Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Thursday 19th August 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 19/08/21
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Police Officers Arrest Young Lady, Now Serving As Maid In Custody, Human Rights Group Alleges
File photo used to illustrate story.
A group, Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation, has alleged that officers of the Intelligence Response Team in Owerri, Imo State, arrested a young lady and turned her into a maid in their custody.
The group stated that the 21-year-old lady, Glory Okolie, sat for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam on June 17, and was picked up on the same day.
File photo used to illustrate story.
This was contained in a statement by the Director-General of the group, Harrison Gwamnishu.
According to him, Okolie’s family members had searched for her in hospitals and mortuaries but the search yielded no positive result.
However, a young man who was released from IRT custody informed them he saw the lady at the office washing and cooking for the officers after which the family sought to bail her.
Gwamnishu stated that the efforts of the family members to secure the bail of their daughter proved abortive.
He said the group’s investigation, however, revealed that she had been taken to Abuja as a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra/ Eastern Security Network.
The group urged the IGP Complaint Response Unit Abuja and the new IRT head, DCP Tunji Disu, to launch an investigation into the issue and rescue the young lady.
The statement read, “21-year-old Miss Glory Okolie who enrolled for 2021 UTME has been in police detention since 17th June 2021 till date.
“She left the house and never returned. Since 17th June, her family had searched for her in hospitals and mortuaries but couldn’t find her.
“Towards the end of June 2021, a young man who was freed from the IRT office Tiger Base Owerri told the Okolie family that he saw Glory in the custody of IRT officers cooking and washing clothes for them.
”The family immediately went to IRT office and requested to see Glory and bail her out and till date, it’s been one story or the other.
“The IRT officers allegedly continued to extort the family and denied them access to see Glory. Our team launched an investigation and discovered Glory has been transferred to Abuja and tagged IPOB/ESN member.
“Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation wishes to draw the attention of IGP Complaint Response Unit Abuja and the new IRT head DCP Tunji Disu to rescue Glory who has now become a maid in Nigeria police custody.
”Attached are evidence of all the money extorted and paid into an account provided by the IRT officers by the family of Glory.”
Human Rights
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Plateau Residents Defy Curfew, Troop Out In Search Of Food
Residents of Jos North, Plateau State, on Wednesday defied the curfew placed on the local government area by Governor Simon Lalong and trooped out en masse to search for food.
Governor Lalong had on August 15 declared a 24-hour curfew in the LGA following the massacre of about 22 travelers on Saturday by hoodlums.
The 24-hour curfew followed the earlier dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on three local government areas in the state (Bassa, Jos South, and Jos North) due to security threats and tension witnessed by residents in some parts of the state.
SaharaReporters learnt that some residents thought the state government would relax the curfew after 24 hours in other to enable them to buy food items.
“Our hope was dashed as Governor Lalong and his security team refused to relax the curfew because of the fear of the unknown,” a resident said.
Sahara Reporters gathered that at the gate of University of Jos senior staff quarters, which is located at the Bauchi Ring Road, students were boarding vehicles to get out of the area.
At Maza Junction, villagers were in a rush to get food items like pepper, tomatoes, rice, beans, roasted corn.
Security officials seemed helpless while trying to enforce the curfew.
Some students expressed displeasure with the situation and called on the Plateau State Government to provide a palliative for the people if it is not willing to relax the curfew.
Some villagers who came to sell perishable foods items at a popular market called Angwan Rukuba were very angry with the prolonged curfew period, describing the decision of the government as insensitive.
A source told SaharaReporters that some security operatives were collecting money from students to transport them out of the areas affected by the curfew
“Some of the students paid as much as N2,000 to the police and other security operatives, just to get out of Jos North, ” the source said.
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Bandits Kill Woman, New-born Baby, 11 Others, Abduct Scores In Fresh Zamfara Attack
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Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed 13 persons, including a mother and her baby in Randa, Dansadau district of Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
SaharaReporters gathered that the attack also left hundreds of others, including women and children, with various degrees of injury.
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It was learned that most of the victims were burnt to death in their houses while hiding from being abducted by the gunmen on Tuesday.
