Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 14th April 2021

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 14th April 2021

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 14/04/21

Gas Explosion Rocks Lagos Community

A gas explosion has rocked the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The gas explosion was said to have happened around 7pm on Tuesday at Iyasoko street, Agboju, Amuwo-Odofin.

Nosa Okunbor, spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said officials of the agency were on their way to the scene.
As of the time of the report, it was not clear what caused the explosion.
Some residents are said to have sustained varying degrees of injury while attempting to put out the fire.
However, no casualty has been confirmed.
The incident comes months after an explosion rocked the Baruwa area of Ipaja in Lagos State, where eight persons reportedly lost their lives.

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Pregnant Wife Stabs Husband To Death In Delta Over Fried Chicken

A pregnant woman, Blessing Emmanuel, has stabbed her husband to death following a disagreement between them.
The ugly incident occurred at Ohoro Community in the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta state.

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SaharaReporters gathered that the deceased, Jonathan Otomi Umamode, aged 30 years, was stabbed in the chest on Sunday night with a knife.
He was said to have died on the spot.
Confirming the story, the acting Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, said the suspect has been arrested and that she confessed to the crime.
A statement signed by the acting Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, and obtained by SaharaReporters, disclosed that the suspect while confessing to the crime, noted she did what she did out of anger.
The statement said, “The suspect, who was later arrested is a mother of seven and pregnant with her 8th child, confessed to the crime and said she angrily stabbed her husband who she claimed did not take care of her and the children. That she had been taking care of herself and her kids; she sells fried chicken.
“On that fateful day, according to the suspect, her husband came and demanded she go home with him which she refused. She said the deceased gathered her fried chicken, doused it with kerosene and set it ablaze. She angrily used the knife in her hand to stab the husband in the heart and ran away.”
Edafe stated that the corpse of the deceased has since been deposited at the Ughelli Central Hospital mortuary, awaiting autopsy.
He added that the police had commenced investigation into the incident.

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BREAKING: Again, Borno’s Damasak Town Comes Under Boko Haram Attack

Damasak town in the Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State has again come under Boko Haram attack on Tuesday.
A military source told SaharaReporters that the terrorists have, however, been repelled by the soldiers of 145 Battalion.

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He said the Boko Haram militants came in through the area of the town where civilians live, just like during Saturday’s attack.
He, however, said the soldiers were fully ready for the militants both in the air and on the ground.
As of the time of filing this report, the source could not confirm if the militants successfully killed any civilian or set fire on any property as they did during Saturday’s attack.
He said, “We were under attack but the jet is here. Everything is calm now. They came from town again but they left when we overpowered them.
“I cannot tell if anyone died today or if the militants set any house on fire again but I will confirm that later.”
The Boko Haram fighters on Saturday, invaded Damasak town, burning United Nations facilities and forcing humanitarian workers to flee for their lives.

Boko Haram Demands N30 million Ransom For Adamawa Victims In Captivity

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The death toll from Boko Haram attacks on Kwapree community, Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State, has risen to 10.
This is just as some members of the community said on Monday that they got a call on Sunday from members of Boko Haram, demanding that N30 million be paid for the release of 30 persons abducted during the attacks by insurgents on the community, PUNCH reports.

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The Chairman of the council, James Pukuma, said on Monday, during the visit of the Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, that the death toll from the attacks had risen from seven to 10 following the discovery of three more corpses.
The attacks on Kwapree was said to have been carried out by Boko Haram terrorists, who killed seven persons and displaced over 5,000 persons.
Meanwhile, two residents of Kwapre, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the attackers called on Sunday to demand N30 million ransom.
But the council chairman denied knowledge of any ransom demand.
He said, “There’s no talk of any ransom or demand for it. As of yesterday, there were seven deaths but today it has risen to 10, while 53 persons who are hospitalised are being treated.”

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Benin’s President, Talon Wins Controversial Re-election With 86% Of Vote

Benin’s President Patrice Talon was easily re-elected to a second term, provisional results showed Tuesday, after a weekend election critics said was already stacked in his favour following a crackdown on his opponents.
Talon, a cotton tycoon first elected to lead the West African state in 2016, faced two little-known rivals in Sunday’s vote with most of his key opponents in exile or disqualified from running.

