Pension Scam: CNPP Slams Judge Over Lenient Sentence

John Yakubu Yusuf

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has deplored the sentence handed down to a former director of the Police Pension Fund,  John Yakubu Yusuf by an Abuja High Court after he was convicted of the theft of police pension fund to the tune of N23 billion.

The conference dismissed the confiscation of assets of less than N1 billion naira and a fine of N750,000 imposed on Yakubu Yusuf "as less than a slap on the wrist for the amount he admitted to stealing from helpless police pensioners".

A statement by the CNPP’s Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate Justice Abubakar Talba to ensure that the image of the judiciary is not dragged into disrepute.

Tukur Approves N350k Allowances for 'Supportive' Deputies

Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

After an over two-hour meeting with the deputies of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur Tuesday approved the sum of N350,000 each as allowance.

The approval of the allowance was to pacify the deputies over allegations of marginalisation and apparently carry them along in the administration of the party.

The deputies were at loggerheads with the members of NWC over approval of salaries for themselves without taking them into consideration.

The National Chairman of PDP is on monthly salary of N2 million, while the deputy national chairman is on N1.7million and the National Secretary is on N1.5 million, while other members of NWC are on N1.2 million per month.

EXCLUSIVE; Lagos Police Dismiss Corporal for Stealing

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko

BY Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Lagos State Police Command yesterday dismissed one of its personnel, Corporal Gaborone Falogbade, with Force number 444123 for misconduct, an action the command says enforces to its zero tolerance to corruption and indiscipline.

The dismissed corporal was charged for stealing one of the seized motorcycles which was taken from defaulters at Ikorodu area of the state as part of the recent ban on motorcycles by the state government.

Olubolade: 4,000 Retired Policemen Yet to Receive Pension

Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd)

The Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd), has said about 4,000 retired police officers are yet to receive their pensions. He also stated that the number could be more, as more files of retired officers were still being processed.

The minister, who made the disclosure in his 2012 report on his ministry’s progress and challenges, said the police was still faced with the challenge of poor funding, which has hampered some of its projects.

AFCON 2013: Moses Helps Uninspiring Eagles Reach Quarters

Victor Moses scored both goals for the Eagles

The individual brilliance of Victor Moses ensured that the Super Eagles’ interest in the African Cup of Nations continued Tuesday night as his two well struck penalties was just enough to beat Ethiopia 2-0.

However, while millions of Nigerian football fans were mightily relieved to see the Eagles progress, the same feeling was not shared by Zambian fans as the defending champions crashed out after playing a goalless draw with Burkina Faso, who incidentally finished top of Group C.

Presidency: Obasanjo Left $43bn in Foreign Reserve

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Ripples of the allegations former vice president of the World Bank, Mrs. Obigeli Ezekwesili that the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo left behind $67 billion that has been squandered by the regime of late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan continued, as the Presidency Tuesday said that Obasanjo left behind $43.13 billion as at the time he handed over in May 27 2007. Also, the Presidency dubbed Ezekwesili as a liar whose intention was to discredit President Goodluck Jonathan and incite Nigerians against the administration.

UNBELIEVABLE: FG Expends N7bn on Mali

The federal government has expended the sum of N7billion on the Africa-led International Mission in Mali (AFISMA), which entails  the deployment of troops and logistics to the country facing Islamists insurgency.

This is as global donors pledge the donation of $455.53 million, exceeding by far the earlier target of $50 million set by the African Union (AU).

Similarly, the apex government has indicated that it will spend an additional $5million pledge in further assistance to assist the war torn country.

Gunmen Kill 60-year-old Grandma, Grandson

Police Headquarters

Pandemonium erupted in Ago-Oba area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Sunday night, when some unidentified persons allegedly gained access into the one-room apartment of Mrs. Amoke Musuru, where she was allegedly murdered alongside her two-year-old grandson, Baliqs. It was also gathered that the woman and her grandson were fast asleep when the suspects smashed the head of the duo with iron rod, which led to their death.

