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THE DELTA STATE POLICE COMMAND DECLARE OLOROGUN KENNETH GBAGI WANTED. Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi was invited by the Commissioner of Police through the Area Commander Warri and DPO Ebrumede Division on September 25th, 2020 for questioning concerning the alleged dehumanizing manner in which he ordered some of his staffs to be stripped naked and physically assaulted because of an alleged case of stealing which took place at Signatious Hotel belonging to him. Kenneth Gbagi personally and severally called and gave the excuse that he has a burial ceremony of his elder sister on Friday 25/9/2020 in which he is a key player, and asked for time to finish with the ceremony on Sunday, thereafter will report at the State Headquarters on Monday September 28, 2020. These requests were granted on humanitarian ground. On Monday September, 28th2020, Kenneth Gbagi called the Commissioner of Police to say that he has a court case to attend to, promising to report at the Police Headquarters in Asaba by 3:00pm

OCTOBER 1: PRESIDENT BUHARI TO ADDRESS THE NATION FROM EAGLE SQUARE As part of activities commemorating the 60th Independence Anniversary of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari will address the nation from the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Thursday, October 1, 2020. The live address will commence after the Anniversary Parade beginning at 10am which will be covered by major television and radio stations especially the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN). In a statement released on Wednesday, Special Adviser on media and publicity to the president Femi Adesina said that in view of the open-air live address, the traditional early morning October 1 Presidential Broadcast will not feature on Thursday.

LAGOS CANCELS INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE The Lagos State Government has opted for a low key celebration of the 60th Independence Anniversary due to the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still with us. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed that the planned parade and other activities that involve the gathering of more than 50 people should be cancelled. He congratulates Lagosians on this auspicious occasion and strongly advises that they should celebrate quietly at home and pray for the country. They should also observe the COVID-19 protocols, including wearing of face masks to protect themselves and their loved ones.   The Governor urges Lagosians not to relax their vigilance against COVID-19 so as not to reverse the gains that the state has made in fighting the disease. They are to keep embracing physical distancing and washing of hands with soap and water. Anybody who feels unwell should stay indoors and contact health authorities. The police and other security agen

LAGOS READY TO DELIVER FOURTH MAINLAND BRIDGE – SANWO-OLU A major step towards the realisation of the Fourth Mainland Bridge was, today, taken by the State Government with the first stakeholders meeting on Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the construction and launch of the Bridge’s logo. Speaking at the meeting, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, described the event as a significant one in the joint effort to change the narrative of the socio-economic development of the State, through the provision of critical infrastructure for sustainable prosperity. The Governor emphasised that the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge has been well integrated into the overall Lagos Master Plan in relation to transportation infrastructure, adding that the project allows for the first time, direct access from the large suburb of Ikorodu to the Island and the Lekki Free Trade Zone area. While noting that the present administration

WIKE SAYS AMAECHI LEFT A LEGACY OF WHITE ELEPHANT PROJECTS  Lists Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital and Monorail Project as Amaechi's "Legacies" Rivers State Governor,  Nyesom Ezenwo Wike says his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi was more interested in awarding political projects to boost his personal ego than delivering services to Rivers people.  Governor Wike said that a project like Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital was a scam because it gulped $39.9 Million on paper as there is nothing to show at the proposed site. According to him, the sum of N65 Bil lion was spent on the 1.2 kilometers Monorail Project which was conceived as a white elephant project.  He said most of such political projects existed either on the pages of Newspapers or were used to settle political allies. The Governor said that Amaechi and his political allies after siphoning huge sums of money from the State left behind uncompleted projects.  "Amaechi does not have the moral ground

Former First Bank Employer Bags 98 Years Jail Term  A former staff of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Oreoluwa Adesakin, has been  handed a cumulative 98 years in prison by Justice Muniru Olagunju of the Oyo State High Court for fraud. Adesakin, female, was found to have committed financial fraud against her employers to the tune of N49,320,652.32 (Forty-nine Million, Three Hundred and Twenty Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-two Naira, Thirty-two Kobo), and additional $368,203.00 (Three Hundred and Sixty-eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Three United States Dollars) belonging to the bank which she converted to her personal use. The convict was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), on 14-count charges, bordering on stealing, forgery and fraudulent accounting. She pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which necessitated her trial.  Prosecution counsel, Usman Murtala in arguing his case, presented every vital docu

