructed was affected by the inferno.

He added that one of the piers – pillars of the bridge – was badly burnt, making the ministry unsure of the structural integrity and safety of the bridge.

He said that outcome of tests would ensure appropriate action on the flyover constructed by Julius Berger Plc, as well as the highway under reconstruction by the Dangote Group.

According to the controller, the Federal Highway Act empowers the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to prosecute whoever caused damage to assets of the Federal Government.

“This Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway project is ongoing, and we have not even completed it. Now, due to carelessness of drivers, this fire occurred, and you can see the level of the damage.

“The pavement that we have spent a lot of money, up to 200 meters – have been affected; that will cost a lot of money,” he said.

Popoola noted that the ministry had been working in collaboration with Lagos State Government to tackle trucks’ menace and other infractions affecting road infrastructure.

The Special Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, said that the state government, through its Ministry of Transportation, would embark on strict enforcement of road worthiness regulation.

She told NAN that the government’s agents would begin to enter depots and loading bays for petrol tankers to ensure that those not road worthy would not lift petroleum products.

Adeyoye said that truck accident causing damage to road infrastructure had become recurrent.

“Oftentimes, they claim that the roads are bad. What do you say about this one now that the road is very good, there is no pothole anywhere,” she said.

Adeyoye said that truck accidents were most times caused by reckless driving.

Mr Cyril Zango, Deputy Corps Commander (Operations), Lagos Sector Command of the Federal Roads Safety Corps, said the offending truck had been impounded.

He said that investigations were on as regards the accident, adding that, if found guilty, the owner and the driver of the tanker would be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to other road users.

Zango said that articulated vehicle drivers engaged sharp practices to evade checks.

- PM NEWS

Transfer: Chelsea defender tells Lampard he wants to leave

 

Chelsea defender, Fikayo Tomori, has asked to leave the club during the January transfer market, Mundo Deportivo reports.

Tomori is said to be unhappy with his lack of playing time under manager, Frank Lampard.

He has played only 45 minutes in the Premier League this season, as compared to the 15 games he played last term, including a run of 11 consecutive starts.

It has led to Tomori wanting to leave Stamford Bridge in search of regular playing time.

Leeds and Newcastle have been credited with interest in Tomori in the past.

Other clubs like West Ham will also be keeping close tabs as the situation unfolds.

- DAILY POST

Twitter permanently suspends Trump

 Twitter says it has “permanently suspended” US President Donald Trump’s account over the “risk of further incitement of violence”.

The microblogging platform, in a blog spot on Friday, said it took the decision after review of Trump’s recent tweets which violated its “Glorification of Violence Policy”.

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said in a statement.

On Wednesday, it locked out Trump for 12 hours  for “severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy” after he had used his handle to mobilise his supporters who invaded Capitol Hill, while the congress was certifying the victory of Joe Biden, president-elect.

After the restriction, Trump, on Friday, tweeted a video condemning the violence at Capitol Hill.

He also tweeted that: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”

In another tweet, he wrote: “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”

The company said the two recent tweets of Trump were assed under the “Glorification of Violence policy”, adding that due to the current political situation in America, the tweets can incite violence.

“Due to the ongoing tensions in the United States, and an uptick in the global conversation in regards to the people who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, these two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks,” Twitter said.

“After assessing the language in these Tweets against our Glorification of Violence policy, we have determined that these Tweets are in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy and the user @realDonaldTrump should be immediately permanently suspended from the service.”

TheCable had reported how Facebook and Instagram suspended Trump “indefinitely”.

- THECABLE

UK experiences worst day of COVID-19 pandemic

 

The United Kingdom recorded its highest daily death toll and confirmed cases on Friday since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also declared a major incident, warning that the city’s hospitals were at risk of being overwhelmed.

With a highly transmissible new variant of the virus surging across Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson shuttered the economy and is rushing out vaccines faster than the country’s European neighbours in a bid to stem the pandemic.

Britain has the world’s fifth-highest official death toll from COVID-19 at nearly 80,000, and the 1,325 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test on Friday surpassed the previous daily record from last April.

“Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate,” Johnson said in a statement.

“The NHS (National Health Service) is under severe strain and we must take action to protect it, both so our doctors and nurses can continue to save lives and so they can vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as we can.”

A further 68,053 COVID-19 cases were reported – also a new daily high – meaning almost three million people have now tested positive for the disease in the United Kingdom, which has a total population of around 67 million.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, from the opposition Labour Party, said hospital beds in the capital would run out within the next few weeks because the spread of the virus was “out of control”.

“We are declaring a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point,” Khan said.

The designation of “major incident” is usually reserved for attacks or grave accidents, notably those likely to involve “serious harm, damage, disruption or risk to human life or welfare, essential services, the environment or national security”.

London’s last “major incident” was the Grenfell Tower fire in a high-rise residential block in 2017, when 72 people died.

Khan said there were parts of London where 1 in 20 people had the virus. The pressure on the ambulance service, which was now dealing with up to 9,000 emergency calls a day, meant firefighters were being drafted in to drive vehicles, and police officers would follow.

London, which vies with Paris for the status of Europe’s richest city, has a population of more than nine million.

The Office for National Statistics estimated that 1.1 million people in England had the coronavirus in the week to Jan. 2, the equivalent of one person in 50.

Britain, the first country to approve vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca, on Friday approved Moderna’s shot, which it hopes to begin administering this spring. It also agreed to purchase an additional 10 million Moderna doses.

However, transport minister Grant Shapps said there were fears that some vaccines might not work properly against a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa.

“This is a very big concern for the scientists,” he told LBC radio.

A laboratory study by the U.S. drugmaker Pfizer, not yet peer-reviewed, indicated that the vaccine it is making, developed by Germany’s BioNTech, does work against one key mutation in the new variants found in Britain and South Africa.

- PM NEWS

FG reveals how seven sim cards can be linked to one NIN

 

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has said that up to seven SIM cards can be linked to one National Identification Number (NIN) on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Mobile App launched recently.

Pantami stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

According to him, the ministry and NIMC are working on transforming the NIN enrolment process and the subsequent linkage to SIM cards as required by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).

“We developed an app, when you go online, you will see it.

“That app, as long as you have your NIMC number, you will only download it without visiting any office. You will be able to link up to seven SIM numbers to only one.

“I have already downloaded the app, launched the app, and already linked some of my numbers immediately. This is part of digitalisation,” he said.

The Federal Government had announced that telcos subscribers with NIN have January 19 as deadline to link their NIN with their SIM cards, while subscribers without NIN have until February 9 to do so.

- DAILY POST