Sahara Reporters Latest News Monday 24th June 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 24/06/19
Read also
target=_blank>Police Nab Three Men Who Specialize In Snatching Uber Cars
Three suspected robbers who specialised in luring Uber drivers and stealing their cars have been arrested by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos.
The robbers reportedly lured an Uber driver into a bush and snatched his Toyota Camry, 2006 model.
The driver was beaten, tied and dropped at an uncompleted building and his car was stolen.
However, following a tip-off, the suspects were arrested on their way to sell the car to a buyer in Lekki, Lagos.
Daniel Alagor, one of the suspects said he requested an Uber ride to take him and his friends, Samuel Effiong and one Blessing to Abijo GRA from Jakande Estate, Lekki around 11 pm.
While heading to the agreed destination, Blessing who is reportedly the ring leader informed the driver of plans to pick up two of his friends in Abijo GRA, Ajah from where they will all head to a birthday party in Sangotedo.
In His account to the police, the Uber driver said, “I agreed to pick their friends and drop them at the venue of the party as we were already in Abijo GRA. I noticed that their friends were not at the bus stop. They called their friends and we agreed I move into the estate to meet them on their way. I drove about 100 meters and I didn’t encounter them. I insisted I was going no further.
“They eventually came and immediately they entered the car, they tied a rope around my neck from the back. Then, all of them started punching me till I passed out. Thinking that I was dead, they took me into the bush and dropped my body near an uncompleted building. They left beside me a knife after tying me. Thank God, I woke up later. I reported at the closest police station and eventually, I learnt RRS men arrested them.
The suspects, thinking that the driver had already died left one of them in Abijo GRA while Alagor, Blessing and another suspect, whose identity police are working on, drove the car to Shoprite, Ijeshatedo to pick Samuel Effiong, who already negotiated with a buyer based in Fashola Estate, Lekki.
Effiong, “Blessing sometimes ago told me that he wanted to sell a car. He called me on phone around midnight of Wednesday to take him to the person that wanted to buy the car. They picked me up in Shoprite, Sangotedo. I didn’t follow him to where they stole the vehicle.
“We were close to Fashola Estate when we ran into RRS’ patrol vehicle. They stopped us for a check. Blessing and his friend bolted while Alagor and I were arrested. They also arrested Emeka Okoye, alias Tallest, who wanted to link us to the buyer.”
According to the police, the discovery of the Uber driver’s body led to the recovery of evidence such as a kitchen knife, ropes and fez cap, reportedly belonging to Blessing.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Muazu Zubairu, has directed that all the suspects be transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
CRIME
Police
News
AddThis
:
Featured Image
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Goodluck Jonathan Condemns Coup Attempt In Ethiopia, Says Nobody’s Blood Is Worth Political Ambition
Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former president has condemned the attempted coup to oust Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed describing it as undemocratic.
His remarks is coming hours after the Ethiopian Prime Minister confirmed the death of the nation’s chief of army by his own bodyguard in an attempt to foil the coup.
He made the condemnation on Sunday while tweeting @GEJonathan.
His tweet reads: “Nobody’s Political Ambition Is Worth The Blood of Citizens in Ethiopia or Any Other Nation.
“I have long said, believed and practised the principle that nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any citizen.
“As such, it bleeds my heart when there is unnecessary and avoidable bloodshed, as has just happened in Ethiopia.Nobody’s Political Ambition Is Worth The Blood of Citizens in Ethiopia or Any Other Nation.I have long said, believed and practised the principle that nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any citizen.— Goodluck E. Jonathan (@GEJonathan) June 23, 2019
“I condemn the attempted coup against the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
“I go further to call on men and women of goodwill around the world to also condemn such anti-democratic actions and show solidarity to the democratically elected constitutional order in Ethiopia.
“Democracy has come to rest in Africa. Constitutionality and the rule of law are what we in Africa need, especially in the cradle of civilisation and the melting pot of the African Union.
“Africa hopes for a speedy return to normalcy and I stand ready to lend my voice and actions to make that possible. May God bless Africa and may He be with the government and people of Ethiopia at such a trying time.
