Sahara Reporters Latest News Thursday 27th June 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Thursday 27th June 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 27/06/19

target=_blank>Our Spiritual Leader, Ibraheem El-Zakyzaky Has Been Poisoned, Shiites Allege

Members of Islamic Movement (IMN) have alleged that their spiritual leader, Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakyzaky has been poisoned as an investigation revealed extremely high concentrations of lead and cadmium in his blood.
The movement disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a press conference addressed by the representative of Academic Forum Of The Islamic Movement In Nigeria, Mikail Yunus on the deteriorating health of El-Zakyzaky.
He stated that there are symptoms of heavy metal poisoning observed in his system which has worsened the health condition.
Yunus said that the results of the investigations by the foreign medical team pointed to a significant number of serious medical concern on his health.
According to him “The team of Doctors produced a comprehensive final report that addressed all the relevant medical issues revealed by the investigation results.
Based on the report, an application was drafted and filed with the Kaduna State High Court on the 17th day of June 2019. The results of the investigations pointed to a significant number of serious medical concerns.
“In the case of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, the report stated that he had obstructed blood flow to the heart (Myocardial Ischemia and Left ventricular hypertrophy), which poses a serious risk of a heart attack. He has severe cervical spondylitis causing nerve root compression ”
He noted that diagnosis of his right eye shown that El-Zakyzaky is suffering from severe visual impairment, progressive open angle glaucoma and progressive macular atrophy and other issues that can inevitably lead to permanent blindness.
He explained that the diagnosis revealed he also has contracted Anophthalmia in his left eye the diagnosis was, which is to say that the left eye is completely absent.
“We, therefore, find it atrocious that their health has been allowed to deteriorate in this manner. Unless if the aim of the current administration is to covertly assassinate them while in custody.
“Finally, we wish to reiterate our demand, that Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and Malamah Zeenah Ibraheem should be urgently allowed to travel abroad for standard medical treatments ” He stated.

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E2%80%99s-son-chicago-bar-arrested-secret-service target=_blank>Waitress Spits On Donald Trump’s Son At Chicago Bar, Arrested By Secret Service

Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, was spat on by a waitress as he visited a popular upscale bar in Chicago Tuesday night, Chicago Tribune reports.
The incident happened during Eric Trump’s visit to the city. He has declined to press charges against the woman, according to The Trump Organization.
A waitress at The Aviary, 955 W. Fulton Market, in West Town, was taken into custody after she spat on Trump, according to a spokesperson for the Trump Organization.
He has been in Chicago and staying at the Trump Hotel, according to his Twitter account.
The waitress has been placed on leave, according to a statement from The Aviary, which said that “no customer should ever be spit upon,” and said that the restaurant won’t make further statements about “internal (human relations) matters.”
“Eric was out to dinner on business when a waitress … spit in his face,” the Trump Organization representative said in an email. Secret Service and Chicago police “immediately apprehended her and held her in handcuffs for approx(imately) two hours. Chicago PD was intending on pressing charges however Eric directed them not to and she was let go.”
The Tribune is not naming the woman because she has not been charged with a crime.
Trump confirmed the incident to the conservative website Breitbart, telling the news outlet, “It was purely a disgusting act by somebody who clearly has emotional problems.”
The Aviary said in its statement that “an unfortunate incident occurred between an employee at The Aviary and Eric Trump,” but that “we did not witness” what happened.
The restaurant condemned the incident and said that online backlash shouldn’t be directed at the restaurant or its other staff.
“What is certain is this: no customer should ever be spit upon,” the statement said. “We have not yet spoken with the employee but our HR team has, in the meantime, placed her on leave.”
The online backlash to the incident “is troubling,” the statement said. “Hundreds of people are calling for the demise of our business, threatening our employees, and posting fake reviews… they are wrong to do so based on the actions of a lone individual.”
Also troubling, “however, are those people wrong who are praising this as an act of civil disobedience. We have voices and the means to be heard. A degrading act lowers the tenor of the debate. To some, it might feel good, but it is unlikely to serve any larger purpose.
“We hope this incident can, at least, serve to illuminate the current absurdity of the discourse in our politics.”
NBC reporter Mary Ann Ahern first tweeted about the incident Tuesday night, saying Eric Trump was seen leaving The Aviary.
The upscale, James Beard-winning bar is owned in part by the duo behind one of the world’s most influential restaurants, Alinea.
Co-owner Nick Kokonas previously made headlines in another Trump-related matter when he invited the Clemson Tigers football team to a dinner at the restaurant after they’d famously been served fast food at the White House.
Secret Service officials did not confirm the attack, but Chicago police noted something had happened at The Aviary and directed inquiries to the Secret Service. The White House directed all questions to The Trump Organization, the family’s private business arm, run by Eric Trump and another of the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr.
A representative at the Chicago branch of the Secret Service referred questions to the Washington D.C.-based public affairs office of the Secret Service. A person who answered the phone there said the office required media inquiries be sent by email.
A one-sentence response said the Secret Service had no comment.
Breitbart also reported Eric Trump chose not to press charges against the woman who allegedly spat on him. It further quoted Eric Trump as saying: “For a party that preaches tolerance, this once again demonstrates they have very little civility. When somebody is sick enough to resort to spitting on someone, it just emphasizes a sickness and desperation and the fact that we’re winning.”
Eric Trump did not take to Twitter about the incident, but had tweeted Tuesday night about being in Chicago and thanked employees at Trump International Hotel & Tower Wednesday morning. As of 10 a.m., President Donald Trump had not tweeted about the Chicago incident, either.
A one-sentence response said the Secret Service had no comment.
Breitbart also reported Eric Trump chose not to press charges against the woman who allegedly spat on him. It further quoted Eric Trump as saying: “For a party that preaches tolerance, this once again demonstrates they have very little civility. When somebody is sick enough to resort to spitting on someone, it just emphasizes a sickness and desperation and the fact that we’re winning.”

