The Lagos State Government on Monday said some property owners had been converting residential buildings into religious centres in order to avoid paying the Land Use Charge.

The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, who stated this at the annual Ministerial Press Briefing in Ikeja to mark the third year in office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration, warned against the move, adding that such would not be tolerated.

He said, “Many people are converting their houses to religious centres to avoid paying their Land Use Charge; that will not be tolerated. Let us keep ourselves within the ambit of the law.

“Those who are combining their residences with mosque or church; we are not going to demolish, but what we said is that all residential premises are subject to Land Use Charge and so when government officials come, don’t claim there is a mosque on the premises.

“Once your property is declared a residential block, you will pay Land Use Charge.”

The commissioner said the government, through the Ministries of Home Affairs and Physical Planning, had commenced moves to address the conversion of residential buildings to religious centres.

He said the government had saved a total of N4.5bn in the last three years following the government’s decision to stop sponsorship of people on religious pilgrimages to Israel and Saudi Arabia.

“Before the present administration came on board, the government spent an average of N1.5bn on pilgrims. So far, the funds saved have been used for the construction of roads and other social amenities to make life easier for residents,” Abdullateef said.

The trial of the suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, scheduled to resume before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Monday did not hold as the trial judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, did not sit.

It was learnt that the judge went on an official assignment with the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke.

The case was, therefore, adjourned till June 16, 2018.

The Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, had vowed last week that the state would pursue the charges against Evans and his co-accused persons to a logical conclusion.

But Evans’ lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, had in a statement on Sunday accused the attorney general of pre-judging the cases.

He also stated that he had already written to the Chief Judge seeking the transfer of the cases before Justice Taiwo, citing lack of confidence.

In one of the two charges before Justice Taiwo, the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions accused Evans and three others of killing two persons in their failed attempt to kidnap the Chairman of Young Shall Grow Motors, Obianodo Vincent.

The state listed those murdered in the botched kidnap operation as Peter Nweke and Chijioke Ngozi.

The operation was said to have been carried out by the defendants around 11pm on August 27, 2013 in Third Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos.

Those charged along with Evans are Joseph Emeka, Chiemeka Arinze and Udeme Ukpong.

The seven charges against them border on attempted murder, murder, kidnapping and illegal firearms deal.

The Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bey, said the defendants acted contrary to Sections 221, 228(1), 404(1) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

They were also said to have violated Section 9(2) of the Firearms Act, Cap F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and liable to be punished under Section 27(b)(iii) of the same law.

In the second charge, Evans, one Victor Aduba and four others still at large were accused of conspiring among themselves to kidnap one Sylvanus Hafia at about 5.30pm on June 23, 2014 at Kara Street, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

The prosecution alleged that they captured and detained Hafia and demanded a $2m ransom from his family.

The Nigerian community in South Africa yesterday announced the killing of Clement Nwaogu, who was burnt alive by a mob in the latest xenophobia attack in the country.

Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Union in South Africa Mr. Habib Miller confirmed the killing from Pretoria yesterday in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said the victim, a native of Njikoka in Anambra State and an upholsterer in South Africa, was attacked and killed by a mob in Rustenburg, North West Province.

Miller said the victim was murdered in cold blood over his accent and habit, which the mobsters supposedly found offensive.

“The mob descended on him like a common criminal with all sorts of dangerous weapons in the presence of South African police officers.

“Witnesses say the victim beckoned for help from the police to intervene and help him, but they turned a blind eye.

“When Nwaogu could no longer persevere, he ran for safety; the mob chased and caught him, poured petrol on him and set him ablaze,” he said.

Miller said the mob then left Nwaogu when they thought he had died.

The spokesman said after the mob left, some passersby called emergency personnel, who later took the victim’s charred body to the hospital.

“The witnesses feeling that the victim was still alive called for help; unfortunately, Nwaogu could not survive the ordeal and died at Job Shimankane Hospital in Rustenburg,” he said.

Miller also said 14 Nigerians, who protested the killing of a fellow citizen in that country’s North West Province in February are still in detention.

He said the police officers murdered the Nigerian in cold blood on December 17 after failing to extort money from the victim.

