Man on the run after issuing N4m dud cheque

No one could really tell the whereabouts of one Benneth, who is reportedly currently on the run after he was declared wanted and a warrant of arrest issued against him by the Enugu State Criminal Investigations Department. The fleeing Benneth, it was gathered, had reportedly issued a dud cheque to one Zed Chukwujama to the tune of a little over N4 million.
Benneth, 40, resided at No 44b, Imoke Street, Enugu, the state capital as at the time of the crime. It was gathered that long before he issued the dud cheque, Benneth had been found guilty in a court case at the Appeal Court in the state where he was mandated to pay the sum of N5, 040, 000 to Chukwujama.
As if he was serious about meeting the court’s demand, he paid a million naira out of the lot leaving the balance of a little over N4 million to balance up the amount awarded against him. He left no one in doubt that he could not raise the remaining four million and forty thousand naira. Promising to wrap up the payment,he agreed with Chukwujama to have the balance paid him at a new generation bank in the metropolis. Benneth thus issued a cheque of N4, 040, 000 to Chukwujama.

Gunmen abduct two Syrians in Ondo

Four dare devil gunmen on Thursday evening abducted two expatriates who are employees of Charvet Construction Company, which is handling the construction of the senate building of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba- Akoko. The expatriates who are from Syria were kidnapped at the construction site by the assailants, who rode in a Mercedes Benz car, went directly to pick their victims and dragged them into the victims sports utility vehicle.
Spokesman of the University, Sola Imoru who confirmed the incident said the hoodlums who invaded the site of the construction went straight to their victims without delay. He said the driver of the two engineers was shot in the leg while the hoodlums left with the Nissan SUV belonging to the foreign engineers, while injuring some people in the process. According to Imoru, the bandit made away with the vehicle, three telephone handsets and N400, 000

Family of seven, three others killed, scores missing in Kaduna

Again, unknown gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen on Thursday night invaded Manchok Township in Kaura Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna. A family of seven and three others were reportedly killed while scores have been declared missing An eyewitness who pleaded for anonymity reported that the attackers raided the area about 2am on Thursday.
He said, “We heard gunshots around 2am on Thursday. We suspect that Fulani men are behind this attack. They have being killing us here for long without being challenged by our security agents. A family of seven and other three residents were killed. Many others are still missing.”
Meanwhile, Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, who visited Ungwar Kajit in Manchok Community of Kaura LGA over the attack, described the heinous act as ungodly and condemnable. Yero prayed that God should expose the perpetrators saying “We pray that God should expose the people that are causing this problem. We pray that God should touch their hearts to stop such dastardly acts or destroy their evil machinations.”

Friends bag 10-year jail term over kidnap of businessman

From BAMIGBOLA GBOLAGUNTE, Osogbo
An Osun State High Court yesterday sentenced two friends, Fawole Abimbola and Peter Tominiyi to 10-year imprisonment for kidnapping an Osogbo-based businessman, Alhaji Rauf Olaiya and one Mrs Victoria Babatunde.
Olaiya, a famous businessman in Osogbo, Osun State capital, was kidnapped on March 20, 2011 in Osogbo, while Mrs Babatunde was kidnapped on August 6, 2011 at Inisha in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of the state.
The convicts, who were both friends, were said to have been involved in the kidnap of the two people and they had since 2011 been standing trial over the case, following their arrest and subsequent detention by the police.
The convicts had upon the kidnap of Olaiya received a ransom of N300 million from him, while they received a ransom of $500 from Mrs Babatunde.
Ruling on the case yesterday, Justice Oyejide Falola sentenced the two accused persons to 10 years imprisonment at the Federal Prison, Ilesa.