BUDGET: BUHARI TO PRESENT 2021 BUDGET TO NASS NEXT WEEK President Muhammadu Buhari will next week present the 2021 budget estimate before a joint session of the National Assembly. Senate President, Ahmad Lawan disclosed this Tuesday in his welcome speech upon the Senate's resumption from its annual recess. Galaxy's Godfrey Eshiemoghie reports that the Senate President who noted that the COVID-19 pandenmic had significantly impacted the shape of the 2021 budget says all MDAs have the month of October for the defense of their budget estimates. Lawan said work on the review of the 1999 Constitution is on course, noting that the issue of the Electoral Act will rank among the top priority areas of the Committee spearheading the review. The Senate President stated that the upper legislative chamber is concerned with the worsening state of insecurity in the country, stressing commitment to ensure the required intervention towards addressing the problems.

Okowa lauds Buhari for railways development Governor of Delta, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, on Tuesday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his bi-partisan approach to governance which engendered the completion of the 326-kilometre Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line. Okowa gave the commendation at the inauguration of the Commercial Operations of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Rail line and Railway Ancillary Facility Yard at Goodluck Jonathan Railway Complex, Owa-Oyibu, Ika North East Local Government Area, Delta. He said that the rail line which was conceived in 1987 under the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida suffered serious delay until it received attention from the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Okowa expressed appreciation of Deltans and the people of Ika in particular, on the successful completion of the project under the watch of Buhari. He pledged his administration’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders, including the priva

AFTER 30 YEARS IN LIMBO, PRESIDENT BUHARI INAUGURATES 326 KM ITAKPE-AJAOKUTA-WARRI RAIL LINE FOR COMMERCIAL OPERATION After more than three decades delay, President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday inaugurated the 326 KM Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line for commercial operation as well as the ancillary facilities yard, at the recently named Goodluck Jonathan Railway Complex in Agbor (Owa-Oyibu), Delta State.   At the virtual opening of the rail line linking Itakpe to Warri, President Buhari directed the Federal Ministry of Transportation to link all the nation’s ports of origin and destination - Apapa, Tin Can, Warri, Onne, Calabar Ports- to the rail network in order to significantly improve overall   transportation and economic capacities.   The President declared that his administration recognised the importance of the railway mode of transportation as a vital backbone to support industrialization and economic development.   ''Accordingly, I have approved the pri

 PIB: BUHARI TRANSMITS PIB TO SENATE President Muhammadu Buhari has transmitted the long- awaited Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to the National Assembly for passage into law. In a letter read by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan at the resumption of plenary, the bill is expected to carry out significant reforms in the laws governing the petroleum industry. The bill proposes among other things the scrapping of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC and the  Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency PPPRA. In another development,  President Muhammadu Buhari has requested that the National Assembly approve the refund of N148 billion to Ondo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Osun and Rivers States for federal road projects executed in the states. According to a letter read on the floor of the Senate, the said reimbursement was as approved by the Federal Executive Council after assessment of the various road projects.

  The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have suspended the strike scheduled to commence today (Monday). This followed an agreement reached with the Federal Government at a meeting which started at 8.30pm on Sunday and ended at 2:50am this morning. After exhaustive deliberations on the issues raised by the labour centres, the meeting agreed to suspend the application of the cost-reflective electricity tariff adjustments for two weeks. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, read the five-page communique signed by the representatives of the government and labour. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba; and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Quadri Olaleye, amongst others signed on behalf of Organised Labour while the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige; Minister of State Petroleum, Timipre Silva; Minister of State Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN); Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; and the Secretary to Government of the Federation

  213 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-51 Plateau-51 FCT-29 Rivers-18 Ondo-12 Oyo-9 Osun-8 Gombe-7 Ogun-7 Kaduna-5 Enugu-4 Edo-3 Jigawa-3 Kano-3 Benue-1 Delta-1 Sokoto-1 58,062 confirmed 49,606 discharged 1,103 deaths