Miller added that the police officers had since been released on bail while those who protested the killing were still languishing in detention.

“Our legal team is doing everything possible to facilitate the release of the protesters.

“We are worried that nothing has been done by the Nigerian government to stop the killings.

“We once again call on the Nigerian mission in South Africa to do the needful urgently because things are getting out of hand.

“The union with its legal desk will follow up the matter with the appropriate institutions until justice prevails,” he added.

Nwaogu was married to a South African and was blessed with two children; aged three and five years.

The killing of Nwaogu followed extra-judicial killing of another Nigerian, ThankGod Okoro, 30, by the South African Police Flying Squad.

Okoro, a native of Ogbaku in Awgwu Local Government Area, Enugu State, was shot dead at Hamburg, Florida West Rand, Johannesburg on April 9.

Records show that no fewer than 118 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa since

Meanwhile, tesidency yesterday described the killing of Clement Nwaogu, another Nigerian in Rustenburg, South Africa as unfortunate.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement in Abuja, condemned the latest xenophobia attack in South Africa.

She called on South African authorities to find lasting solution to the incessant killing of Nigerians in the country.

She urged Nigerians living abroad to obey the laws of countries where they lived, and avoid crime and criminality to avoid unwarranted attacks and killings.

The Presidential aide said Rustenburg, where the incident happened, was a particularly hostile and a volatile community.

She noted that 14 Nigerians who protested the killing of a fellow citizen in that country North West Province some months ago were still in detention.

She said though a bailable offence, the judge had been threatened not to release them.

“Just a few days ago, on April 17, the case came up in court. There was so much tension that even the Nigerian lawyers representing the Nigerians had to be escorted to court by Diplomatic police.

“The community has vowed to deal with anyone who plays a positive role in getting the accused Nigerians return to Rustenberg,” she said.

She added that the Nigerian Mission in Pretoria and the Consulate in Johannesburg had done everything possible, in the recent past, to get justice for Nigerians in South Africa.

The Federal Government has set up a committee to review the technical and financial aspects of the demands by the striking Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

This was part of the decisions reached at a meeting of top government officials held on Sunday night on the crisis in the health sector caused by the ongoing industrial action.

The Director of Press, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Lawrence Ojabo, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday night.

Ojabo did not disclose the identities of members of the committee.

He said, “In a bid to restore normalcy to the health sector and ameliorate the sufferings of patients, high-level Federal Government officials met on Sunday, April 22, 2018 to find ways of ending the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions and finding lasting solutions to the issues.

“A committee was mandated to review the technical and financial-related aspects involved in the demands of JOHESU.  The high-level Federal Government team will continue its meeting on Monday and Tuesday.”

The Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke has vowed that he would not steal money if he becomes the next governor of Osun state.

He said this in a chat on the side-line of the first memorial lecture organised by Adeleke University in remembrance of Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke who died last year.

Senator Adeleke who contested the Osun West bye election on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party to replace his late brother in the Senate got massive votes and defeated the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Senator Mudasiru Hussain in a landslide victory.

While most people expected that he would be seeking the PDP ticket again to return to the Senate in 2019, Senator Adeleke declared his interest to run for the governorship position.

According to him, “Yes. I will contest for Governor. I have submitted my letter of expression of interest to contest to the party. I’m contesting because of the people. Our people are suffering and we need to liberate them.

If I become governor, I cannot steal money that belong to people. I have achieved everything that I could need money for in life. I have built houses, I have cars, I have everything. So, what would I do with stolen money. So, I won’t steal as a governor. I only want to serve”

The  National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has warned his party against complacency, saying the 2019 general elections would be tough as Nigerians.

He, however, noted that the APC “is a living party,” adding that its leadership remained committed and dedicated “to make sure that this party is out in political fighting mood for the 2019 elections.”

The former governor of Edo State spoke during the inauguration of the APC 2018 National Convention Committee, which is headed by the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Baduru, in Abuja on Monday.

He urged the members of the committee to ensure that the outcome of the convention reunites APC members.