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target=_blank>Operatives Discover Drug Warehouse In NDLEA Chairman’s Village

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has busted a major drug hideout in Garaha, Hong local government area of Adamawa state.
Hong is the birthplace of Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA.
Yakubu Kibo, state Commander, NDLEA, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Yola, saying, “The command has discovered through recent arrests and seizures of assorted drugs within (Garaha) Hong environs on June 22, 2019.
“I, therefore, call on people with useful information that can lead to the arrest of drug sellers in their areas to NDLEA to reduce the burden of drug abuse in the society,” Kibo said.
The anti-drug czar used the occasion of the United Nations International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking to parade some of the suspects arrested in Garaha and Fufore.
He said, “The command seized a total of 1,031.491kg of assorted illicit drugs comprising of cannabis sativa, tramadol tablet/capsules, pentazocine injections, diazepam, exol-5 tablets rophynol tablets and cough syrup with codeine among others.
“We have arrested two hundred and nineteen persons for dealing and used of illicit drugs. The command prosecuted and secured the conviction of 36 persons within the period and many cases undergoing prosecution before the Federal High Court, Yola.”

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target=_blank>BREAKING: Boko Haram, Nigerian Troops Fighting In Yobe

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists are alleging currently engaging troops in a gun battle in Gujba local government area of Yobe state, a security source said.
According to the source, the attack started about 1800hrs Goneri town in Gujba council of Yobe state.
“The Boko Haram terrorists are currently engaging troops at Goneri town in Gujba council of Yobe state. The details are skecty for now,” a security source said.
Details later…

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target=_blank>President Buhari Signed Law Allowing Foreign Governments To Spy On, Intercept Communication Of Nigerians, Paradigm Initiative Claims

Paradigm Initiative has asked the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to provide it with information on the Nigerian surveillance and interception regime, believing that President Muhammadu Buhari is allowing foreign governments to spy on Nigerians.
On what triggered this latest request, Paradigm Initiative’s Director of Programs, Tope Ogundipe, said, “In a bill recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian government will henceforth allow foreign governments to spy on and intercept the communication of Nigerian citizens.
“The Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Law makes provision for Nigeria to assist foreign government to carry out surveillance and intercept communications of suspects during criminal investigations.
“The Nigerian government can no longer deny it has the capacity to carry out communications surveillance and interceptions, It will be great to see what safeguards are in place around this, given the dangerous dimensions it can take,” Ogundipe disclosed.
Relying on the Freedom of Information Act 2011, the pan-African digital rights and digital Inclusion organization is requesting information on the role the regulatory agency plays in enabling law enforcement in Nigeria to carry out communication surveillance and interception of communication in the discharge of their duties.
In a copy of the request sent to the commission and seen by this media house, the organization has among other prayers requested the commission to disclose what measures it has in place to ensure that government does not abuse communication surveillance and Interception of communication to target political opponents, critics etc.
It also asked the commission to disclose the regulatory framework under which communication surveillance and Interception of communication is being carried out in Nigeria.
Speaking on the request, Adeboye Adegoke, Program Manager, Digital Rights, Anglophone Africa at Paradigm Initiative, said, “This is not the first time Paradigm Initiative is engaging the Nigerian government on its Communications surveillance and interception activities.
“Our goal remains to ensure that Surveillance is accountable and transparent. We are equally excited by the prospects of technology to help law enforcement fight criminality, but we are at the same time wary of how such technology can serve as a tool in the hands of the incumbent to abuse citizens’ right to privacy, spy on the opposition and critics of government.”

