Ex-Italian PM, Belusconi, bags seven years imprisonment

A Milan court sentenced Italian former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday to seven years in prison after convicting him of paying for sex with a minor but he will not have to serve any jail time before he has exhausted appeals.

Reuters reports that with two appeals possible, it could be years before a verdict is final and Berlusconi lawyers announced they would file an appeal against what his counsel NiccoloGhedini called a “completely illogical” verdict.

Stephanie Linus Collects African Woman Of Excellence Award

Montage African Women of Excellence awards(MAWEA) recently recognised

 Actress Stephanie Linus for her contributions to Nollywood film industry. BIG

 CONGRATS TO HER

                        

Alarm over Arms Build-up in Niger Delta

militants

An ex-militant in the Niger Delta region, Mr. Kennedy West, has warned of a heavy arms build-up in the region, stressing that the area might witness another orgy of violence if immediate steps were not taken. He called on the federal government to urgently embark on another round of disarmament programme in the region to avoid a return to the pre-amnesty era.

In an interview with journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State  monday, West called on the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, and the United States President, Mr. Barack Obama, to mount pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to carry out the second phase of disarmament programme in the region.

Edo Hangs Four Prisoners

Oshiomhole

The Edo State Government  Monday hanged four prisoners, in what was believed to be the country’s first known executions since 2006, drawing outrage from rights activists.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Henry Idahagbon, confirmed the hanging of the four prisoners, who had been convicted of either armed robbery or murder. According to the commissioner, all their appeals had been exhausted and their death warrants were signed.

Ashiru: Britain Yet to Communicate £3,000 Visa Bond to Nigeria

Ashiru

The federal government has said it is yet to receive any official communication from the United Kingdom (UK) over the plan to compel first time visitors from Nigeria to deposit a £3,000 cash bond before they can enter the UK. The money would be forfeited if the visitor overstays his visa duration.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, said this  Monday while fielding questions during the 2013 Ministerial Platform to commemorate the mid-term anniversary of the current administration in Abuja.

Court Reserves Judgment on Application by Detained Lebanese to Enforce Rights

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja has reserved judgment in the suit filed by the three Lebanese  held for alleged involvement in terrorism activities in the country.

Abdullahi Thaini, Mustapha Fawaz and Tahal Roda are being held by the State Security Service (SSS) over the recent discovery of a cache of firearms and ammunition in a house in Kano. They had filed a fundamental rights enforcement application challenging their arrest and continued detention.

Finally, Julius Berger Commence work on 2nd Niger Bridge

Work on the long-awaited second Niger bridge  has commenced. Wolfgang Goetsch, Managing Director of Julius Berger stated this at the 43rd annual general meeting of the company in Abuja.

Goetsch also said the Federal Government had given Julius Berger a letter of intent, which would enable it to do preliminary work such as, soil testing and engineering design. According to him, the bridge is to be built under the private public partnership arrangement.

Goetsch said: “A consortium that included a company from South Africa participated in the bidding for the project. In January 2013, our group became the preferred bidder. We are excited because it will be the first of its kind in Nigeria”.

Court Grants Lagos Speaker, Ikuforiji N1bn Bail

Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos  Monday shocked the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his personal assistant, Atoyebi when he slammed a N1billion bail on him.

Passenger Train Collides with Truck in Kaduna

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has confirmed that its Kano-Lagos Inter-City passenger train was involved in an accident with a truck that was illegally obstructing the rail track.

A statement by the NRC’s Assistant Director Public Relations, Mr. David Ndakotsu, said the accident occurred around 3:p.m. monday, between Barkin Kasua and Kakau section of the track in Kaduna State, while the train was on a return journey to Lagos.

FG Files Fresh Charges against Leadership Journalists

The presidency is not yet done with Leadership newspapers over the publication in the April 3, 2013 edition of the newspaper of a purported “Bromide of the Presidential Directive” with the logo of the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which the presidency described as a forgery.

NGF POWER TUSSLE CONTINUES BETWEEN AMAECHI AND JANG

The crisis in the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) shows no sign of abating as the two governors who claim to chair the forum are engaged in a power struggle, using the dispute between the federal government, on one side, and the states and local governments, on the other, over the sharing of federally collectible revenue as the backdrop.

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, Monday summoned an emergency meeting of all the 36 governors, including the Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, who heads the breakaway faction of the NGF, and his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Godswill Akpabio.

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING: New Phase of Terrorism

SERVICE CHIEFS

With schoolchildren being the targets of terrorist attacks, it has become imperative for government to take the security of pupils seriously and review its approach to the fight against terrorism, writes Nkiruka Okoh

Across the globe now, especially in terror-prone areas of Asia and Africa, there is a rising incident of attacks on schoolchildren by insurgents. While in some places, the attack is to stop the growing girl-child education, others see it as a way of gaining attention of the political leadership to redress alleged “injustice”.

This, unfortunately, is beginning to compound the rising global insecurity and by extension, the political instability of many of the most vulnerable countries like Nigeria. Although, terrorist attacks on pupils are prevalent in terrorism prone-climes, not even the most advanced economies are protected from the senseless killings of schoolchildren.

State of Emergency: CDS Vows to Wipe Out Terrorists in Affected States

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim has vowed that the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) deployed to enforce state of emergency in some states of the north would not relent in its offensive until the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents are routed out with peace and stability restored.

Ibrahim stated this through the Nine-Man Defence Headquarters Assessment Team, which returned Tuesday from Yobe and Borno States to update him on the situation in the operational area of the Special Forces operating in the North East.

                                    

Bamigbetan: Police Kill Seven, Arrest Two Suspects

Bamigbetan

....Rescue kidnapped Indian from suspect's hideout

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

In what many has described as a major breakthrough in cracking the major kidnap syndicate in Lagos State, operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), at the wee hours of yesterday engaged in a shoot out with the gang responsible for the kidnap of the Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Chairman, Kehinde Bamigbetan.

Led by its Officer-in-Charge, Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police, the operatives had mounted a heavy surveillance at the kidnapper's hideout at Agbara, Ogun State, for three days before they broke into the house hours after the gang had kidnapped an Indian, Mr. Vivex Changrani.

Preliminary investigations further revealed that the same group including its mastermind, Nigerian-born Chinese national, Jonah Osinachi Benjamin, were also behind the kidnap of the Federal High Court Judge, Justice Vivour Rhodes, her daughter and driver, as well as other notable individuals in Lagos and its environs.

EXCLUSIVE: Police Arrest Two Bank Staff, Undergraduate for 50, 000 Dollars Fraud

OGUNSAKIN

The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigerian Police, has arrested two members of staff of a new generation bank, an undergraduate and another suspect, in connection with Internet fraud worth over 50,000 dollars.

The bank suspects who were officials of Skye Bank PLC, and the student, a 400-level undergraduate of Imo State University, who was the mastermind where nabbed after two years of successfully dabbling in fraud.

EXCLUSIVE: Ketu Crisis: Lagos Police Arrest 20 Suspected Hoodlums

Three days after the prolonged factional clash at the Ketu area of Lagos was resolved, the state Police Command yesterday raided the area and arrested about 20 suspected hoodlums who were fingered in connection with the lingering crisis.

With the arrests, peace has since returned to the crisis-torn area and commercial activities which were hitherto disrupted for over three days resumed in full swing. Confirming the arrests, the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko said the suspects were picked up for inciting the crisis at market place in the last three days.