Odigie-Oyegun said, “I am passing the buck over to you today. At the end of this exercise, I want to see a re-united APC under whatever leadership your exercise brings up.

“We have a tough election ahead of us and we must prime ourselves for that election. We must not cuddle ourselves with any false sense of being the party in power.

“Our population today is much more aware of their rights than they have ever been before. So, as you proceed, please ensure that all these views and opinions are brought together into a one united APC.

“The task that you have undertaken to perform is a heavy and tough one. The APC is known, in spite of induced controversies, for the cleanest primaries and congresses.

“Our last presidential primary was by all account one of the best ever held and I dare say, anywhere.

“It was a convention that was watched worldwide and you are supposed to repeat the feat. I have no doubt that this one, given the controversies that have preceded it will also be a most watched convention.

“So, you have the task of producing a convention that is free, fair and provide a level playing field for anybody who wants to aspire to any position.”

On how prepared the APC was ahead of the 2019 general elections, Odigie-Oyegun said, “The signs are clear that this is a living party, the signs are clear that this is a vibrant party. The signs are clear that this is a party whose leadership is committed and dedicated, in spite of current event, to make sure that this party is out in a political fighting mood for the 2019 elections.”

The convention chairman assured the party leadership that his committee  would give the contestants a level playing ground.

Badaru, who said President Muhammadu Buhari had no business running the government except for the care of the people, added that the APC’s mission was to rescue the country.

He said, “God is with us and He will continue to support us because of our clear vision, our good heart and our love for the people of Nigeria. We all know that our leader has no business in running this government except for the care of our people.

“Most of us you see in the APC are in the party today to serve our people. Our mission in the APC is to rescue the country from near collapse we saw around 2014 and 2015.”

The committee confirmed that the convention would hold in Abuja.

Armed riot policemen on Monday laid siege to Shanga Street, Maitama, Abuja residence of Senator Dino Melaye to arrest him.

The security operatives blocked one end of the street with a Toyota Hiace bus with tinted glasses and Abuja number plate, RSH 193 TP, and a pick-up at the other end.

They also prevented persons in the building from going out, but later allowed family members, friends and guests to enter and exit the premises.

Melaye had, in a hushed tone on the telephone, told one of our correspondents about the police siege at 1.43pm.

Immigration officers had earlier in the day arrested, detained and attempted to seize the passport of the senator at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on his way to Morocco.

The operatives claimed that they were acting on the advice from the police, which had asked them to detain the Senator who is representing Kogi West at the Senate.

While at the airport, Melaye said he was on an official trip to Morocco along with some senators.

He said, “The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and I, as well as other senators, were to be on an official trip to Morocco but while some went through the Lagos airport today (Monday), others are to depart tomorrow (Tuesday).

“As soon as I got to this airport, I was checked in and was already at the lounge waiting for departure when immigration officers invited me that there was a directive from the police that I can’t travel; that I am on their watch list.

“I said it was not true; that the INTERPOL said it did not issue any alert against me. I opened INTERPOL’s website and showed them the denial, but the immigration officers insisted that it was based on the directive from the police.

“I was asked to come down and told to go to their office (at the airport). They took my passport, but I snatched my thing back from them. I am still here with them. They told me that they were waiting for further instructions from the police,” he said.

Melaye was said to have ‘escaped’ from the airport in a curious manner, causing no fewer than 30 policemen to invade Shanga Street, where his house was located.

About 10 additional policemen were deployed in the house around 4.30pm.

Not long after their arrival, about eight Volkswagen Golf cabs loaded with men and women arrived at Melaye’s mansion, to protest against the police presence.

The people, who were later identified as Internally Displaced Persons from Kuchingoro Camp, Abuja, sat down in front of the embattled lawmaker’s mansion while railing against the police move to arrest Melaye.

After some minutes, another group of women and children arrived on the street.

The children could be heard chanting “Sai Dino” as they marched in front of the building.

The leader of the IDPs, Philemon Emmanuel, said he would not allow the policemen to arrest Melaye, whom he described as a philanthropist.