Bomb explosion kills 2 in Borno border town

From TIMOTHY OLANREWAJU, Maiduguri
A bomb explosion believed to have been carried out by Boko Haram on Friday occurred at Gwoza, a Nigerian border community, killing at least two persons while unspecified number of residents were injured.
The Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Shehu Timta while on a thank-you-visit to Governor Kashim Shettima at the Government House on Friday for his recent elevation as first class emir, said his coming to Maiduguri for the visit was delayed due to a bomb explosion that occurred in his domain, adding that the explosion killed some yet-to-be-ascertained number of residents.
“I would have come here but was asked by the security agents to wait for about an hour to clear the road because of the bomb explosion that occurred. I was strongly advised not to take any risk,” the First Class traditional ruler said.

Anti-public smoking law: Cigarette sellers cry out

The Lagos State House of Assembly recently passed a bill seeking to make smoking in public places illegal in the state, with first offenders having options of paying a fine of N10,000, three months in jail or both. The bill which is awaiting the approval of Gov. Fashola, in order for it to be signed into law, prohibits residents from smoking in places such as libraries, museum, public toilets, schools, hospital, day-care centres, public transportation, restaurants among others.
However, the bill has led to many controversies as there are many sides to this coin. A visit to a cigarette seller and local gin concoction seller popularly known as paraga reveals that the bill will have an adverse effect on her family.

2015 General Polls: APC is indivisible – Tinubu

By OLASUNKANMI AKONI
As the All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos State chapter, began the process for the 2015 general elections, the  national leader of the party and former Governor of the state, Bola Tinubu, has declared that the party is indivisible, despite all efforts from different quarters to divide the party. He however, assured all members and intending members that the party would follow due process to the letter in the selection of candidates for various offices.
Tinubu, who gave the assurance while addressing members at a stakeholders’ meeting at the weekend, held at the state Secretariat of APC,  in Ikeja, urged all prospective and old members to register in accordance with the party’s constitution, saying that only registered members would get the party’s identity cards and be recognized as such.

2, 700 anti-aircraft bombs intercepted in Rivers

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu

The vessel identified as MV Iron Trader which was intercepted by the State Security Service on Thursday in Port Harcourt, was carrying 2,700 anti-aircraft and anti-tank bombs, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

Security sources told our correspondent in Abuja on Friday that the bombs were concealed in a 20-foot container on the ship.

The container is being guarded by a combined team of SSS operatives, soldiers and policemen.

It was learnt that the cargo which originated from Turkey was brought into the country under the guise that they were building rods.

Nigeria’s oil sector was developed with money from the North –Ango Abdullahi

Prof. Ango Abdullahi

In this interview with JOHN ALECHENU, the spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum, Professor Ango Abdullahi, speaks about the Almajiri phenomenon, Boko Haram insurgency, and the 2015 elections among other issues

The way you talk about the North, some people tend to see you as someone who hates the rest of the country…

This is certainly an unfair assessment. If you look at my pedigree and my background, I come from Zaria; I went to a mixed school. Virtually all my classmates in elementary school and senior primary school came from the southern part of the country. They were non-Hausa, non-Fulani and we remained together, we went to school and finished together and this continued throughout to my secondary education in Barewa College. And you know, Barewa College was a mixture of people from all the Northern provinces and a few from the southern part of the country. I went to the Nigerian College of Arts, Sciences and Technology, Zaria. Nigerian College as the name implies, brings in all Nigerians irrespective of tribe and geographical location. I did not study at the Ahmadu Bello University, I went to the University College, Ibadan. The North in Ibadan was a minority. When I finished, I worked in an institution that was not only national but international, the Ahmadu Bello University, where I worked throughout my academic career. There is no way anyone can look at my background and say I dislike a Nigerian based on his tribe, or based on his religion, or where he comes from.

My present state of mind has to do with what we have suffered coming from where you least expect. If you look at the present position of the Northern Elders Forum, it was given birth to by the attitude of our brothers and sisters who, either within the North or from outside the North, seem to have acquired some virus of either dislike-I don’t want to use the word -hatred for a section of the country or a particular group within a section of the country and this is what is happening to us in this country. Unless we want to be dishonest about it, this is why my recent position is that yes, if you don’t think that Nigerians deserve peace in terms of co-existence and you think that some other way is to be employed, so be it. What about those people who talk in the same tone like I talk? Why are they not being accused of being sectional? All this recent turmoil about North and South was created by the South, not by the North. The position we have taken has nothing to do with it. Some of us have done far more for the unity of Nigeria than many who are professing to be nationalists now.