Court Sentences Pension Fund Fraudster to Two Years Imprisonment

Symbol of Justice

The trial of former officials of the Police Pension Fund before an Abuja High Court Monday took a new turn yesterday as one of the accused persons in the N39 billion scam, Mr. John Yakubu Yusufu, who had earlier pleaded not guilty changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison. The judge however, gave him the option of a N250,000 fine. He pleaded guilty to three out of the amended 20-count charge brought against him and other suspects by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ezu River: 15 Bodies Exhumed for Autopsy

Governor Peter Obi

Fifteen of the initial 18 bodies recovered from Ezu River in Anambra State were yesterday exhumed by a team of pathologists from the office of the Inspector General of Police and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, (NAUTH) Nnewi.

The recovery is to enable the pathologists carry out autopsy and further investigate the nature and circumstances of their death.  The bodies were part of the several that were dumped by unknown persons into the river over a week ago. The bodies were later buried while investigations were still going on as to why and how they were killed.

Navy/Police Clash: CP Condemns Attack on Officers

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, yesterday condemned  the alleged attack of his officers on duty by naval personnel at the Apapa area of the state last Friday.

EXCLUSIVE: Police Arrest Five Notorious Fake Money Printing Syndicate

...Recover 100M fake currencies, equipment

By Chiemelie Ezeobi
The Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested five gang members of a notorious fake money printing syndicate in the Ikorodu area of the state who specialise in printing and selling of the fake currencies.

Three held over Brazil Club Fire

Relatives consoling themselves

Brazilian police have arrested three people in connection with a fire at a nightclub that killed 231 people in the southern city of Santa Maria on Sunday.

An owner of the Kiss nightclub, a member of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, and its security chief were being questioned, police said. A fourth person, reported to be a co-owner of the club, is being sought, reports the BBC.

Brazil Mourns Nightclub Fire Dead

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff has been visiting the injured

 

Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for 231 people killed in a nightclub fire in the southern city of Santa Maria. The fire reportedly started after a member of a band playing at the Kiss nightclub lit a flare on stage.

Authorities say most of the victims were students who died of smoke inhalation. The first funerals are expected on Monday morning.

Prosecutor: Farouk Lawan’s Trial Starts This Week

Farouk Lawan

After several months of delays, criminal charges will be filed against the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Education, Farouk Lawan, the prosecutor, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), has informed THISDAY.
Lawan, who was also the Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Monitoring of the Fuel Subsidy Scheme, had been accused by the Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas Limited, Mr. Femi Otedola, of demanding and accepting a bribe of $620,000 to alter the report of the committee, in which Zenon had been indicted.

China Carries Out Anti-missile Test

China tested emerging military technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air after an initial test in 2010, state media said on Sunday, in a move that will unnerve its neighbours.

A brief report by the official Xinhua news agency said the military carried out a "land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory".

Army Redeploys 317 Senior Officers

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Onyemoabi Azubike Ihejirika

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Onyemoabi Azubike Ihejirika has approved the redeployed 317 senior officers most of whom were recently promoted to fill the vacuum created by the retired officers in the service.

Ihejirika disclosed the recent postings  in statement signed Monday in Abuja by the out-going Director of Army Public Relations, Maj-Gen Mobolaji Koleosho.

He said that the action was taken “to fill the vacuum and maintain effective command structure in Army units, formations and the Defence Headquarters”.

Christians, Muslims React to el Rufai’s Jesus Christ Blasphemy

Mallam Nasiru el Rufai

Christians and Muslims across the country Monday reacted angrily to the tweet message posted by the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasiru el Refai that if Jesus Christ should criticize President Goodluck Jonathan that his aides will say that Jesus Christ slept with Mary Magdalene.

They also demanded an apology for the uncalled attack on Jesus Christ.

Even though, el-rafai re- tweeted, in an apparent move to make his blasphemy look like a joke, by saying, “Laugh wan kill me die (LWKMD)", angry response still continue to follow, what could be described as a heresy in Christendom and fanning the embers of religious crisis.

COMMISSIONER, COUNCIL BOSS DOCKED FOR THUGGERY AND VIOLENCE

Kogi State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry,  Hon. Ali Ajuh and  Omalla Local government Council Chairman,  Aminu Atabor and a Protocol officer  with Government, Mrs Omale have been  arraigned before  a Lokoja Chief magistrate Court over allegations of  thuggery ,  Criminal Conspiracy and  other serious offences against the state.