“He gave us foodstuffs and sent our children to school. That is why we came here; we will not allow anything to happen to Senator Dino Melaye. We want them (authorities) to allow him to move freely. He has been helping the IDPs and we want the government not to restrict his freedom of movement,” he said.

A young man handed over some bags of sachet water to the protesters who sat on the tarmac while criticising the police.

No fewer than five senators and members of the civil society organisations visited Melaye’s residence.

The lawmakers are the Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda; Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi; Senator Aidoko Ali, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim and Senator Isa Misau.

The senators interacted privately with leader of the police team.

After the interaction, Olujimi said, “I came to check on him, only to find out that the place has been barricaded. I am going to make enquiries and see what is going on. I asked them what happened and they said they have the instruction to come here.”

Aduda also said, “As a principal officer, I have come here to see what is happening here with a view to reporting back to the presiding officers and the body of principal officers on what I have discovered and seen.

“I will report appropriately what I saw. But I don’t think this should have happened.”

The policemen were still at the senator’s residence as at 8pm.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Adeniran Aremu, said the lawmaker was indicted for possession of illegal firearms and had refused to honour police summons over the alleged crime.

“We have invited him twice, but he refused to honour our summonses, that is why we have sent our men to arrest him. They are at his residence and they will not leave until they have apprehended him,” he said.

The police had alleged that Melaye contracted one Kabiru Seidu and his gang as political thugs, adding that the lawmaker met with the suspect on Airport Road, Abuja, inside his car in December 2017 and gave him a bag containing an AK-47 rifle, two pump action guns and N430,000 to share with his boys.

Reacting to the siege, the Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights expressed concern over the freedom and safety of Melaye, in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Mr. Frank Tietie.

Tietie said CASER recognised Melaye as “one of the only few persons in authority in Nigeria who have distinguished themselves by constantly and consistently speaking truth to power on behalf of the Nigerian people.”

He recalled that Melaye had recently, with boldness, denounced the seemingly intractable state of insecurity in Nigeria and had challenged the President Buhari administration to arrest the situation or consider calling the international community to provide security for Nigerians.

The statement by the group read in part, “CASER views the desperate moves by the authorities to arrest and take Senator Melaye to Kogi State, either for trial at the Federal High Court or for questioning, as a ploy to exterminate the irrepressible voice of the masses in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“CASER is worried that if a distinguished Senator can be so harassed to the point of being deprived of his fundamental human rights to life, liberty, freedom of movement and freedom of expression, wherein lies the hope for the ordinary citizens to enjoy their rights?

“CASER hereby calls on the Nigerian Senate to abort its Tuesday sitting in solidarity with the Nigerian people and Senator Dino Melaye.

“Until his fundamental rights are recognised and enforced by the Nigeria Police who must immediately stop the siege on his house, the Senate should no longer sit to conduct legislative business.”

Melaye, in a series of tweets on his twitter handle on Monday evening alleged that the police had arrested his brother, Moses, and his friend.

He said they were arrested in front of his house.

The senator also alleged that his police orderlies had been withdrawn, adding that there was a plan to kill him.

The tweets read, “All my policemen have been taken away with their arms.

“One CP came and took them away. There is also a plan to set me up again. But in God I trust. Truth will always prevail.

“We are in a civil society. No warrant and case is in court, yet this lawlessness.

“I’m a responsible Nigerian and law-abiding. There is a plan to kill me and I know about it. We are not in a banana republic. I cannot be silenced.” – Punch.

The Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig,-Gen. Zakari Kazaure has said that corps members with genuine case could be relocated to their home states.

Kazaure stated this in an interview with newsmen in Dutse on Tuesday.

He said that there were criteria and due process to follow for redeployment of corps members.

The coordinator said nursing mothers, pregnant women and people with serious ailment among others were among these categories.

The director-general said that it would be inhuman not to consider a person with genuine problem, especially ailment for relocation.

Kazaure said following complaints by civil servants for upward review of salary, the NYSC was also looking at the possibilities of doing same for corps members in view of the high cost of living.

The coordinator pledged that the NYSC would do its best to make life comfortable for all corps members posted to anywhere in the country.

The Senate of the University of Ibadan has advised 408 students to withdraw from the institution after failing to meet the minimum academic requirements.