According to AFP, Talon won 86.3 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said as it announced preliminary results, while his opponents Alassane Soumanou and Corentin Kohoue got 11.29 and 2.25 percent respectively.
Benin’s constitutional court must verify the final results.
Once praised as a vibrant multi-party democracy, critics say the former French colony has veered onto an authoritarian path under Talon with a steady campaign against his political foes.
Three international observer missions had already noted low turnout in the election, though they said the vote general went ahead peacefully despite tensions and protests in the lead-up.
With the 62-year-old incumbent almost guaranteed victory, analysts had said voter turnout would be a key measure of his election success.
Turnout was 50.17 percent, the commission said.
Even before the announcement, for some Beninese the election results meant little.
“This election was just folklore,” said restaurant owner George Kpatchavi. “We are not waiting for the results because they were already known in advance. After the elections, everything will return to order.”
An association of civil society groups, which deployed more than 1,400 election observers, said in its preliminary statement Sunday that “attempts to pressurise, intimidate, threaten, corrupt or harass voters were observed across the entire country”.
Protests had blocked some routes in opposition strongholds in the centre and north of the country in the run-up to the election, leading to delays in the dispatch of electoral materials.
Two people were killed last week when troops fired live rounds into the air to break up an opposition protest blockading a major route in the central city of Save.
Benin has seen some economic successes under Talon, who promised a “KO” first-round win in Sunday’s election. Supporters have praised his projects to expand electricity and basic services.
But since Talon first came to power, critics say he has used a special economic crimes and terrorism court and electoral reforms as tools to disqualify the opposition.
Reckya Madougou, one opposition leader who was barred from running, was detained last month on accusations of plotting to disrupt the vote, a charge her lawyer said was politically motivated.
Earlier this month, a judge from the special court that ordered her detention said he had fled the country, denouncing political pressure to make rulings against Talon’s opponents.
Government officials dismissed claims the election was rigged to favour Talon and said exiled opposition leaders were trying to have the vote cancelled with a smear campaign.

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E2%80%99s-application-asylum-over-atrocities-defunct-police-unit Canada Rejects Ex-SARS Operative’s Application For Asylum Over Atrocities Of Defunct Police Unit

Canada has rejected the request of a former member of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Olushola Popoola, seeking asylum in the North American country.
The Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board in Canada rejected Popoola’s application because he was a member of the defunct unit of the Nigeria Police Force between 2002 and 2015.

Popoola left Nigeria in 2016 for the United States before he travelled to Canada, where he claimed refugee status.
His claim was, however, suspended while his case was referred to the Immigration Division for a determination of his inadmissibility.
According to the Canadian immigration department, Popoola was subsequently found “inadmissible pursuant to section 35(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27 the Act” because “the Nigeria Police Force, and the SARS, in particular, have committed crimes against humanity from 2002 to 2015” including “corruption and impunity” as well as “extrajudicial killings”.
Popoola later approached the Federal Court of Canada to seek judicial review of his determination of inadmissibility, arguing that he had resigned in 2011 but the Force did not accept his resignation, hence he continued till 2015.
But the presiding judge, Sébastien Grammond, on April 8, 2021, dismissed the application for judicial review while upholding the decision of the Immigration Division.
Grammond also said Popoola resigned for personal reasons, not because he learned of human rights abuses. “I am dismissing his application because the decision-maker reasonably assessed the relevant factors for deciding whether Mr Popoola made a knowing and significant contribution to the crimes committed by the Nigerian Police Force,” the judge ruled.
In October 2020, which marked the 60th anniversary of Nigerian independence, tens of thousands gathered in protest against the country’s corruption and police brutality. With young people at the helm, they called for the abolition of Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS, which they accused of making unlawful arrests and engaging in harassment, theft, extortion, rape, torture, and murder.
The police authorities later disbanded SARS and announced the formation of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team to replace the defunct police unit but human rights abuses cannot be said to have been stopped.

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JUST IN: EFCC Arrests Former Imo Governor, Rochas Okorocha

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha.
Okorocha, who is the senator representing Imo North was arrested Tuesday at about 4:15 pm at his private office in Abuja.