In his ruling Monday, the Chief Magistrate, Mr. Levi. Nda Animoku stated that the allegations as contained in the F-34( information Report are offences punishable by law.

He stated that the offences   are very serious in nature,  particularly the offences of attempted culpable homicide, thuggery, fire arms and armed robbery.

As Senior Citizens Savour Care Homes

With increasing neglect by family and friends, coupled with the pressure of making ends meet, a growing number of elderly people are resorting to care homes to spend their final days on earth. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes

The woman in the picture now lives at the Regina Mundi Home for the Elderly in Mushin, a Lagos community. She was abandoned by her family. “Isolation, discrimination, neglect and poverty are forcing elderly people to live a dismal life in care homes across the country,” says Olubunmi Owosho, a social psychologist.

At Regina Mundi Home for the Elderly, some of the people at the home were abandoned by their families in their old ages while some actually arrived there with the help of their family members who could no longer cope with caring for their needs.

Epidemic Ravages Community as Pipeline Vandals Strike Again in Lagos

Pipeline vandalism at work

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

Following the destruction of yet another pipeline in Lagos at the weekend, residents of four communities all in Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State have sent distress calls to the appropriate authorities over the attendant health implications of the ruptured pipeline in their areas. The residents of the four communities which include Oluwole Bisiriyu, Ilori Coker, Kayode Williams Estate and Akute-Odo areas have complained of serious stomach upset, nausea and coughing as a result of the pollution.

CORRUPTION CHARGES; FG, EZEKWESILI TRADE BLAMES

FG: “You Wasted N458 Billion As Minister” 

EZEKWESILI: You Squandered $67 Billion in Reserves"

The Federal Government and Obiageli Ezekwesili, Nigeria’s former Minister of Education and former Vice President of the World Bank group for Africa have engaged themselves in a war of words over alleged claims of corruption and fraud. Ezekwesili has been accused by the Federal Government of misappropriating a total of N458 billion allocated to the country’s educational sector when she served as minister between 2006 and 2007. 

This is in response to recent claim by Ezekwesili that President Umar Musa Yar’adua and President Goodluck Jonathan squandered $67 billion in reserves.

SIMON KOLAWOLE; Corruption and the Nigerian Project

Simon Kolawole Live!: Email: simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com

What is corruption? Ask a typical Nigerian, and the response is likely to be “government officials stealing our money”. This definition effectively shields the lecturer who forces students to buy his books before they can pass his course; the journalist who demands money to write a story; the company executive who awards contracts to himself through fronts; NGOs and activists who falsify their accounts to their donors; lawyers who prepare and seal fraudulent deals; etc. Everybody is oiling the corruption chain in their own humble way. I have always argued, and will never stop arguing, that people don’t become corrupt the day they join government. The grooming process starts from their childhood. They practise corruption in bits and pieces until they get into position of access. Look at this: is it the market woman who falsifies scales that will suddenly become upright when she becomes a council chairman or commissioner?

Moments with Mo: Search for Mo’s Co-host Begins

The search for a co-host to pair with Mo Abudu, the pioneering host of the internationally acclaimed TV talk show, Moments with Mo, has begun in earnest. According to a statement issued in Tinapa, Calabar, Moments with Mo, Africa’s first and only syndicated daily talk show has begun its search for “a young, charming, brilliant, exciting and dynamic person to co-host the long-running, but now even more rejuvenated show, alongside its pioneering host, Mo Abudu.”

BIG BROTHER SEEKS HOUSEMATES

The eighth edition of Africa’s biggest reality series BIG BROTHER AFRICA kicks off in May and already fans of arguably the most successful television franchise ever seen on the continent are asking… who will the new housemates be? Who will find their name and their faces gracing newspapers, their profiles loaded to websites and blogs?

Who will become the subject of drive time radio and just who will find themselves heating up the Twitter-sphere? At this time there is no way to know this but if you meet the entry requirements and enter between now and Valentine’s Day on February 14, you may well be among the superstars in waiting and may find yourself flirting with fame and fortune!