Ethiopia
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Onemola Rejects Appointment As Lawan’s Media Aide
Olu Onemola, former Special Assistant on New Media to Bukola Saraki, has rejected his appointment by Ahmad Lawan to occupy same position.
Lawan had retained five aides used by Saraki while he was the President of the Nigerian Senate.
The appointments were contained in a letter to the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, with reference number, NASS/9u./s/SP/APP/A/01 and dated 19th June, 2019.
However, Onemola had rejected the appointment citing personal antecedent and controversy as reasons. Given the controversy that my appointment has generated, I would respectfully like to be excused from this national assignment. I thank the President of the Senate, @DrAhmadLawan, and wish the new team all the best! pic.twitter.com/RLm4CwPuJI— Olu W. Onemola (@OnemolaOlu) June 23, 2019
Onemola, in a letter conveying his decision to Lawan wrote; “as an individual who prides myself in always setting a high standard and significant precedents — I feel honoured to have been asked to fill this vital role in the service of our great country.
“However, at this time, given my personal antecedent and the controversy that this has generated, I would respectfully like to be excused from taking up this national assignment. ”
Onemola stated that he would be on hand to offer advice and his expertise to whoever is chosen to fill the position.
“It is my hope that whoever does fill this role build upon what we have started in terms of opening up the activities of the Nigerian Senate to the public.
“I will be ready and available in whatever way to give my recommendations — if and when requested — as the new team begins its work.”
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>UPDATE: Ethiopian Chief Of Army Staff Shot Dead By Own Bodyguard In Coup Attempt
Seare Mekonnen, the chief of staff of the Ethiopian army has been killed by his own bodyguard in the capital, Addis Ababa.
He died and trying to prevent a coup attempt against the administration in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region, alongside another officer.
The coup plotters also succeeded in killing regional governor of Amhara, Ambachew Mekonnen and his adviser.
The government says the situation is under control after arrests were made.
The prime minister, Abiy Ajmed has gone on TV to urge Ethiopians to unite in the face of “evil” forces set on dividing the country.
Ethiopia
Military
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>What Buhari, Political Parties, Others Should Do Before Implementing EU Observers Report -Falana
Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government, political parties and other stakeholders to work on implementing previous electoral recommendations by various panels set up by the government.
Falana stated this on Sunday in a statement.
He explained: “The last general election in Nigeria, the largest democracy in Africa took place between February and March 2019. The election was monitored by local monitors and supervised by foreign observers.
“The reports of the local monitors have been ignored by the federal government and other stakeholders. However, the report of the former colonial master and her allies in the European Union is being celebrated by all the stakeholders including the mass media.”
He noted that after launching the report at Abuja, the foreign election observers are currently presenting copies to the presidency, national assembly, INEC, APC, PDP, and others.
The legal expert added: “Even many people who have not read the report of the foreigners are praising it and advising the federal government to adopt it in toto! But before the report of the ex-colonial masters on how to conduct credible elections in Nigeria is adopted the neo-colonial federal government must be compelled to implement the recommendations of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Panel, Ahmed Lemu Panel and Ken Nnamani Panel on electoral reforms.
“The recommendations and the reports of the local election monitors are much more relevant than the report of the foreign observers. Meanwhile, since the federal government has refused to set up the electoral offences tribunal recommended by the Uwais panel, INEC and the police should arraign in court the godfathers who sabotaged internal democracy in some of the parties and the armed thugs who committed other grave electoral offences during the last general election.”
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>BREAKING: Many Injured As Building Collapses In Lagos Again
At least ten people have been reported injured after a one-storey building collapsed in Oshodi area of Lagos State.
The building collapsed on Sunday at No 35, Adesanya Street, Mafoluku area of Oshodi. SITUATION REPORT ON THE COLLAPSED BUILDING AT 35, ADESANYA STREET, MAFOLUKU OSHODIa storey building at the address suddenly came down with two people said to be trapped and rescued and taken to a nearby hospital by neighbours before the arrival of the Agency’s LRT. pic.twitter.com/IHYoTcquoT— LRU #Call112 (@lasemasocial) June 23, 2019
More to come.