Gunmen kill family of seven in Kaduna

Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Yero

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in a midnight raid on Thursday wiped out a family of seven at Manyi Akuru village, a suburb of Manchok town in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Manchok, a town about 200km south of Kaduna, the capital city of Kaduna State, has  witnessed some communal clashes in recent times.

The suspected Fulani herdsmen reportedly stormed Manchok around midnight.

Angry youths of Manchok later mobilised and attacked a Fulani settlement close to the town. But a detachment of army stationed around the area averted a reprisal.

Stakeholders caution Lagos legislature over Land Bill

The Lagos State House of Assembly has been advised by various stakeholders in the state to apply caution over its new Land Bill, describing the proposed law as sensitive.

Speaking at a public hearing on the “Bill for a law to prohibit forceful entry and occupation on landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in Lagos State and for connected purposes” at the House of Assembly complex, most of the contributors pointed out the need to rework the 17-section bill.

In his submission, the Dean, Faculty of Law, University Of Lagos, Professor I.O. Smith, analysed the bill section- by-section and alerted the House of Assembly to some contradictions in the bill and its implication rightful land owners.

Smith called for an in-road into an immediate recourse anyone whose property has been wrongfully possessed.

He called for the creation of a remedy clause under the proposed law; consideration for the third party and the need for a taskforce on investigation of land matters.

Falana, Aturu differ on INEC’s law against defection

Mr. Femi Falana

Two  prominent lawyers have expressed divergent views on a recent proposal by the Independent National Electoral Commission which seeks a law against frivolous defection by politicians.

INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Election Party Monitoring, Hajiya Amina Zakari, had made the comment on Tuesday at the opening of the National Stakeholders’ Forum on Electoral Reforms in Abuja.

She said the law would also empower INEC to enforce internal democracy in the nomination and substitution of candidates for election by political parties.

Reacting to INEC’s position, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, told Saturday PUNCH that INEC’s intention was in order.

 In Britain, hunger hurts while in Africa, hunger kills - but we single mums try to do our best

Food poverty campaigner, single mum and blogger Jack Monroe visits Tanzania and finds some surprising similarities with her own situation

Here To Help: Jack in Tanzania with Irene and daughter

Mora McLagan/Oxfam UK

She is 24 years old, a single mother to a two-year-old girl. She lost her job in 2012 and has moved house at least four times since. Unable to find work, she is living in a friend’s bedroom in a shared house, borrowing food from neighbours.
Her name is Irene and she lives in Tanzania but her story feels immediately familiar to me.
I’m a British single mum aged 25 with a three-year-old son.
I was forced to give up my job in the UK fire service because I couldn’t make my childcare fit around the unpredictable hours. I fell into severe poverty.
I have also borrowed food from friends and food banks. I’ve moved house five times since I become unemployed and my son has moved eight times in his short life.

A blog I kept about my experiences is being made into a book called A Girl Called Jack, and because of that, Oxfam invited me to visit Tanzania.

Sex is better exercise than going for a jog - plus much better fun

Is it a myth that sex is just as good for burning off calories as traditional exercise? Not according to recent studies

Horizontal jogging: healthy alternative

Getty

I remember once reading that a 20-minute sex session burned as many calories as going eight rounds with Muhammad Ali.
It seemed like a bit of an exaggeration but a new study throws light on this conundrum.
The issue of sex as exercise has remained largely unexplored.
“There are these myths, including one that sex burns at least 100 calories per session,” says Antony D Karelis, a professor of exercise science at the University of Quebec.
He did a study, published in the on-line research journal PLOS One in October, to look at how much energy is actually exerted during sex.