Also, several cows were said to have been rustled during the attack.
A source told SaharaReporters that over 40 men and women were also abducted by the gunmen.
“Yesterday, in Randa, over 13 persons, including a woman and her newborn baby, were killed. Over 40 men and women were also abducted,” he said.
The incident comes a few weeks after gunmen stormed the College of Agriculture and Animal Sciences in Bakura Local Government Area of the state, abducting 19 students and staff.
Insurgency
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Two Dead, Cop Hospitalised As Cars Explode In Rivers
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Two persons have been reported dead after a car crashed and exploded at Elele-Alimini, Emuoha Local Government of Rivers State.
The car was said to be traveling to Ahoada, another town in the state when the incident occurred.
File photo used to illustrate story.
According to The Punch, the vehicle was loaded with petroleum products resulting in the explosion.
The state police command confirmed that the driver is in critical condition and in an undisclosed hospital.
The spokesman for the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the death of the two persons.
“Yes, I can confirm that the fire incident claimed two lives. The policeman who was on the bus sustained life-threatening injuries.
“It is an accident involving two vehicles. Two cars collided and fire ignited. I don’t know if the policeman, a deputy superintendent of police is dead or not. I think he (cop) is in critical condition,” Omoni added.
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Ousted Afghanistan President, Ghani Arrives United Arab Emirates With Family, Multimillion-Dollar Loot
Toppled Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has landed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with his family members and the multimillion-dollar assets he allegedly plundered when he escaped from Kabul following Taliban take over.
Local media reports announced Ghani’s arrival into the Emirates on Wednesday, adding that the ousted Afghan leader was welcomed into the country with his family on humanitarian grounds.
“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the #UAE has welcomed President #AshrafGhani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” Sharjah-based outlet UAE Barq reported.
SaharaReporters had earlier on Tuesday reported that the exiled Afghan president fled the country with four vehicles and a helicopter filled with cash.
The spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, Nikita Ishchenko, told Reuters that some of the money looted by Mr. Ghani was left flying on the tarmac as it could not fit into the helicopter.
“Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac,” Mr Ischenko said.
On Sunday, Mr Ghani fled the presidential palace in Kabul after Taliban fighters took over the country’s capital.
The extremists made rapid inroads across Afghanistan over the weekend as the U.S. and other countries started withdrawing their troops from the country.
Heavily criticized by his cabinet members for abandoning the country at a very critical time, Mr Ghani pushed back by saying he fled the country to avoid bloodshed.
The original date for the full withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan was September 11, to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
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Bandits Abduct Islamic School Pupils In Katsina
Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted Islamiyya school pupils and one teacher in Sakkai village, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Daily Trust reports that the victims were abducted while attending evening lessons within the school premises.
Details of the incident are still sketchy.
The whereabouts of the victims are not known as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, three persons were killed when bandits attacked Batsari town, headquarters of Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina.
A resident of the area said one of the victims, his aunt, died due to the fear of gunshots by the bandits.
He said the other two died from stray bullets.
“By the time the bandits came to Batsari, we learned that the security men were at Dankar village which was surrounded by bandits,” he said.
He added that eight persons were abducted by the gunmen during the attack.
One person was shot dead while another was critically injured after gunmen carried out the kidnap operation.
The attack comes two months after gunmen abducted over 100 students of an Islamiyya school located at Tegina in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
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Armed Robbers Attack Bullion Van In Ondo, Injure Policemen
Some gunmen suspected to be armed robbers have attacked a bullion van in Ondo State.
The bullion van belonging to a commercial bank was attacked at Emure-Ile junction, in the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo state.
The details of the attack are still sketchy.
However, it was learnt that the dare-devil robbers were said to have carried out the attack, while the bullion van was on motion.
This is the second time that such attack will be carried out in one month.
SaharaReporters recalls that some men, suspected to be armed robbers attacked a bullion van conveying cash to Akure, the Ondo state capital.
The attack happened in Ondo town, headquarters of the Ondo-West Local Government Area.