The Senate of the school ratified the withdrawal of the students at its meeting where results of graduating and non-graduating students were considered and approved.

Most of the affected students were admitted to the school when the post-UTME test was not conducted because of opposition to the exercise in the 2016/2017 session.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Adeyinka Aderinto, told journalists in Ibadan that the school would not lower its academic standards despite the financial difficulty it currently faces.

He said, “The University of Ibadan will continue to uphold its standards despite dwindling funding to the university, by adhering to global standards.

“I call on parents to monitor their children to ensure that those who have been asked to withdraw from the university do not lie and continue to extort money in the name of being a student at the university.

“The conduct of UI Model of Post-UTME screening has helped to separate men from boys and helped the institution in maintaining its historical standards as a global brand.

“Being admitted to the UI is a privilege that requires students to be up and doing in their studies.

“There are minimum academic requirements a student must meet at the end of the session and those who fall short of that would have to leave the university.

“UI has been able to invent its own model of screening applicants and it has shown that those who we screened performed far better than those not subjected to our screening after taking JAMB.”

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Tuesday said the Nigerian Army would work with National Park Service and Borno Government to revive Sambisa forest to attract tourists into the country.

Buratai said this when the Conservator-General of National Park Service, Ibrahim Goni, paid him an advocacy visit at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.

The forest is under the control and management of Borno Government.

The chief of army staff said the forest deserved to be revived as it harboured large number of wild animals, noting that the army would see the possibility of working with relevant stakeholders to make the forest a
tourists’ attraction and training ground for the army.

According to him, the army in partnership with National Park Service and Borno Government will explore the potential in the forest.

The army boss, who assured the National Park Service of support, commiserated with the service over its men who got injured and some murdered in the forest during encounters with Boko Haram.

Goni said the purpose of the visit was to enlighten the Nigerian Army that the nation’s forests were critical to the economy and security.

According to him, most of the forests are located at the nation’s boundaries which the military use for war.

“It is important to say that when the forest is left uncatered for, it will affect the nation’s economy,’’ Goni said.

He added that Nigeria had five per cent forests cover as against the 25 per cent recommended by UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Goni called for increased number of forests to bridge the gap and called for more personnel.

He underscored the need to acquire high calibre fire arms and ammunition, as well as training of rangers.

Created in 1979 when Kainji Lake National Park was established through Decree 46 as Nigeria’s premier national park, National Park Service was inaugurated by former President Goodluck Jonathan as paramilitary in 2014 to manage game and forests reserve.

Senator Dino Melaye was on Tuesday admitted to  the Zanklin Hospital, Mabushi, Abuja, after he allegedly jumped off a moving police van at Area One Roundabout, Garki, in an attempt to prevent the police from taking him to Lokoja, Kogi State.

He was said to have engaged the policemen in a scuffle during which he sustained injury leading to his admission in the hospital.

The police were said to be taking him to Kogi State where they allegedly planned to parade him before the media along with six suspects for alleged gun running and criminal conspiracy.

A footage of Melaye’s encounter with his police escorts and subsequent hospital admission later appeared on the Internet.

The senator was arrested by immigration officers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe  Airport on Monday morning on his way to Morocco, but managed to escape from the security personnel.

But later on Monday, policemen stormed his residence at Shanga Street, Maitama, Abuja  where they  kept  a vigil in a bid to arrest him.

On Tuesday morning, he surrendered to the operatives, who drove him away in a white Hiace bus followed by three other vehicles to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad facility at Guzape, Abuja.

Sources said the lawmaker representing Kogi West surrendered to the police after some of his senator friends received assurances from the police authorities that he would not be taken to Lokoja where he alleged he might be assassinated.

It was gathered that Melaye, on suspecting that the police were taking him to Kogi State, engaged the officers in the bus in a scuffle and managed to jump out of the van after it was blocked by unidentified vehicles around 2.10pm.

An eyewitness said about five hefty men, believed to be the embattled lawmaker’s supporters, emerged from nowhere in two pick-up vans and made to spirit the senator away in their vehicles.