Major Coffee Producer Kenya Still Lacks Processing Plant

A farmer and businessman in the small central Kenya town of Othaya, Paul Njagi is among the thousands of coffee farmers who are increasingly frustrated by the lack of a coffee processing plant in Kenya.
“Any investor who decides to set up one will definitely reap huge benefits,” Njagi told AFKInsider. Othaya is in Nyeri County, about 130 kilometers north of the capital, Nairobi.
The hilly county is one of the main coffee-growing regions in Kenya, and farmers such as Njagi find it unjustifiable that Kenya still has no processing plants more than half a decade after independence.
The country, which has produced coffee since 1893, is famous for the Arabica breed of coffee. The Robusta breed, which is useful in blending Arabica coffee, is in its early stages of development and its market is still green

Climate Change in Ghana Linked to Poverty, Lack of Wildlife Resources

Thinkstock From Ghana Business News

Ms Barbara Serwah Asamoah, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has cited negative effects of climate change as one of the major causes of poverty in Ghana. She said  in Ghana the effect could be seen in the rapid change in rainfall patterns, long dry seasons, drying up of major streams and rivers, heavy erosion, loss of soil fertility, loss of biodiversity, drastic decline in none timber forest product among other things.
Speaking on Wednesday at a workshop on effects of climate change for high level policy makers and politicians, she said such negative effects had culminated into an increase in poverty in many rural communities which derived direct livelihood from forest and wildlife resources. The Workshop organised by the Ghana Climate Change Agricultural and Food Security (CCAFS) Platform, was attended by farmer based organisations, NGOs, religious bodies, researchers, academia and policy makers

Justin Bieber’s private jet 'searched for marijuana' after landing in New Jersey ahead of Super Bowl

The aircraft had just arrived in New Jersey ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl when authorities claimed they could detect a strong odour of pot

Bieber's plane reportedly smelled of pot

Justin Bieber’s personal plane was held at an airport tonight after authorities suspected it was carrying marijuana, police sources said.
The aircraft had just arrived in New Jersey’s ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl when authorities detected what was described as a strong odour of pot.
The plane, believed to be a twin-jet Raytheon Hawker 800, was ordered to be held at Teterboro Airport until drug-sniffing dogs could check it out.
It was not clear if the singer was on board after the plane touched down from Toronto.
Bieber had chartered the private jet to fly him, his father and friends to the game which sees the Seattle Seahawks take on the Denver Broncos.

PDP chairman Mu’azu meets IBB in Minna

January 31, 2014 by Enyioha Opara, Minna Leave a Comment

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu on Friday held a closed-door meeting with former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, in continuation of his nationwide consultation with elders of the party.
Mu’azu, who led a 15-man team, arrived the Minna Uphill residence of the former Military President at about 12.05pm and went into a closed-door meeting, which lasted till 1.05pm.
Members on the entourage of Mu’azu, which included the PDP National Youth Leader, Alhaji Abdullahi Maibasera; former House of Reps Speaker Gali Na’aba and the state PDP acting chairman, Tanko Beji, were excused from the meeting to enable the two leaders to have a confidential and private session.
Emerging from the meeting, Babangida declined to speak with journalists on the meeting.
The former leader bluntly told newsmen that he was not prepared to talk.

Watch Doctors Remove live Maggots From A Girl's New STD Infested private part!

 Watch Doctors Remove live Maggots From A Girl's New STD Infested private part!

Watch Doctors Remove Maggots From A Girl's New STD Infested private part!

WARNING - VIEWER'S DISCRETION IS ADVISED!
Guys, who else has seen that video on WorldStar about this girl that had live maggots taken out of her diseased vagina? Worldstar says she had unprotected sex and caught the STD which causes maggots to take over your penis or vagina.

It's pretty nasty!!!

 Rihanna and Shakira stroke each other topless, smoke cigars and writhe around in sizzling new video

They both hail from the Caribbean and are seriously, seriously, sexy.
So we were expecting a lot from the much anticipated duet between pop princess Shakira and bad girl Ri-Ri - and guess what, we were not disappointed.

