Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Saturday 25th January 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 25/01/20
Read also
DSS Brutalises Journalist, Arrests, Remands Him In Prison For Criticising Buhari
A journalist, Ayoola Babalola, has been arrested and remanded in prison custody by the Department of State Services for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime and also the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
Babalola is being held at the Ibara Maximum Prison, Abeokuta, Ogun State, for expressive his views – a fundamental right under a democracy.
SaharaReporters gathered that the journalist was seized from his home on Thursday morning by some alleged members of a cult gang led by President of National Association of Political Science Students of Gateway Polytechnic where he recently graduated.
The cult members claimed that Babalola deserved to be brutalised or killed for writing against them, the school’s management, Tinubu and President Buhari.
However, after brutalising the journalist, the gang handed him over to operatives of the DSS, who later whisked him to the Ogun State Command of the agency in Abeokuta.
A source within the DSS told SaharaReporters that the journalist was interrogated over the articles he published in a campus magazine.
However, during interrogation, the journalist asked to contact his lawyer but was not allowed to do so, instead the DSS personnel threatened that he will rot in their facility.
The DSS source said, “The journalist was forced to make his statement under duress, and was forced to sign an undertaking that he will desist from writing anything about President Buhari’s government, the APC and its national leader, Bola Tinubu.
“He was accused of being sponsored by Omoyele Sowore to make inciting statements in a campus newspaper.”
Though Babalola was briefly moved to the DSS office at the Remo area of Ogun State, he was soon paraded at the Magistrate Court, Abeokuta, from where he was remanded at Ibara Maximum Prison on a six-count charge of alleged breach of public peace and incitement of violence to which he pleaded not guilty.
The judge however, granted Babalola bail on a bond of N150,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The case was adjourned until January 27 for hearing.
Free Speech
Human Rights
Journalism
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Court Remands Pastor In Prison For N23m Fraud
Justice I. M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered that Mercy Daniel Ogbonaya, a pastor, be remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre for obtaining N23m by false pretences.
The offence is contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the accused will remain at the correctional centre until the date of the next hearing.
Corruption
Legal
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Nigerian Army Deploys Troops To Guinea Bissau For Peacekeeping
The Nigerian Army has completed a pre-deployment training for 185 troops for peacekeeping mission in Guinea Bissau.News Agency of Nigeria on Friday reports that the 185 troops began their pre-deployment training on January 6 at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peace Keeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State.Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai, said the troops will be Nigeria’s Company 8 in the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau.Buratai was represented by Maj.-Gen Kelvin Aligbe, Commandant, Nigerian Army School of Infantry.Buratai said the graduation further confirmed the commitment of Nigeria to deploy quality peacekeepers as part of its contributions to the quest for global peace and security.He explained that the pre-deployment training was aimed at refreshing and polishing their knowledge and expertise in peace support operation.He said, “The training was to equip you with the requisite skills required to protect yourselves, ECOWAS Mission in Guinea, equipment and the citizens of Guinea Bissau your host nation while carrying out the mission’s mandate.”
Military
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Group Raises Funds To Help 12 Nigerians Stranded In Lebanon Return Home
Project Ferry Nigeria, an organisation committed to rescuing Nigerians trafficked abroad, has begun fundraising process to help 12 Nigerian ladies stranded in Lebanon return home.
The 12 ladies trafficked to Lebanon for slavery ran to the Nigerian Embassy for help but were initially rejected before being accepted.
The ladies had in a video obtained by SaharaReporters revealed that they were yet to receive any update from the Nigerian Government about their return home.
They also lamented that the embassy had placed them under house arrest as management of the hotel they were currently lodged had been told not to allow them to leave the facility.
Project Ferry opened a GoFundMe account to help crowdfund money for the ladies’ return.
In an accompanying note on the website, Omotola Fawunmi, Co-founder of Project Ferry, said that the organisation had 180 women on its list to be returned to Nigeria.
She explained that they would be use the funds raised to purchase flight tickets, seek medical attention and get vocational training for the ladies.
She said, “We currently have 180 women on standby waiting for our assistance, we have only been able to help six women return safely home.“Many have worked as modern slaves, s** slaves and forced labour especially in countries in the Middle East.
“We need funds to buy tickets, we need funds for medicals when they return home, we need funds to allow them a decent care pack with basic toiletries.“We need funds to help them attend vocational training to earn better, we need funds to assist them to go back to school, we need funds for accommodation in temporary shelters and halfway homes.”Meanwhile, when contacted on the current situation of the girls within the care of the agency in Lebanon, Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Dame Julie Oka-Donli, said that they were working on their safe return to Nigeria.
She said, “They are being taken care of by the embassy in Lebanon whilst arranging with NAPTIP to see how to return them.”
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Fire Destroys Popular Market In Bayelsa
Fire on Friday gutted the popular Bayelsa State wholesale market known as Swali-Market in Yenagoa, the state capital, destroying items worth several millions of naira in the process.
The cause of the fire is not yet known but there are reports of looting ongoing at the place.
Efforts to get firefighters to combat the inferno proved unsuccessful, leaving people around to improvise in trying to put out the fire.