AMAA Nominations Holds in Malawi

President Joyce Banda of Malawi with Peace

Come March 16, President Joyce Banda of Malawi will host film makers and celebrities from different parts of Africa during the nominations event that will be hosted by her country. The AMAA nomination weekend will run from March 14th-17th during which the business community, the political class in Malawi, celebrities from across Africa and their counterparts in the Southern African country will be hosted to per-nomination concert, the nominations event proper and post-nomination party.

The Director of Administration of the organisation, Mr. Tony Anih said the government and people of Malawi are very excited with the prospect of having movie icons and other players in the motion picture industry coming to the country for the nominations event.

FG to Ban Medical Treatment Abroad

Minister of Health, Prof.  Onyebuchi  Chukwu

The Federal Government has said that plans have been concluded to place a ban on Nigerians seeking medical treatment that could be handled by some  public and private health facilities in the country abroad.  

The Minister of Health, Prof.  Onyebuchi  Chukwu, who stated this Monday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, during the opening ceremony of the first  Nigerian Medical  Association (NMA)  National  Health  Summit,  said government was no longer comfortable that  Nigerians rush  abroad unnecessarily for health challenges that could be handled in the nation’s public and private facilities.

DELE MOMODU; Special Tribute to Our Freedom Fighters

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, as I watched President Barack Obama pay tribute to Martin Luther King Junior from my hotel room in Washington DC last Monday; I could not help but shed some tears for our unfortunate country. My mind raced through some stream of consciousness and flashes of sadness. I remembered our dead and living heroes, the authentic freedom fighters who made our democracy possible. As you read this piece, please take time to imagine my state as someone who had joined the struggle as early as a teenager and pioneer Jambite in 1978, in those good old days of Ali Must Go at Great Ife. Try to picture our unbridled radicalism and idealism at such tender age.

Mystery Death: Anambra to Exhume 15 Bodies

Floating Corpes

Anambra State Government Friday said that 15 out of the recovered 18 bodies found floating on Ezu River in Amansea, Awka North Local Government Area, last week, which were buried while investigations on the source of the bodies and possible cause of death were ongoing would be exhumed next Monday for autopsy.

Gale Of Demolition Rocks Lagos Again

Roadside traders salvages what remains of their wares after the demolition

TORN BETWEEN ITS DRIVE TO BUILD AFRICA’S MODEL CITY AND THE POLICY AGAINST ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES THAT THREATEN THE DREAM, LAGOS STATE TASKFORCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND SPECIAL OFFENCES (ENVIRONMENT) UNIT PENULTIMATE WEEK DEMOLISHED SHANTIES AND DENS OF OIL THIEVES in Lagos. GBOYEGA AKINSANMI WRITES

She never expected she could be caught and displaced so soon. But she knew long before now that what she was doing for a living truly violates the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Law as well as the new Road Traffic Law.    

Nine-month-old Baby Kidnapped in Kwara Found in Ibadan

Gov Abdulfatah Ahmed

More and more bizarre acts are happening in Kwara State, some of them stranger than fiction. Or how does one explain that a woman on hearing that her friend was delivered of a new born baby and went to share in her joy only to steal the baby and abscond with it?  The incident has set tongues wagging in Oke-Ola area of Oro in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, where the visiting friend stole the nine-month-old baby, Funke Alaba.

40 Nigerians Repatriated from UK, Spain, Says Official

deported Nigerians

About 40 Nigerians have again been repatriated from the United Kingdom and Spain, a senior embassy official said on Thursday in London. Head of Immigration at the Nigerian High Commission in London, Mr. Lawal Isah, disclosed this in an interview with the Western Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He said the deportees, who are due back in Nigeria today, consist of 40 persons from the UK, with an uncertain number from Spain. Isah said among those repatriated were people who had served jail terms in various prisons across the UK, and others arrested for illegal stay.

Rights Commission, Group Laud Soldiers’ Dismissal over Rape

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Global Association of Female Attorneys (GAFA)  have commended the Nigerian Army for responding quickly to requests  to investigate allegations of abductions and rape by soldiers attached to the Guards Brigade, Abuja. A statement signed by the commission’s Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Muhammad Nasir Ladan, quoted NHRC Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe, as saying  that the punitive action taken by the army in dismissing the four soldiers involved in the incident was a clear signal to all that no one was above the law.