The situation caused pandemonium in the area as the policemen who were shocked by the audacious act, threatened to shoot the lawmaker and his supporters.

This led to a scuffle during which the lawmaker was allegedly manhandled by the policemen.

Eyewitnesses said Melaye sustained injury during the incident and he was subsequently rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

One of the eyewitnesses said that “the drama began at 2.10pm and lasted for about six minutes with Melaye’s boys in two Hilux pick-ups double-crossed the police escort and this gave Melaye the opportunity to jump out of the police van.

“Three policemen picked him up and attempted to throw him into the vehicle, but he resisted and later fell on the ground while shouting, ‘You must shoot me, you must kill me here, I am not going with you to Kogi or anywhere’.”

The police alleged that Melaye had contracted one Kabiru Seidu and his gang as political thugs, adding that the lawmaker met with the suspect on Airport Road, Abuja inside his car in December, 2017 and gave him a bag containing an AK47 rifle, two pump-action guns and N430,000 to share with his boys.

The police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, could not be reached for comment on the incident as he did not respond to calls. He had yet to respond to an SMS as of the time of filing this report.

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, also refused to comment on the drama when confronted by journalists during the inauguration of the Muhammadu Buhari Housing Estate, Mbora, built for policemen.

“No, I can’t comment on him because we are not here for that purpose,” he said.

Meanwhile, the IG has ordered a probe into an attempt by Melaye to escape from lawful custody as he was being taken by armed escort on Tuesday.

The force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said in a statement that the lawmaker was aided by miscreants to escape, adding that he was later trailed to the Zanklin Hospital.

He said, “At about 1200hrs of today (Tuesday), Senator Dino Melaye, while in lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force personnel and being taken for arraignment in Federal High Court, Lokoja from Abuja, escaped from lawful custody when hoodlums and miscreants in two Toyota Hilux vehicles blocked the police vehicle conveying Senator Dino Melaye around Area 1 Roundabout, Abuja and in the process the senator jumped out of the police vehicle through the window and was rescued from the policemen by hoodlums and miscreants to an unknown destination.

“The police team reinforced and trailed Senator Dino Melaye to Zankli Hospital, Abuja where he was re-arrested.

“The Senator would be arraigned in court without further delay.”

The police added that one of the Toyota Hilux vehicles used by the hoodlums in aiding Melaye’s escape had been recovered by the police investigation team.

“The IG has therefore directed a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the rescue and escape of Senator Dino Melaye from lawful custody,” the statement said.

The police have deployed an ambulance in Zankli Hospital, Abuja apparently to take Melaye away from the hospital

It was gathered that over 30 policemen were deployed in the hospital on Tuesday evening.

The  vicinity was also cordoned off by armed policemen, a development that unsettled patients and visitors to the hospital.

The embattled lawmaker described his escape from police as “a last resort” to frustrate an alleged plan to kidnap and kill him in Kogi State.

A statement  in Abuja on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Gideon Ayodele, said Melaye was not officially invited by the police contrary to claims that  he evaded arrest.

The statement read, “…For the avoidance of doubt, he had never evaded police invitation before now because there was none extended to him in the first place. Rather, what the Force PPRO, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, had been doing was to summon the senator through media briefings, a practice which is unconventional.”

The statement added , “Contrary to online reports about jumping out of a moving police vehicle, nothing could be farther from the truth as such insinuation is practically impossible for a man sandwiched between gun-wielding policemen. Today’s incident was a last resort by Melaye in order foil an attempt to kidnap him and kill him by the agents of the Kogi State governor in connivance with the police.”

Meanwhile, the Senate spent most of its plenary on Tuesday behind closed doors, where members discussed issues affecting the chamber including the recent clampdown on senators by security and anti-corruption agencies.

The activities of a group of senators, under the auspices of the Parliamentary Support Group, who are loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and against the amendment to the Electoral Act 2010, were also discussed.

The closed session lasted almost three hours. Immediately the senators got to the chamber, they went behind closed doors at 10:55am. It was opened at 1:25pm.

The prolonged closed session had forced the Senate to step down all items on the Order Paper for the day, while motions moved by members were deferred to Wednesday. – Punch.