Spokesperson for the police in the state, Butswat Asinim, confirmed the situation, adding that no life was lost in the tragedy.
Markets
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Court Jails Ondo Final Year Student For Forgery, Money Laundering
Fisayo Adetoro, a final year student in a privately tertiary institution in Ondo State, has been convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Akure for impersonation, forgery and money laundering.
Adetoro was sentenced to a cumulative 13 years in prison and with N1m fine by Justice Folasa.
de Olubanjo in a criminal case filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan Zone.
The student of Business Administration was originally arraigned on January 18, 2017 on a six-count charge but pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
According to L the charge sheet, the student claimed to be one “Bawa Mohammed Sanni” to defraud his victims.
He was also accused of using the fake name to register for a driver’s licence as well as laundering sums running to millions of naira.
The EFCC, represented by Dr Ben Ubi and Sanusi Galadanchi, called five witnesses including two victims of his money laundering activities, to prove its case, while the accused called three witnesses.
After evaluating the arguments of both sides, the presiding judge found Adetoro guilty in four of the six charges.
He was sentenced to two years for falsification of documents, and three years for uttering official document.
The court sentenced him to five years imprisonment with a fine of N1m for money laundering (Count 6).
Justice Olubanjo however, considered the convict for suspended sentence of six months community service.
The suspended sentence, according to the court, would only stand if he observes the days without breaking and also warned that if Adetoro misses one day within the six months, the original sentence will be fully effected.
Adetoro was first arrested in 2015 by the police for Internet fraud before the EFCC took over the case.
Corruption
Education
Legal
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
BREAKING: 10 Loggers Killed In Borno By Terrorists
At least 10 civilians have been killed by Boko Haram terrorists during an attack on loggers at Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State on Thursday.
The incident occurred in the remote village of Lura near Dikwa town, headquarters of Dikwa LGA.
According to a security source, one person managed to escape from the insurgents and came to inform them of the incident.
He said, “We were told that 11 of them went to fetch firewood in Lura near Dikwa but only one person survived the attack. We moved to the scene immediately.
“We have recovered 10 bodies of loggers, we have warned them not to go a long distance from trenches. This is one of the problems troops are facing.”
Terrorism
Breaking News
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Terrorism: Over 13,000 Adamawa Residents Benefit From Free Medical Outreach
Illustration
Illustration
Over 13,000 residents of Adamawa State especially those suffering from different health issues have benefitted from a free medical outreach organised by lawmaker representing Adamawa South Senatorial district at the National Assembly, Binos Yaroe.
According to the senator, the gesture was aimed at ameliorating the sufferings of the people especially after Boko Haram insurgents had destroyed many health facilities across the region.
At least 8,000 resident were treated for various health challenges in Demsa while another 5000 in Ganye also benefitted from the initiative in different ways.
A 60-year-old beneficiary, Halilu Aliyu, who suffered from hernia in the last 10 years, said the free medical outreach came as a big relief for him.
Aliyu said, “I had lost hope of ever getting treated and nearly lost my life but this medical outreach saved me.”
Senator Yeroe further disclosed that there were plans to sustain the initiative by making it a regular exercise for the benefit of the people.
PUBLIC HEALTH
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Plateau State Records Lassa Fever Cases
Lassa Fever
Lassa Fever
Five persons have been discovered to have contracted the deadly Lassa Fever virus in Plateau State, News Agency of Nigeria, reports.
This was confirmed by Commissioner for Health in the state, Nimkong Ndam.
He said three were undergoing treatment, one was discharged and the fifth person had just completed treatment.
He said, “Health personnel are on ground to handle the situation and they have the required protective kits to wear while treating such cases.
“We are in contact with the hospitals in the state to address such cases promptly to curtail the spread of the disease.”
Ondo, Nasarawa, and Kano states are some of the places that have been hit by Lassa Fever in recent times.
PUBLIC HEALTH
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Group Demands Investigation Into Killing Of Journalist By Police In Abuja
The Socialist Workers and Youth League has called on the Nigerian Government to immediately begin an investigation into the killing of Alex Ogbu, a journalist, who was felled by police bullet.
Ogbu was shot on the head by a police personnel on Tuesday during a demonstration by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria in Abuja.
The police were firing live bullets at the protesters when Ogbu was shot on the head and died instantly while some IMN members sustained injuries.
Reacting to the killing of Ogbu, National Secretary of SWL, Lai Brown, vowed that they would not allow the matter to be swept under the carpet by the authorities.
Brown said, “Nigerians have now become endangered species in their own country.
“The death of Alex Ogbu is one that will not be allowed to go the ways of others slain by officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
“It is important to reiterate that section 20 of the Nigerian constitution as amended mandates the government to protect the lives and properties of every citizen.
“It is, therefore, a gross act of irresponsibility for the police to use live bullets against unarmed citizens who are only expressing their constitutional rights through protest.
“Security operatives should maintain law and order at all times and not kill innocent citizens.
“We demand justice for Alex, we demand thorough investigations into the incident that led to his death.
“Nigerians need to know why the police continue to use live ammunition against unarmed citizens to the point of taking their lives.”
Journalism
Police
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Read also
You can also check