The robbers, however, failed in the operation as a combined team of security operatives thwarted the move.
Three policemen, however, sustained gunshot injuries during the incident.
“The driver of the bullion van and the police team were alerted to the danger ahead by another bullion van driver and police escorts heading to Ondo, which made them to make a detour immediately.
“The robbers gave them a hot chase and started shooting at them, resulting in the injuries sustained by the three policemen during the exchange of gunfire,” a resident said.
CRIME
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E2%80%99s-assets-95billion-blocks-taliban%E2%80%99s-access-cash US Freezes Afghan Central Bank’s Assets Of $9.5billion, Blocks Taliban’s Access To Cash
The Afghan government reserves held in United States’ bank accounts have been frozen by the Joe Biden administration.
This directive blocked the Taliban from accessing billions of dollars held in U.S. institutions, according to two people familiar with the matter.
U.S. froze nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank and stopped shipments of cash to the nation as it tries to keep a Taliban-led government from accessing the money, an administration official confirmed Tuesday.
The official said that any central bank assets that the Afghan government has in the U.S. will not be available to the Taliban, which remains on the Treasury Department’s sanctions designation list.
On Monday Ajmal Ahmady, acting head of Da Afghan Bank (DAB), the nation’s central bank, tweeted that he learned on Friday that shipments of dollars would stop as the U.S. tried to block any Taliban effort to gain access to the funds. DAB has $9.5 billion in assets, a sizeable portion of which is in accounts with the New York Federal Reserve and U.S.-based financial institutions.
U.S. sanctions on the Taliban mean that they cannot access any funds. The vast majority of DAB’s assets are not currently held in Afghanistan, according to two people familiar with the matter.
According to the Washington Post, the decision was made by Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen and officials in the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the people said.
The State Department was also said to be involved in discussions over the weekend, with officials in the White House monitoring the developments.
In a statement, an administration official noted that, “Any Central Bank assets the Afghan government have in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban.”
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss government policy not yet made public.
The Afghanistan central bank held $9.4 billion in reserve assets as of April, according to the International Monetary Fund. That amounts to roughly one-third of the country’s annual economic output. The vast majority of those reserves are not currently held in Afghanistan, one of the people familiar with the matter said. Among those, billions of dollars are kept in the United States, although the precise amount is unclear.
Spokespeople for the White House and Treasury Department declined to comment on the process for blocking the funds or the fate of U.S. economic assistance to Afghanistan. A spokeswoman for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where much of the money is presumed to be held, also declined to comment.
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E2%80%99s-ict-bill-favours-jigawa-home-state-infotech EXPOSED: How Terrorists-linked, Pantami’s ICT Bill Favours Jigawa, Home State Of Infotech Agency’s Director-General
The controversial bill sponsored by the terrorists-linked Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, to destroy ICT startups in the country, will establish a company having a JIgawa State-indigene as a member, SaharaReporters gathered.
Checks by SaharaReporters into the bill showed that the Jigawa State member, included for no obvious reason, will be part of the leadership of the Digital Infrastructure and Service Provision Company being pushed by the bill.
The current Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA, Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi, is from Jigawa State, and the provision hence means he or one of the cronies will sit on the management of the new company.
The new bill for which Pantami is lobbying officials is targeted at repealing the National Information Technology Development Agency Act, no 28 2007.
SaharaReporters obtained a copy of the bill titled “A bill for an Act to repeal the National Information Technology Development Agency Act, no 28 2007 and enact the National Information Technology Development Agency Act to provide for the administration, implementation, regulation of information technology systems and practices as well as digital economy in Nigeria and for related matters.’
A source said the NITDA Director-General who is from Jigawa State slotted that a member of the digital company to be established to provide services to the Nigerian government must be a representative of the Jigawa State Government.
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Scandal
Terror-linked Buhari’s Minister, Pantami Bribes Information Tech Agency Board Members With Foreign Trip To Support ICT—Killer Bill
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“Establishment of a Digital Infrastructure and Service Provision Company. There is established under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, a Digital Infrastructure and Service Provision Company, Galaxy Backbone, or any other name the Ministry in charge of information technology may determine from time to time, in this Act referred to as “the Company” with membership and functions as set out in this Act.