Sexy bum touch. Nice one

The sizzling video, which was released today, shows the sizzling duo writhe around, stroke each other and smoke cigars on a bed and white striped bed.

 Sadie Frost: Kate Moss 'wild' birthday celebrations were five days of walks, table tennis and swimming

Despite rumours of an £80,000 booze bill and gigs from Florence and the Machine, Mark Ronson, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack, Sadie says it was a healthy affair

Pals: Sadie Frost and Kate Moss

Rex

Outside it’s raining buckets and I sit opposite Sadie Frost with my hair sodden and a damp umbrella seeping through my handbag.
She, on the other hand, is all glowing skin and bouncing bob. The explanation for this is the very last thing I’m expecting.

It’s just over a week since the actress, designer and one-time poster-girl for partying came back from close friend Kate Moss’s five-day 40th birthday celebrations .

Despite rumours of an £80,000 booze bill and all-night private gigs from Florence and the Machine, Mark Ronson, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack – reportedly hired for £30,000 to mark each of the supermodel’s four decades – mum-of-four Sadie says it was actually a very healthy affair.

“Kate’s party was a lot of fun. I went for the whole five days from beginning to end,” says Sadie in a girlish voice that belies her 48 years.

 Seal shows off stunning mystery brunette on trip to the supermarket with his kids

The soul singer couldn't stop smiling as he paraded his mystery woman

Happy families

AKM-GSI

Soul singer Seal could not stop smiling when he stepped out with a stunning mystery brunette on Thursday.
Heidi Klum's ex was seen walking out of a supermarket in Malibu with the brunette beauty and two of his four children, Leni, nine and eight-year-old Henry.
Dresses in red kicks, a matching red tee, jeans and a blue blazer, Seal opted for a smart/casual ensemble for his family outing.

 Pictured: Is super-sized CAT Meatball who weighs TWO STONE the fattest feline ever?

The Phoenix pussycat tips the scales at a whopping 2.5 stone and his size means he could be the biggest cat in the world

View gallery

2.5 stone cat

View gallery

This huge cat is called Meatball and he weighs more than a three year-old CHILD.
The morbidly obese feline from Phoenix, Arizona, who weighs a whopping two-and-a-half stone, was taken in by the Maricopa County animal shelter in Mesa.

Amanda Knox's murder conviction: Does it help if you're pretty, white and flush the loo?

10 things Fleet Street Fox learned from Foxy Knoxy being found guilty again and the murder of Meredith Kercher

Six years ago a 21-year-old woman was murdered.
Meredith Kercher was a long way from home, studying in Italy, when one night she was sexually assaulted and stabbed by more than one person. She struggled, she knew what was happening, and she took a while to die from blood loss and suffocation.
From that day to this, we have had detail, claim and counter-claim hurled at us as flatmate 

Arsenal's move for Julian Draxler crumbles

ARSENAL’S big-money move for Julian Draxler is on the brink of collapse - with their Premier League rivals ready to pounce.

HE AIN’T GUNNER GO: Draxler could wait and weigh up his options in the summer [STUART ROBINSON]

Draxler has been alerted he will have his pick of the top clubs in the summer and is now poised to reject the chance to join the Gunners before tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are all set to join the hunt for the Schalke striker at the end of the season if he stays in Germany.

Globacom Angry With D'banj For Featuring in MTN's Kcee's 'Emmah' Video?

 

D'banj's multi-million Naira brand endorsement deal with Globacom Nigeria is presently being threatened!

The reason is not unrelated with the fact that he featured in the music video of Emmah, a song by Kcee, an ambassador of MTN, Globacom’s main rival.

You see, though endorsements are lucrative to artists, it prohibits them from associating with elements of their endorsing companies’ rivals.

It was for this reason that Tiwa Savage could not perform at the prestigious Sister With Soul concert last year.