A must read; Memories of Biafran Nightmares

The Verdict according to Olusegun Adeniyi. Email, olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com    

Agu Imo has been a friend and elder brother for almost two decades now, so when he called about two weeks ago to say there is an old man he wanted me to meet, he knew I couldn’t say no to his request. When he mentioned the name, Rev. Moses Iloh, I was even more enthusiastic since the man remains one of the most respected Christian leaders in Nigeria today. But what Imo said next shocked me: “I want you to meet Rev Iloh because he is now 83 and he is someone with whom I am close and he has some interesting perspectives to share about our country. He is not getting younger and I don’t want him to die without telling his story and, for me, you are the only person who can do justice to his account. You know of course that Rev. Iloh was the head of Red Cross in Biafra…”

Four Suspected Vandals Arrested over Attack on Pipeline at Arepo

NNPC pipeline At Arepo-fire

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

Determined to crack down on the menace of pipeline vandalism, the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Anti Pipeline Vandalism Thursday arrested four suspected pipeline vandals in connection with the attack on pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), at Arepo in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. Earlier, the Civil Defence Corps had arrested some 15 suspects who would be arraigned soon. This is just as it was gathered that NNPC would soon commence the pumping of petrol through the same pipelines given that the fire has been successfully put out.

Chime Undergoing Treatment for Cancer

Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime

By Olawale Olaleye

Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime, who has been out of the country since September, is being treated for cancer, investigations by THISDAY have revealed. But following the intensive treatment the governor underwent in a London hospital, the cancer is said to be in remission, a source said Thursday. Chime had left the country last September, ostensibly on a six-week vacation, and he had not been seen or heard of until Tuesday when a photograph of him and a delegation of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), which had visited him in London, was released to the press.

High-handedness, Politicisation Forced Catholic Church to Leave CAN

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

There are indications that the disagreements between the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and one of its major stakeholders, the Catholic Church may be deeper than what the public has been made to believe.

THISDAY gathered Wednseday  that besides the reason so far adduced for its temporary suspension of its membership with CAN, the Catholic Church has an axe to grind with the national leadership of the organisation for its inability to carry other stakeholders along in its decision-making process.

Ezekwesili: Yar'Adua, Jonathan Frittered $67bn Obasanjo Left

Dr. Oby Ezekwesili

A former Minister of Education in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has stated that the squandering of $45 billion in foreign reserves and $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) by the Yar’Adua-Jonathan administration is “the most egregious” instance of Nigeria’s failure to make the right developmental choices.

Ezekwesili, also a former vice-president (Africa) at the World Bank, stated Thursday at the convocation lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) that Nigerians had lost dignity because of the ravaging poverty arising from poor choices of the elite, corruption and lack of investment in education.

Court Sentences Independence Day Bomber to Life

Edmund Ebiware

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday  sentenced one of the four suspects, Edmund Ebiware standing trial for their involvement in the October 1,2010 twin bombing, which occurred at the Eagle Square in Abuja, to  life imprisonment.

The is coming few days after a South African court also sentenced the mastermind of the bomb blast, Henry Okah to  life imprisonment.

Ebiware was initially arraigned along side three others Charles Okah, Obi Nwabueze and Tiemkefa Osuvwo, who eventually died in Kuje Prison in the course of the trial.

For the Umpteenth Time, NNPC Pipeline in Arepo Ruptured

BY Chiemelie Ezeobi

•Two Indians, others arrested
Barely two weeks after some suspected pipeline vandals struck at Arepo, Ogun State, another pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), yesterday exploded in the same area leaving many with varying degrees of injury.
Speaking to THISDAY, the South-west Zonal Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the latest explosion, although he could not ascertain the casualty rate.

Senate Confirms Nebo, Turaki Ministers

After two hours of intense scrutiny, the Senate yesterday confirmed the former Vice-Chancellor of University of Nigeria (UNN), Professor Osita Chinedu Nebo, and Mr. Kabiru Taminu Turaki as ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The duo hail from Enugu andKebbi States respectively.
The nominees will replace Professor Barth Nnaji who resigned from the federal cabinet in June last year and Dr. Haliru Bello who was sacked by the president as Minister of Defence, ostensibly for non-performance.