Armed Fulani herdsmen unleashed terror on Ayar Mbalom community in the Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday, killing 19 persons, including two Rev. Fathers.

The deceased Rev Fathers were identified as Fr. Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha.

Also among the victims were two school head teachers and a secondary school principal, identified as Peter Dick, Ape Chia and Michael Tor, respectively.

It was gathered that the Catholic faithful had gone for morning mass around 5.30am and unknown to them, the militia herdsmen had laid ambush in the community.

The armed men later surrounded the church and killed all the early callers in the church.

The herdsmen were said to have set ablaze houses in the village, shooting indiscriminately as villagers fled.

Our correspondents learnt the attackers burnt down over 100 houses during the attack.

The Tuesday attack came barely four days after the murder of 10 persons by herdsmen in the Guma LGA, and the destruction of houses in the Naka, Gwer LGA by men suspected to be military personnel who claimed to be searching for killers of a soldier.

Last Wednesday, the Acting Governor of the state, Mr. Benson Abounu, had raised the alarm of planned attacks on five communities in the state.

Abounu had said, “We have received security reports which indicated that a large number of armed mercenaries have moved into Benue valley and had mapped out five different locations in the state to launch attacks on five communities.

“The reports showed that the mercenaries would carry out the attacks on the communities occupied by people in the riverine areas of the state.”

One of the natives of Gwer LGA, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone on condition of anonymity said the death toll could rise.

He said, “The numbers (19) are the ones we are taking to mortuary right now (3.27pm). The victims include two priests, two head teachers and the principal of a secondary school in Ayar.

“We left people behind who were searching the bush around the village. They could find more bodies,” he said.

Confirming the attack on the church, The Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Rev. Father Moses Iorapuu, said, “Rev. Father Joseph Gor and Rev. Father Felix Tyolaha have been killed in the deadly attack by herdsmen/Jihadists early today (Tuesday) in St. Ignatius Quasi parish in Ukpor-Mbalom in Mbalom village.”

Iorapuu, who stated that the herdsmen also burnt down homes, destroyed foodstuffs, said, “to go for the priests means total destruction of everything we stand for and believe in as a people.”

“The police seem to know nothing of the attacks which have been going on in other villages in Benue State since the Anti-Open Grazing Law came into effect last year.

“Many people are asking why the international community has remained silent over the massacre of Benue citizens.

“The answer is simple: It has been the goal of the Jihadists to conquer Benue and Tiv people who resisted their advance into the Middle Belt and the Eastern part of Nigeria since 1804; they are people who rejected Islam and fought for the unification of Nigeria in the civil war of 1967 – 1970.”

According to the Catholic spokesman, the people of  Eastern Nigeria have little sympathy for Benue people who fought on the side of Nigeria, adding that the Muslim North is enjoying a sweet revenge overshadowed by an insensitive regime.

He noted there were over 170,000 internally displaced persons before the Naka invasion, adding that with the situation on the ground in Mbalom, Benue would be flooded with thousands more.

“What cannot be said at this point is the consequences of the death of missionaries in the killings that have been ignored  by the government for over a year.

“The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, which is one of the largest dioceses in Nigeria, has been active in providing relief materials, including education and skills acquisition lessons, to victims of the attacks,” he added.

Our correspondents reported that there was apprehension in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State.

The situation reportedly became tense when the remains of the two Rev. Fathers were brought to St. Theresa Catholic Hospital morgue, High Level, Makurdi.

Following the tense atmosphere in the area, leaders of Wurukum and Wadatta markets in the capital city were forced to close the market while traders rushed out of the area for fear of breakdown of law and order.

The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Police Command, CP Fatai Owoseni, said that some armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen numbering about 30 attacked a church, killing two priests and others.

“Immediately we got this information, we quickly moved there for an aerial surveillance in pursuit of the attackers.

“We also went to the church where this incident happened. That was where we were told that the attackers came by 5am, went into the church, the venue of a burial Mass that was going on.

“These attackers were about 30 in numbers and the target was the priest and the venue of the burial. As of the time l left the place, we were able to see 16 dead bodies, including those of the two priests.