Femi Kuti loses out again at the Grammys

• View Bl

Femi Kuti has lost out at the Grammy Awards for the fourth time. He was nominated in the ‘World Music' category for his album 'No Place For My Dream' but lost out to French group Gipsy Kings and South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo in a tie.

Lagos University Prof Caught "Doing It" With A Female Student

Someone just sent me this mess; a Professor "doing" a young girl who's old enough to be his daughter.

LASU Professor caught LIVE in the act with a female student at a dingy hotel! Sadly, with all the sordid act, it is still obvious she won’t graduate with good grades as she can't sléép with every single man in the school.

Borno, Adamawa Burn Again: Gunmen kill 52, set 300 houses ablaze

Reports from Vanguard

Boko Haram murderous attacks literally burnt on Sunday as gunmen numbering over 50 invaded Kawuri District of Konduga Local Government Area of the state and set ablaze over 300 houses and shops after killing 52 people including a soldier, and wounding several others including policemen and civilians.

In neighbouring Adamawa State, several people, including two policemen were also feared killed as gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members attacked a church in Chakawa village of Madagali Local Government Area.

Some residents of the affected village who fled the area told newsmen that they were attacked during the Sunday service in the morning.

J.MARTIN WITH NEW SINGLE......FARO

Veteran hit-maker J Martins kicks off his exploits in 2014 with a melodious treat for fans and music lovers all over the continent. Showing the importance of sticking with a winning formula, J Martins reunites with past conspirators DJ Arafat with his energetic chants and additional vocals by Fally Ipupa – to deliver yet another incredibly rhythmic and movement-inducing club banger titled Faro.

On Faro, J Martins makes gratitude the centerpiece, as he thanks God for the blessings and protections he (as well as his other friends) has received over the recent years. Listing names such as Bracket, Flavor, IllBliss, Timaya, Naeto C, Phyno, Wizboyy, P-Square, K-Cee, and Mr Raw among others, J Martins displays a deep humility and also expounds on the need to keep one’s feet firmly rooted

Kcee Pays Nicki Minaj N68 Million To Feature In His New Song!!!

Nigeria’s rave of the moment Afro pop singer Limpopo Master himself Kcee, is teaming up with American Rap Queen Nicki Minaj, according to sources.

Currently now Nigerian pop singer Kcee and his label colleague Harry song aka Mr Songz are in USA, for the 56th Edition of the Grammy Awards which  held on Sunday January 26th, 2014.

According to sources Nigerian singer Kcee, is set to release another hot new single featuring Nicki Minaj, while his main purpose of attending the prestigious event is to finalize the collaboration with her.

It was said that Kcee, paid a whooping prize of 400,000 dollars (68 million naira) to have Nicki on the song.

Arsene Wenger

Wenger - Scheduling hampers us in Europe

Arsène Wenger would like to see English teams given the weekend off prior to their Champions League knockout fixtures.
The Arsenal manager is bracing himself for a challenging February with Liverpool (a), Manchester United (h), Liverpool (h) and Bayern Munich (h) in the space of 11 days.
Wenger understands that TV companies hold sway over scheduling but he thinks Premier League teams would have a better chance of progressing in Europe if their build-up was not so intense.

PUMA deal announced

PUMA and Arsenal announce partnership

PUMA and Arsenal Football Club have announced a long-term partnership.
Effective from July 1, 2014, PUMA will become the official kit partner of Arsenal. In addition to producing the playing and training kit for all Arsenal teams, PUMA has acquired wide-ranging licensing rights to develop other Arsenal branded merchandise on a global basis. This new commercial partnership represents the biggest deal in PUMA and Arsenal's history.
PUMA and Arsenal will work together to bring further innovation into the sports brand's performance apparel range. Both organisations will work collaboratively on a global strategy to drive mutual growth across all football markets, achieved through PUMA's global sales network, international tours and integrated marketing activities.

Recurrent budget: NLC, others reject Okonjo-Iweala’s defence

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Nigerian Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Union of Teachers have rejected the linking by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, of the high recurrent expenditure in the 2014 budget to the increase in workers’ salaries.