Victims of Dana Air Plane Crash Protest Delay in Compensation

Dana Air Plane Crash

The ground victims of the tragic Dana Air’s flight J9 0992, which crashed into homes at Iju/Ishaga area of Lagos, killing 153 people on board and about 10 others on the ground, yesterday staged a protest at the head office of the airline, located at Allen Avenue, Ikeja Lagos.
The protesters were demanding compensation for their property that was damaged and the relatives of those who lost their lives, insisting that they must be compensated.

Former Heads of State, Northern Govs Shun Northern Peace Summit

Alhaji Shehu Shagari

Four former head of state: Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Generals Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar and all the 19 northern governors were absent at a summit organised by a group, Northern Development Focus Initiative (NDFI), to look into the issues affecting the region.

The summit only had former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari in attendance along with the deputy governors of Kano, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and his counterpart from Niger state, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto.

Jonathan Sets up Committee to Probe Funding of Police Colleges

Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd)

President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday set up a committee to probe all monies received by the police, either through donations or appropriation for renovation and upgrade of its training institutions from 2009 to 2012.

The setting up of the committee came on the heels of the president’s visit last Friday to the Police College, Ikeja, which is in a state of decay because of prolonged neglect by successive administration.

Jos: Police Anti-Bomb Unit Detonates 140 IED

Police Anti-Bomb Unit

The Anti-Bomb Unit of the Plateau State Command of the Nigerian Police Force, on Wednesday detonated 140 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at Zarmaganda area of Jos, the state capital.

Addressing the press shortly after the detonation, head of the anti-bomb squad, Mr Abel Mbibi said the IEDs when recovered were kept for over time for police awareness purpose.

He said having been kept for a long time, some of them have started detonating on their own, adding that that informed the detonation exercise carried out by his unit.

Presidency Flays Buhari, CPC’s Comments on Emir of Kano

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)

The presidency Tuesday lampooned former Head of State and national leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), describing his comments on the attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, as irresponsible and reckless.

Netanyahu Seeks Re-election as Israel Goes to Polls

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Israelis have begun voting in a general election, with opinion polls suggesting PM Benjamin Netanyahu will return to office but with a reduced majority.

Campaigning in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said the choice was between parties that would lead to "a divided and weak Israel or a united and strong Israel". Analysts say Netanyahu is likely to form a new right-wing coalition.

Finally, Peter Okoye and Lola Omotayo Welcome Daughter

Finally, Peter Okoye and Baby Mama, Lola Omotayo welcomed their new daughter whom they named  Aliona. Peter, the better half of the famous PSQUARE group already has a son with Lola, Cameron. Here's wishing the couple a big congrats.

EXCLUSIVE; COUPLE, ACCOMPLICE FINGERED IN THEFT OF N20M GOLD

pix; The suspects; Hassan (the jewelry dealer) and the couple

By Chiemelie Ezeobi No fewer than five suspects were arrested by the Area F and M Commands of the Lagos State Police Command in different robbery operations in the state. The Area F had arrested three suspects identified as Mrs. Freedom Maddy and the husband Mr. James Maddy and one Alhaji Hassan Bawa for conspiracy and stealing of gold worth N20million.

Funke Aboyade; The Cat, the Bell and President Jonathan

The Wig & Skirt, By Funke Aboyade. Email:Olufunke.aboyade@thisdaylive.com

Like countless many others no doubt, I have been thoroughly shocked, saddened and scandalised by the graphic images and sorry facts revealed by the Police College Ikeja documentary run over a period of several days last week by Channels Television for its 2013 CSR. Night after night, just when I’d think surely it couldn’t get worse and I couldn’t possibly be more shocked than I’d been the previous night the images confronting me in bold relief would assure me that actually it could, and I could.

I was particularly stunned the night they featured the meal times of the trainees. Their meals were served from buckets, that’s right buckets! The soup looked more like swill. Worse, I learnt that once again we have the ability to best and break all records in the negative sense; I learnt it was physically possible for 50 cadets to share one fish head! My jaws hung open and all I could do was shout for my daughter to come quick, seeing after all was believing. To my shock, she was neither shocked nor moved. Her NYSC camp, she calmly informed me, had been just as bad!