“The membership of the Company shall consist of: (a) A Chair, who shall be the Minister; (b) A representative of the Agency; (c) A representative of the Nigerian Communications Commission; (d) A representative of the Jigawa State Government; (e) A representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and (f) The Managing Director of the Company.
“The Managing Director of the Company shall be appointed by the Minister on the recommendations of the Agency after a competitive and transparent recruitment process open to all Nigerians. The Company shall engage the services of individuals as staff on such terms and conditions that may be approved by its Board from time to time.
“The Company shall perform the following functions: (a) provide digital infrastructure services to the Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and public service institutions of the Government in a non-exclusive manner; (b) conduct training for staff of the Ministries, Departments, Agencies and public service institutions of the Government to promote digital services, (c) promote Nigerian content and digital services; (d) provide quality services at competitive pricing to ensure customer satisfaction; (e) explore and engage in international business opportunities on approval of the Board of the company; and (f) Perform any other function that may be assigned to the company by the Agency.
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Parameters Not Defined – American Business Council Raises Concerns Over Isa Pantami’s ICT-Killer Bill
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“The Company shall be funded from: (a) profits and earnings from its services and products; (b) subventions and budgetary allocations from Federal Government of Nigeria for targeted projects and services; and (c) grants-in-aid from national, bilateral and multi-lateral agencies.
“The Company shall produce an annual report to be received by 30th June of the following year by the Director-General and forwarded to the Minister.”
SaharaReporters had reported how Pantami recently took members of the NITDA board to Turkey, in a bid to bribe them to get his controversial bill to scale through.
SaharaReporters had also exposed how the minister had been putting in efforts to destroy the technology sector and impose his fundamentalist ideals on the works of other agencies.
Pantami’s past call to Jihad and unalloyed support for murderous groups like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda portrayed him as a dyed-in-the-wool Islamic fundamentalist.
Yet, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Pantami as communications minister to control the country’s massive data and telephone infrastructure and other sensitive details of national intelligence.
The President also recently stood by the minister after his past support for terrorist groups became public knowledge.
One of the sources said, “Pantami tries to destroy technology sector and systematically encroach on works of other agency. He took members of the board of NITDA to Turkey, trying to bribe them over such bills.”
“They were in Turkey last two months and the fruits of the bribery that will destroy startups in the ICT sector and create more jobless Nigerians is on track,” another source said.
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Three University Of Jos Students Feared Killed In Plateau Attacks
At least three students of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) have been feared killed and many missing following the escalation of Saturday attacks on commuters at Rukuba road in Jos, Plateau state.
It was learnt that some students are currently receiving treatments in various hospitals following injuries they sustained during attacks on them.
Some students of the institution have called on the Nigerian government, Plateau State, and the Management of the university to urgently send food to them at their hostels following the 24-hour curfew declared in the state.
It would be recalled that the governor of the state, Simon Lalong on August 15, declared a 24-hour curfew in the Jos North Local Government Area of the state following the massacre of about 22 travellers on Saturday by hoodlums.
The 24- hour curfew came on the heels of the earlier dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on three local government areas in the state, Bassa, Jos South, and Jos North, due to the security threats and tension witnessed by residents in some parts of the state.
“Due to the ongoing crises in Jos, Plateau State, for the past few weeks and the killing of some travellers on Saturday, the government imposed curfew to help maintain law and order,” one of the students told SaharaReporters.
“But the situation keeps escalating with killings and tensions all over. But the issue at stake now involves the students of University of Jos. The environment the school is situated is at a danger zone and some students have been killed while some are missing.
“Some states have provided security and buses to help evacuate their indigenes while some organisations and concerned citizens have provided buses to help bring out the students to town where it is a bit safe.
“More needs to be done to help safeguard the lives of innocent students. Their examinations were suspended by school management due to the ongoing crises and most of them in the hostels are out of food and no means to go out provide for themselves due to situation and environment the school is situated,” he added.
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