The minister during a public presentation of the 2014 budget on Monday in Abuja had claimed that the salary increase granted to various labour groups in 2009, had doubled the Federal Government’s wage bill from N857bn in that year to N1.72tn in 2013.

This, she said, had reduced the size of funds available for investments in capital projects.

In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by Comrade Bobboi Kaigama and Musa Lawal the President and Secretary General respectively, TUC faulted the claims by Okonjo-Iweala and Director-General of the Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogu, that the civil service consumes 37 per cent of the recurrent expenditure.

Describing the claim as “overly speculative,” the union challenged the duo to “publish the salaries and other emoluments of all civil servants, giving details of what each Ministry, Department and Agency spends as remuneration each month.

Drama as Bamidele leaves APC for LP

Opeyemi Bamidele

A former Leader of the All Progressives Congress caucus in the House of Representatives, Opeyemi Bamidele, on Thursday formally informed the House that he was no longer a member of the APC. He has now joined the Labour Party.

He told members that his reason for leaving APC dated back to the start of merger talks among the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change and the All Nigeria Peoples Party.

Bamidele added that he opposed the merger from the beginning and did not wish that “my party, the ACN,” should be part of the merger.

As he made his explanations, LP members, Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers, among others were seen shaking hands with him and congratulating Bamidele on his decision to join LP.

Reacting to claims that the APC had lost its majority strength due to the defection of Bamidele, the Minority Leader in the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, explained that the Ekiti lawmaker had never been included in the calculation since he had already left the party.

The APC leader added, “Let me state that Bamidele was not in the initial numerical configuration that gave birth to the majority status of the APC about two months ago.

“From the record of the APC House Caucus,  his name had been  deleted long before his official communication of defection today.

n

SSS summons El-Rufai, warns against inciting statements

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai
| credits: File copy

The  State Security Service   has  invited a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,  to appear at its headquarters in Abuja on Friday (today) over a statement attributed to him in the Thursday edition of  a national daily newspaper (not The PUNCH).

El-Rufai,  who is also the Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress,  was said to have been invited to clarify the statement  in which he allegedly said   that “the next election  are  likely to be violent and that  many people are likely going to die.”

He was also quoted as having said  that “the only alternative left to get power is to take it by force.”

His  Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, told   our correspondent through a text message on Thursday,   that El-Rufai   was  willing to meet the SSS   in his home or office or in the alternative, the agency should produce a warrant of arrest.

Adekeye said, “El-Rufai called the Director-General of SSS and told him that he had a pending suit against the service over the   Anambra State  governorship  election, as such he would not go to the SSS office.”

  Before the invitation of El-Rufai was made known to our correspondent, the SSS   had    warned  that  it would deal with  politicians and other individuals  making threatening and provocative statements ahead of the 2015 elections.

NDLEA arrests 490 suspects, seizes 9,163.96kg of drugs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos on Thursday said it arrested 490 drug suspects and seized 9,163.96kg in 2013.

The agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr Ofoyeju Mitchel, who made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the figure was higher than the 321 arrested in 2012.

Mitchel said that 51 women were arrested in 2013 compared to the 16 women arrested in 2012.

He said 79 people were convicted in 2013 and 67 in 2012, adding that 128 cases were pending in court in 2013 compared to the 56 in 2012.

Ofoyeju said the drug seizures in 2013 were mainly cannabis as against 2,451.23kg of narcotic comprising cocaine, heroin, cannabis, amphetamine and ephedrine in 2012.

Sandro Rosell resigns as Barca                                                     president

•  

Sandro Rosell has confirmed his resignation as Barcelona president, amidst investigation into the signing of Neymar from Santos.

Rosell also said that current vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, will take over until 2016 as agreed by the board of directos.

“I am resigning irrevocably,” Rosell told reporters.

Bartomeu informed the media that a press conference will be held on Friday and details about the future will be made clearer