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target=_blank>EFCC Closes Case In N702 Million Fraud Suit Against Okupe

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday closed its case in a 59-count charge, bordering on money laundering, criminal diversion of funds to the tune of N702,000,000 (Seven Hundred and Two Million Naira) against former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Media, Doyin Okupe.
Okupe is facing prosecution by EFCC before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
At today’s proceedings, prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Audu presented his last and sixth witness, Shuaibu Salisu, former Director Administration and Finance in the Office of National Security Adviser ONSA, who presently works with the National Intelligence Agency, NIA.
Salisu told the court that “Sometime in 2012, Chief Okupe came to the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, and after their discussion, I was directed to make a payment of N50 million (Fifty Million Naira) to him.”
According to him, “Okupe provided his account details, where I paid the amount into the bank account of Value Trust Investment.”
He added that he was further directed by the ONSA to be paying N10 million monthly (Ten Million Naira) to Okupe for a period of over two years, which he said was reduced to a monthly N5million (Five Million Naira) towards the end of 2014 due to paucity of funds.
He said he made other payments to Okupe as directed, saying that at a point he was instructed to pay the defendant N6, 000, 000 (Six Million Naira).
Salisu further revealed that sometime in 2014, the then National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki directed that he paid the sum of N35million (Thirty-five Million Naira) to an account provided by Okupe and that he can also recall paying N50million (Fifty Million Naira) in cash to Okupe on Dasuki’s directive.
He told the court that he only obeyed directives in all the payments he made to Okupe and didn’t know what the monies were meant for.
When asked if there were evidence of the payments, the witness told the court that he usually provided Okupe with the payment vouchers, which he usually signed.
When also asked if all the payments were captured in payment vouchers, Salisu replied in the negative.
Speaking under cross-examination by Okupe’s counsel, Akinlabi Akinbade, the witness disclosed that Okupe was not the only person that received payments from ONSA. “Anybody that the NSA directs that payment be made to, we make a payment,” he said.
Under same cross-examination, the witness said he had no reason to believe that the payments he made were from an illegal source. “Why would I assume it was illegal? I was only directed to make payments,” disclosing further that some of the payment instructions he carried out while working in the ONSA came verbally while some others came written, but that in the case of the payments to Okupe, all the instructions, he said were verbal.
The matter was adjourned until June 26, 2019 for the defence to open its case.

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target=_blank>Bloomberg Details How TY Danjuma Made Staggering Wealth From Oil, Says Retired General Worth $1.2 Billion

Lt-Gen Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) is currently worth $1.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This amounts to over N400 billion based on the current exchange rate.
Danjuma retired from the Nigerian Army in 1979. He reportedly made his wealth from oil block awarded to him.
In a new report which details his staggering wealth, Bloomberg says the 80-year-old former military officer owns a 300-year-old inn in the city of London.
Popularly known as “The Kings Arms Hotel”, the 300-year-old inn, next to London’s Hampton Court Palace, was once the home of Henry VIII.
“It’s poised to open soon after refurbishment, with rooms costing about 250 pounds ($318) a night. Guests can dine on traditional fare in the Six restaurants, a reference to the monarch’s many wives, or grab a pint on the terrace.
“But for Theophilus Danjuma, this is just one investment in a network of assets that span at least three continents. The 80-year-old Nigerian is worth $1.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with his family office managing a portion of that wealth, often through low-key holdings such as the 14-room hotel,” Bloomberg reports.
In addition to the Kings Arms Hotel, the Danjumas have also developed residential properties this year in Esher and Wimbledon.
The report further reads, “They (Danjumas) also own a boutique hotel in Lagos, serving beef carpaccio and lobster bisque in one of three dining areas and displaying works from the family’s art firm.
“Danjuma’s new venture is far removed from civil war and deepwater oil fields, the spheres where he amassed his power and fortune. In 2006, his South Atlantic Petroleum Ltd. sold almost half its contractor rights for a section off Nigeria’s coast to a state-backed Chinese firm for $1.8 billion.
“Danjuma was awarded the block in 1998 by the regime of former dictator and fellow army officer, Sani Abacha, making him one of a handful of Nigerians made extraordinarily wealthy from the country’s energy reserves.”
Danjuma was born in 1938, the year Royal Dutch Shell received its first oil exploration license for the country and more than two decades before it gained independence from Britain.
He dropped out of college in 1960 to join the army, according to “Nigerian Politics in the Age of Yar’Adua” by Bayode Ogunmupe. He gained prominence after participating in the 1966 counter-coup against Nigeria’s first military dictator.
A decade later, he was stepping out of a Rolls-Royce in central London to meet British military officials in his role as chief of staff of the Nigerian Army.
He left the military in 1979 and founded his oil firm and a shipping company, NAL-Comet, which now has more than 2,000 employees in Nigeria. Danjuma paid $25 million in 1998 for the oil field exploration license that made him a billionaire. A year later, he became Nigeria’s defence minister as the country returned to democracy.
He originally teamed up with Total SA and Brazil’s Petroleo Brasileiro SA on the block. The minority stake that Danjuma’s company now owns is worth $450 million, according to Bloomberg’s wealth index.
While Mayfair is the hub of London’s family offices, the Danjumas chose the city’s southwest suburbs to set up their investment firm a decade ago. They’ve since invested in property in that area, including the 2.5 million-pound purchase in 2010 of the building where their office is now based, according to filings.
Beyond the U.K., they own real estate in California and have bought and sold property in Singapore. Their family office also oversees private equity investments, trust funds and a venture capital arm that backs family-run art and film companies. The Danjumas own more than 30 properties worldwide, filings show.
“We invest in real estate in other jurisdictions, but in the U.K. we always thought let’s stick to areas that we know,” says daughter Hannatu Gentles, the second of Danjuma’s five children and chief operating officer of his London-based family office.
Her father bought a residence in Singapore years ago, “and it made sense then to buy some more,” she said, adding they’ve since sold the properties because of tax law changes.
It might seem contradictory given the extent of his wealth, but he is quite well respected and almost looked upon as an elder in political circles,” said Roy, co-research director of the SOAS-led Anti-Corruption Evidence initiative. “The military held him in such high regard that he was able to help manage Nigeria’s transition from military rule to democracy.”
Owning a hotel in Nigeria led the family to look for a similar deal in the U.K. Two years ago, they paid 2.4 million pounds for the Kings Arms. Redevelopment work was expected to end in March, filings show, but the inn’s age and protected status resulted in higher costs and delays.
“This is the first, and will possibly be the last, listed building we’ve worked on,” Gentles said. “It’s taken longer than we wanted, but our name is attached to the building and we want to be proud of our work. It’s been a hard slog.”