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A source at the commission told SaharaReporters that an invitation was sent to the former governor but that he failed to turn up as advised.
EFCC operatives, who had been on his trail for days, stormed his office on Tuesday evening and arrested him.
The anti-graft agency had in 2020 said it returned N2.7 billion recovered from Okorocha to the state government.
Imam Usman, zonal head of the EFCC Port Harcourt office, said the returned fund is part of the N7.9 billion recovered from different bank accounts linked to the ex-governor.
Usman said N2.5 billion was returned under the short-lived administration of Emeka Ihedioha, immediate past governor, while Hope Uzodinma, incumbent governor of the state, received N514 million.
The zonal head added that the EFCC would prosecute Okorocha after concluding its investigation on him.
Okorocha and Uzodinma, both of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have been at loggerheads as the governor has accused his predecessor of corruption and personalising state-owned properties.

E2%80%94ex-military How Hoodlums Razed The House I Built With N10 Million During Kwara Land Dispute —Ex-military Instructor

A former military instructor, Aliu Ganiyu Olanrewaju, has lost his house to a land dispute between Share in Ifelodun and Tsaragi, Edu Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The ex-military man, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said some hoodlums who decided to escalate the land dispute, razed about eight to thirteen houses, including his own house which he has built for years.

He said he had only moved into his house last December after building the house with over N10 million, part of funds he garnered during his 21 years in service.
Olanrewaju served as an instructor at Command Day Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos; Nigerian Military School, Zaria, Kaduna State and later served at Command Day Secondary School, Ikeja where he was finally discharged from the Army.
He said, “On Thursday, 8th of April, hoodlums razed my house. There’s a land dispute between Share town in Ifelodun Local Government of Kwara State and we have some Nupe people living very close to us, so there was a misunderstanding on a piece of land. “As a result of that, some hoodlums started carrying guns and as at that time, I was not at home because I had already gone to the town. The next news I heard was that they had started burning houses.
“Around my area, the hoodlums burnt about 8 to 13 houses and mine was one of them. It was later on, I learnt my son posted it on social media.

“I spent 21 years with the Nigerian Army, in fact, I just moved home. I moved to the village last September and completed the house around December 28. I retired in 2005, and have been building the house over the years.
“The only thing we have seen so far is that soldiers and civil defence officials were deployed to the area with some policemen to bring calm.
“The Nigerian Army pays my gratuity and pension. If it was when I was in service, probably the Army would have done something but now that I’m out, I don’t think any help can come from there.
“I served as an instructor at Command Base Secondary School, Ojo, Nigerian Military School Zaria, later on, I was posted back to Lagos. I served at Command Day Secondary School, Ikeja where I was finally discharged from the Army.”
One of his sons, who had made a post on social media said his father is hypertensive while soliciting the support of Nigerians and the government so the necessary reparation can be made to the house.

He wrote, “He is really down right now, he has a medical history of high blood pressure that he has been managing it for a very long time. We have been trying to encourage and support him so this doesn’t take his life. We are soliciting for government’s support.
“My dad has just lost everything he worked for. Thursday, 8th day of April 2021, It came to my notice that everything my father had worked for, everything he has suffered to put together after over 20 years of serving the country as a soldier, vanished before his very own eyes. Right now, the old man feels empty.

“My dad moved into his recently completed house project. The project valued at about N10 million was his major physical achievement and a product of the hard work and diligent service he put in for the country as a military man.

“His joy was short-lived as some hoodlums burnt down the house to ashes on Thursday. The unfortunate incident happened due to the old communal issues between my town (Share in Ifelodun LG of Kwara state) and the neighbouring town (Tsaragi, Edu LG of Kwara state) who are Nupe people. The communal issue dates back to the ’90s which was based on land ownership between the two towns, and each time there is a clash, lives are lost and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
“The inferno did a great damage to the house. Clothes, furniture and other valuables were reduced to ashes. The hoodlums came with guns and other weapons, so they couldn’t be stopped. When the flames stopped, the house was found to be badly damaged. All the wooden materials were gone. The sitting room, the rooms and the store were badly damaged. In a nutshell, everything was razed down.
“My family is now a victim of a senseless crisis. Our only property has been destroyed by hoodlums. It was like a nightmare for us. Since the incident occurred, we have cried our eyes out. Sadly, this is a calamity we may not survive if we don’t get any help.
“This has brought so much pain to my entire family. I can’t imagine that our house was set ablaze in the twinkle of an eye. This is so sad. How is this ever going to be replaced?
“Please kindly help us share this with anyone who can help, in respect to prayers and financial support. The Kwara State government should also come to our aid. His account number is 1002969931-UBA Aliu Ganiyu Olanrewaju.”