Environment
Breaking News
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Daura Head, Who Is Staff Of EFCC Still In Kidnappers’ Den After 24 Days, Village Holds Prayer For Release
The Daura Emirate Social Media Forum (DESOMF) has organised a marathon prayer, session seeking divine intervention on the plight of Alhaji Musa Umar- Uba, the abducted district head of the area.
The prayer session was held at the famous Muhammmadu Bashar primary school, Daura on Sunday.
Umar-Uba was kidnapped May 1, at his residence in Daura and since then no communication has been established between his captors and his family.
At the prayer session, the Chairman of the forum, Alhaji Abubakar Dantakai, described the abduction of the district head and one Abba Danbeza in Kano, recently, as saddening and unfortunate.
Dantakai said Danbeza was a staff of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and was abducted in kano while on his way from Lagos to Daura.
He said the community would intensify prayers to invoke divine intervention for the release of the two victims, in good health and mental stability.
“There is no communication between Danbeza family and his captors and it is 24 days today since when he was kidnapped,” he said
Alhaji Umar Umar, the immediate younger brother of the abducted district head of Daura said his brother had not established contact with his family.
He said the clarification became necessary, in view of the rumour being peddled in some sections of the media that his abducted brother had established contact with his family.
Umar said that right from the day he was abducted, about 54 days ago, no communication was established between the victim and any member of his family as earlier speculated by the media.
He, however, lauded security agencies for their unwavering commitment and determination to free all victims of abduction.
“I wish, on behalf of the family, to extend our sincere appreciation to the government and the people of the area for their concerned since when the tribulation started.
He specifically commended the organisers of the prayer for their determination toward seeing that the abducted district head is released through prayers and other helpful means.
Another community leader, Alhaji Yusuf, who addressed the audience on behalf of the people of the area, described the situation as frightening and unfortunate.
He said that the people would not relent in prayers to ensure the release of the district head and other victims of kidnapping.
The leader also assured that the people of the area would evolve precautionary measures to ensure their security.
Islamic clerics, students, traditional rulers, well wishers and the immediate and extended members of the family of the abducted district head attended the event.
The high points of the event were complete recitation of the 60 portions of the Holy Quran and delivery of sermon on self and family security, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
CRIME
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Falcons Protest Unpaid Bonuses, Refuse To Leave Hotel After Crashing Out Of Women’s World Cup
Nigeria’s Super Falcons players have refused to leave the team hotel after their exit from the women’s World Cup on Saturday, demanding that the country’s soccer federation clears all of their outstanding bonus payments, ESPN reported.
The players staged a sit-in protest shortly after Nigeria were beaten 3-0 by double champions Germany who continued their unbeaten run to reach the quarter-finals.
ESPN reported that the players are owed bonuses amounting to around 2 million Nigerian naira ($6,537) accumulated over three years, including for games against Gambia and Senegal, but only half that amount had been released to them.
“They paid us 1 million and said that’s all. We want them to pay the balance,” the report quoted a player as saying.
“Part of that money is from two years ago, the other is from three years ago. And they are also owing us five days’ daily allowance here in France.”
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick told ESPN all bonus payments were cleared.
“The only thing outstanding is the participation fee from (soccer governing body) FIFA, which isn’t expected to come until after the tournament,” he said.
“But they insist that they want to get paid, as they have spoken to players from Cameroon and France, who told them they have already been paid.”
The NFF did not immediately reply to a request for comment by Reuters.
In 2016, over a dozen members of the team had demonstrated outside the National Assembly in the capital Abuja to demand unpaid bonuses for winning the women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Sports
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Rising Jazz Star Bunmi Thomas, Born In Britain To Nigerian Parents, Faces Deportation
Bunmi Thomas
Bunmi Thomas
Ade Okelarin
A jazz singer born in Britain to Nigerian parents is facing deportation after falling foul of controversial Home Office red tape.
In a chilling echo of the Windrush scandal last year, rising music star Bumi Thomas was shocked to be told she is in Britain illegally, despite having lived here for most of her life.She now faces being sent to Africa, even though her work, family and social life are all in Britain.