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target=_blank>Ghana Deports 17 Nigerian ‘Yahoo Boys’

No fewer than 17 Nigerians have been deported from Ghana for allegedly committing offences in the country, involving in cyber crimes, known in Nigeria as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’.
According to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), it said 29 people were arrested in Ho, the Volta Regional capital but 17 were found involved in criminal activities.
The Ho Municipal Police Commander, DSP Anthony Danso, said after their arrest, they immediately handed the suspects over to immigration service to determine their status and finding shows that only 12 out of the 29 Nigerians were found to be legal residents of Ho.
Danso continued that those that were found to be legal residents were immediately freed to continue their various work and activities, adding that some house owners in the country are afraid to lease their apartments to some Nigerians. Item recovered by the police are 20 mobile phones, 33 laptops, two television sets and other electronic gadgets.

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target=_blank>Gunmen Abduct Driver In Ondo

Suspected gunmen have abducted a driver of a Toyota Previa vehicle along the Akure-Iju Itaogbolu road in Ondo State.
The driver of the vehicle, Felix Akinde, was kidnapped around 5: 30 am on Tuesday while traveling from Ikere in Ado Ekiti en route Akure.
It was gathered that the driver was waylaid by the gunmen on the bad portion of the road.
The gunmen suspected to be herdsmen abandoned the vehicle on the road before they marched their victim into the bush.
It learnt that the bad portion of the road, known as ‘NYSC Junction’, is a few kilometres to the police college in Itaogbolu.
Some local transporters confirmed the kidnapping on Wednesday but pointed out that driver was kidnapped alongside some passengers.
“Although, we learned that the driver must have been waylaid with some passengers he picked on his way on the road,” one of the drivers said.
Mr Festus Omoniyi, the Secretary of National Union of Road Transports Workers, Oyemekun branch in Akure also confirmed the incident on the telephone, saying, “It is true that there was a kidnap on the road yesterday (Tuesday) and i learned that the driver was marched into the thick forest.
“Although, we cannot state if he had some passengers on his vehicle but I’m aware the kidnap occurred on the bad spot of the road around 6 am.”
SaharaReporters visited the police station in Iju, where the vehicle that belonged to the driver was parked.
However, Adie Undie, Commissioner of Police in Ondo State when contacted said the driver of the car had been kidnapped by the gunmen.
“Our men have already swung into actions but it was only the driver of the vehicle that was kidnapped and we are ready to rescue him unhurt,” he told Sahara Reporters.

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Boko Haram Kills 20 Farmers In Borno

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Monday have slaughtered at least 20 farmers on their farmlands in a border town close to Niger Republic, a security source said.
The incident happened at Ngamgam in Mobar local government area of northern part of Borno State.
According to the source, the incident resulted in the exodus of people from the settlement to Damasak town.
“We have information that reveals that on 25 June, 2019, suspected members of the deadly insurgency group attacked Ngamgam settlement about 50km east of Damask and killed 20 farmers in their farms,” the security source told SaharaReporters.

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