Commercial Motorcycle Rider Hangs Self in Ibadan A 22-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Ayuba Sarafa, has hanged himself in an uncompleted building beside his uncle's house at Amuloko area of Olorunsogo in Ona Ara Local Government Area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He was said to have gone out on Thursday morning with his motorcycle, but was not seen till his dead body was found on Friday morning where he had purportedly hanged himself. Mother of the deceased, simply identified as Nike, was said to have wept uncontrollably, as she alleged that his son was wasted by some evil forces. The deceased's uncle,  Kazeem Tijani, said the whereabouts of Ayuba was not known until Friday when his phone was being called to ascertain his state and the ringing tone was being heard close by. He added that after intent listening, a woman traced the tone to the uncompleted building, where he was found hanging. The phone was in his pocket. According to findings, the

OGUN STATE RESUMES MONTHLY ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION THIS SATURDAY After a long break due to covid-19 pandemic, the Ogun state government says the monthly Environmental sanitation exercise will resume this month and it will hold this Saturday, 26th of September from 7am to 10am. A statement signed by the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Environment, Hon. Abiodun Abudu-Balogun said although there will be no restrictions of movement in all the twenty (20) Local Government areas ofvthr state, residents are enjoined to use the opportunity of the exercise especially during the rainy period to clear their drainage channels, clean their premises/surrounding while maintaining social distancing and drop the waste at designated points for government accredited waste collectors to collect as anyone found dumping waste in inappropriate  places such as gutters, canals and water course will be prosecuted in accordance accordance with state environmental laws. The State Gov

 Oyo Arrests Another Suspect for Impersonating Amotekun Recruitment Agent  A middle aged man, identified as Adeyemi Agboola has been arrested for defrauding unsuspecting applicants into the recruitment for the Western Nigeria Security Network, otherwise known as Amotekun. The Suspect, who owned a cyber café along Durbar Stadium road in Oyo town was caught with eleven fake recruitment forms which he was selling to mostly unlettered applicants at #500 per copy, with the promise of assisting the victims to get the job. The cyber cafe operator claimed that he only utilized the opportunity to extort the victims but one of his victims who was a semi illiterate and would not want his name to be memtioned said he was not aware of the difference in the two forms until he was caught with it at the screening venue. The Commandant of the Amotekun operations, Colonel Olayanju Olayinka (Rtd) said the culprit would face the law for his action as he has been handed over to the appr

Senate President Mourns Victims of Lokoja Fuel Tanker Explosion  Nigeria's Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has sent his condolences to the families of victims of the disastrous explosion on Wednesday of a fuel tanker on the federal highway in Lokoja. Lawan expresses grief over the gruesome accident in which more than a score of people, including school children, were reported to have lost their lives.  "It is sad and totally unacceptable that such tragedy keeps recurring on our roads despite ample road safety regulations and enforcement personnel. "While we mourn those who have so unfortunately lost their lives and pray for the speedy recovery of those who are injured, the incident underscores the need for constant review of our road safety strategy and mechanism with a view to making them more effective in preventing carnage on our roads.  "Significantly improving road safety in Nigeria is an urgent challenge for the relevant authorities and ot

Alleged Visa Scam: EFCC Docks School Proprietor, One Other In Ibadan The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal office, on Thursday, September 24, 2020, arraigned two persons, Motunrayo Olasebikan and Abideen Adefisayo Tijani, before Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan for alleged involvement in a visa scam. Olasebikan, who claimed to be a school proprietress in the state capital, was arraigned alongside Tijani on a seven-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and uttering. Their arraignment followed a petition to the EFCC from one Inumidunsola Popoola who wrote on behalf of himself and other victims. Popoola alleged that sometimes in February 2018 he and three others were tricked by the defendants into parting with monies running into millions of naira for processing travel documents. The suspects, he added, presented themselves to be registered travel agents licensed to undertake the task. He further all

NIGERIA@60: LASG PLANS LOW-KEY CELEBRATIONS The Lagos State Government has announced a list of activities lined up for a low-key commemoration of the Nigeria 60th Independence anniversary celebration. Speaking on the planned celebration at a Press Conference held today at Alausa, Ikeja, the Honourable Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, noted that this year's celebration will be held low-key in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. According to him, "This year's Diamond anniversary is a milestone and you will agree with me that it is worth celebrating. 60 years of unity, despite various challenges the Nigerian State has faced and surmounted; 60 years of ongoing socio-economic development; 60 formidable years of forging ahead in spite of several daunting obstacles lining our path of greatness". While calling for sober reflection and thanksgiving to the Almighty for keeping the Nigerian State together thus far, Elegushi reitera