Ms Thomas was born in Glasgow in June 1983 to parents who had come from Africa in the early 1970s.
Changes to the British Nationality Act in January 1983 removed the automatic right to citizenship of children born in the UK to parents from former colonies.
The singer’s parents should have registered her under the Act but were unaware they needed to do so. Her plight is harder to bear because her elder sister Kemi, with whom she lives in East London, has always been a British citizen as she was born before the changes to the Act.
Ms Thomas believes she is a victim of the Home Office becoming over-zealous after then Home Secretary Theresa May introduced a ‘hostile environment’ towards illegal migrants in 2012.
The policy resulted in the Windrush scandal, which saw dozens of long-standing British citizens deported because they lacked papers proving their right to be in the country.Ms Thomas, 36, who has performed on the BBC, said: ‘My parents came here at the end of the Windrush era.
‘I had a National Insurance number, I had my birth certificate, I’d got a driving licence, a bank account, I went to college. At no point during that process was there any indication I was doing anything incorrectly. I believe that I am British.’
Although she was born in Scotland, Ms Thomas lived with her father in Nigeria between the ages of three and 18. She thought she had dual British-Nigerian nationality when she returned to Britain. She applied for a UK passport when she was 25 but she was refused. She was granted temporary discretionary leave to remain and told she could apply for permanent residency.
But two weeks ago, Ms Thomas received a letter saying her application had been unsuccessful, and that she had to leave within 14 days or appeal, or face detention and deportation without notice.
The letter revealed her right to remain had been granted only because she had been in a long-term relationship with a British citizen. It went on to explain that her right was withdrawn after she told the Home Office that the relationship had ended. Got some life changing news last week when I received a Refusal in Response to My Application for Settlement in the UK. It shook me to my core to discover I only had 14 days to appeal or face possible detention/deportation. pic.twitter.com/vQUrbJTA79— Bumi Thomas (@bumithomas) June 19, 2019
She said: ‘I thought it was about my own situation having been born here and spent all my adult life here, but they weren’t interested in that.’
She has chosen to appeal on human rights grounds and her case has been taken up by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Roberts, who intends to bring up her case with a Home Office Minister. But Ms Thomas remains in limbo as her case could take up to eight months to reach its conclusion. Her US performing debut at the Ford Theatre in Los Angeles in October is now in doubt and she estimates that fighting her case so far has cost £7,000 in legal fees.
Ms Thomas’s lawyer, Fahad Ahmed, said she missed out on automatic citizenship by a matter of months and added: ‘Courts take a less harsh view than the Home Office, and if someone can prove their life is here, the courts will use their discretion,’ the UK DailyMail reports.
The Home Office said: ‘All immigration applications are considered on their individual merits.’
Entertainment
Music
Scandal
Travel
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Osinbajo Arrives In New York For 4-Day Visit
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo
The Guardian Nigeria
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has arrived in New York on a four-day visit to the United States.
Osinbajo and members of his entourage arrived the Sheltair wing of the John F. Kennedy International Aiport at 12.38 am local time (5:38 am) and was received by the Nigerian Ambassador to the US retired Justice Sylvanus Nsofor.
Other Nigerian officials of the country’s missions with Nsofor included Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Tijani Mohammad-Bande; and the Consul-General of Nigeria in New York, Mr Ben Okoyen.
The vice president is scheduled to meet with his US counterpat, Mike Pence, in Washington on Wednesday, according to presidential spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande.
See Also
Economy
Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo To Meet Trump’s Deputy, Mike Pence
0 Comments
12 Hours Ago
Akande said in a statement on Saturday that both leaders would be discuss matters of mutual interests between Nigeria and the U.S.
Ahead of his meeting with Pence, Osinbajo would be the guest speaker at a forum tagged “A Conversation With Vice President Yemi Osinbajo: Nigeria’s Economic Prospects”.
The event would be hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an independent and nonpartisan think tank established to help Americans better understand the world.
The vice-president is expected to speak on Nigeria’s economic recovery, investment and growth opportunities, and the recent general elections.
Politics
Travel
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters
Disable advertisements
:
You can also check