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Anger, Frustration As University Of Calabar’s VC Asks Final-Year Students To Return To 200-Level

Some students of the University of Calabar, Cross River State have called out the institution’s new Vice-Chancellor, Florence Obi, for asking final-year students in some selected departments to go back to 200-level due to non-accreditation of their courses by the National Universities Commission.

The students, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SaharaReporters that the courses have gulped millions of naira taken from their families.

They, therefore, described the VC’s decision as inhumane and inconsiderate.

The students explained that courses affected by the accreditation issue include Fine and Applied Arts, Mass Communication, and Music.

According to them, the affected courses were newly introduced during the administration of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the school, Zana Akpagu.

They alleged that the new Vice-Chancellor of the institution had personal scores to settle with the former Vice-Chancellor and that the animosity was taking a toll on students’ lives.

One of the respondents said, “I have an issue in my school and I don’t know where it is heading to. I am a final-year student in the Fine and Applied Arts department at the University of Calabar but the Vice-Chancellor is telling us to go back to Year two so that NUC will recognise us. This is after paying school fees for four years and wasting money for materials which have so far, amounted to millions of naira. The new VC is now telling us we have to comply with this directive else we will not have a result.”

Another student described the VC’s directive as unfair, saying the issue should be reconsidered for the sake of the students.

He said, “There’s an issue going on that is really unfair. We are students of the University of Calabar. We have been in the school from 100 level to final year. For some of us in selected departments such as Fine & Applied Arts, Mass Communication and the rest, the VC is are telling us that we have to go back to 200 level and we are already in the final year.

“We have spent money; Fine and Applied Arts gulps a lot of money, we are in final year and now they are telling us to go back to 200 level and it is just an accreditation issued by the NUC and now the new VC does not want to consider people. Something has to be done.”

When asked if the VC promised a tuition waiver for the students, he replied that school fees were the least of his worries but rather the time and efforts wasted over the years.

He continued, “Paying school fees is not an issue, we are not worried about that. Do you know, sometimes, in a day we spend like N5, 000 to N6, 000 in buying chemicals and the rest and we did this for four years. We are planning on taking legal steps against them.

“Our set is the first set of Fine & Applied Arts in UNICAL alongside Mass Communication and Music, they were not taking the course before now, they just registered it.

“The former VC, we believe has an issue with the new VC and this new VC cannot go and settle the issues they have so we can graduate in peace, they are making it to affect us. The former VC introduced the courses. We cannot suffer because of someone else’s personal problems.”

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E2%80%94colleague UPDATE: Why Soldier Fighting Boko Haram Killed Himself In Borno—Colleague

A colleague of Akila Jimo, a soldier from 152 Battalion, Banki, Borno state who committed suicide on Saturday says the deceased was always complaining that he was not allowed to go on pass.

A pass is a written permission to be away from one’s military unit for a limited period of time.

A soldier told SaharaReporters that Jimo requested to go on pass to visit his family several times but was turned down on every occasion.

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Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 14th April 2021

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 14th April 2021

Gas Explosion Rocks Lagos Community

Pregnant Wife Stabs Husband To Death In Delta Over Fried Chicken

BREAKING: Again, Borno’s Damasak Town Comes Under Boko Haram Attack

Boko Haram Demands N30 million Ransom For Adamawa Victims In Captivity

Benin’s President, Talon Wins Controversial Re-election With 86% Of Vote

E2%80%99s-application-asylum-over-atrocities-defunct-police-unit Canada Rejects Ex-SARS Operative’s Application For Asylum Over Atrocities Of Defunct Police Unit

JUST IN: EFCC Arrests Former Imo Governor, Rochas Okorocha

E2%80%94ex-military How Hoodlums Razed The House I Built With N10 Million During Kwara Land Dispute —Ex-military Instructor

Anger, Frustration As University Of Calabar’s VC Asks Final-Year Students To Return To 200-Level

E2%80%94colleague UPDATE: Why Soldier Fighting Boko Haram Killed Himself In Borno—Colleague