TROOPS OF OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE ELIMINATE TOP BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS, DESTROY CAMPS AT THE LAKE CHAD BASIN  1.  In continuation of the aggressive clearance operation against terrorism and other sundry crimes in the North East, troops of Army Super Camp Malumfatori at the Lake Chad Basin conducted massive clearance operations. The successful operation  led to the destruction of several identified  terrorists' camps and hideouts located at Tunbun Gini, Tunbun Nbororo, Tunbun Kayoma, Tunbun Kaza, Tunbun Fulani at the fringes of Lake Chad in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. 2.   Several top BHT/ISWAP terrorists commanders were killed during the successful operation including Abu Usman, Alhaji Shettima, Modu Mainok, Bukar Gana, Abu Summayya, Amir Taam and Amir Kuraish among others. 3.   The Armed Forces of Nigeria working together with other security agencies are highly committed to ending the insurgency and other security challenges in the country.

Sanwo-Olu Hands Over 51 Vehicles, Eight Houses To Judges The effort to build a strong and formidable judiciary in Lagos State is on course, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said.  The Governor pledged that no arm of Government in the State will be deprived of requisite tools to perform its statutory duties, reiterating his administration’s continued support to the judiciary and raise the bar of legal practice in line with global standards.  Sanwo-Olu made the pledge at the Ikeja High Court while handing over 51 Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and eight houses to judges of the State High Court. It would be the second time in a year that Gov. Sanwo-Olu would be giving out official vehicles to members of the State’s judiciary. Last October, the Governor gave out 50 official cars to magistrates to aid their duties. The Governor said there would be no good governance and development without a formidable judiciary, re-assuring members of the judicial arm that the exec

 Oyo Police, OPC Trade Words over Arrest of Terrorists in Oke-ogun. Authorities of the Oyo state Police command and leaders of the Oodua Peoples Congress are now trading words over the arrest of some terrorists in Oke-Ogun area of the state. Recall that suspected terrorists and kidnappers were arrested at the Old Oyo National park. Their arrest came days after the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, raised an alarm about the reported invasion of the park and parts of Oyo State by some suspected terrorists. The Coordinator of OPC in Oyo State, Rotimi Olumo, said four AK-47 rifles were recovered from the suspects after being overpowered by the local security operatives. He said the hoodlums that occupied the Old Oyo National Park had been dislodged by members of the OPC. Olumo added that those arrested had been handed over to the police for prosecution. The Oyo State Police Command, in a response to the claim, said three bandits were arrest

NAF IMMORTALIZES LATE FIRST COMBAT HELICOPTER PILOT, FLYING OFFICER TOLULOPE AROTILE, AS CAS COMMISSIONS INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS IN PORT HARCOURT   In fulfillment of its promise to honour the memory of Nigeria's first female combat helicopter pilot for her invaluable contributions to the fight against armed banditry and other criminal activities in the Country, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) today, 22 September 2020, immortalized late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile. The newly renovated and remodeled Pilots’ Crew ‘Room’ at the 115 Special Operations Group (115 SOG) Port Harcourt was named after the late officer who died on 14 July 2020 at the age of 24. The Pilots’ Crew Room houses an Operations briefing room, computer room/library, pilots’ life-support room and lounge as well as a kitchen, dining room, changing room for pilots on standby and several rest rooms. The facility was provided to ensure a conducive environment which would enable pilots to more effectivel

 ONDO GUBER: Ondo is Not Edo, Says APC The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has disagreed with opposition political parties that it would lose the October 10 governorship elections as the party did in last Saturday’s polls in Edo State. It said the scenario in Edo was different from what is currently obtained in Ondo State. Spokesman for the party, Alex Kalejaiye, said the Ondo APC was united and that all stakeholders were working towards ensuring electoral victory of the party’s flag bearer, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. Kalejaiye stated that the so called victory in Edo State was coloured by electoral fraud that would be challenged at the tribunal. According to him, “The APC in Edo State is full of hope that the denials at the election would be redressed in court. “The Ondo State chapter is full of confidence that the good works of the Akeredolu led administration would speak in volumes during the election in October. “We are confiden