“The police have taken over the corpses and we have deployed men in the village.

“We will intensify our search to go after these people wherever they may hide. We will also work on the information from the members of the public there because we believe that they must have been hanging in the area to have been able to commit the act at 5am. We believe that they would still be in the village.

The acting governor expressed concern, saying the attack was well planned, coordinated and executed.

“This is another black day in Benue. Benue is under siege. We have been attacked from all corners and this is unacceptable.

“The police have been able to recover 16 corpses but one had earlier on been brought to Makurdi,” Abounu said. – Punch.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has alleged that the the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) was trying to arm twist the Federal Government into implementing a non-existing agreement.

Adewole made the claim at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, adding that the union, which began an indefinite strike across the country last week Wednesday, never had a tangible agreement with the government other than ‘minutes of meeting’ which predates the current administration.

Adewole, responding to a question on what the Federal Government was doing to halt the strike, said a high level technical committee had been constituted to look into the financial demands raised by the union

The committee had sat on Sunday at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and reconvened the meeting on Monday, but no progress was made on resolving the issues.

The meeting was scheduled to continue Wednesday night.

JOHESU says the resumption of the industrial action was predicated on alleged delay tactics and deliberate foot-dragging on the part of the Federal Government in approving the adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Scale (CONHESS), similar to what was done for medical doctors’ Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) since January 2014, and also replicated with yet another approval for the same CONMESS in September, 2017 for the medical doctors.

The health workers grievances comes against the backdrop of poor access to healthcare in the country, and calls for public health reforms to counter the menace of clinical disease like Lassa fever, Ebola and monkey-pox.

The strike, which has paralyzed services in government hospitals across the country, is being spearheaded by Medical and Health Workers Unions of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAM), Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutes (NASU).

Meanwhile, the minister has said about two million Nigerians are affected with sickle cell anaemia.

He further mentioned that there are plans to establish a fully functional department for traditional medicine at the Federal Ministry of Health. Adewole said, following persistent cases of malaria in the country, the Ministry was now open to exploiting traditional medicine in tackling the problem.

The lawmaker representing the Rivers South-East in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe, on Wednesday, said he had uncovered a plot by some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the forthcoming congress of the party in Rivers State.

Abe disclosed this when he formally declared his intention to run for the Rivers State governorship and also unveiled his liaison/campaign office in Port Harcourt.

The lawmaker said that some lists were being put together with the aim of frustrating his governorship ambition and stifling opposing voices within the APC.

He, however, cautioned that members of the party must not allow “frustrated politicians and conflict entrepreneurs” to divide the APC in the state, adding that no member of the party willing to go for any elective position should be intimidated.

He said, “Here in Rivers State, we must ensure that our congresses are peaceful and fair. I have heard all the stories of prepared lists that are being put together for the sole objective of flushing out Senator Abe, and stifling all voices of dissent within the APC.

“We must not allow conflict entrepreneurs and frustrated politicians whose only hope for relevance and economic sustenance is to continue to balkanise Rivers APC. Some of them are here and some of them are there, but all of us need to ensure that the congresses are free, fair and credible.

“Any attempt to hold another hotel-style congress in Rivers State will break the confidence of the Rivers people that we are a party committed to doing right. Without the confidence of the voting public, a political party becomes a social club. It will be good partying and dancing, but it will not win elections.”

Abe pointed out that there was not desperate to contest the governorship election and added that he would support any person who emerges the party’s flag bearer in an APC transparent primary.

Calling on members of the party not to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, the governorship aspirant noted that those who want Nigeria to succeed as a country should stay with the APC.

He said, “There is no need going back to the PDP. Those going back to the PDP are missing the point. Those who want Nigeria to change must remain in the APC. The APC has shown improvement in governance. I call on all Nigerians to rally round President (Muhammadu) Buhari because he will bring the needed change we want.

“I, Magnus Ngei Abe, have decided in the interest of our state and the future of our people to seek the nomination of my party, the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State, for the office of the governor of the state in the 2019 elections. In doing so, I want to make it clear that there is no gunshot ambition.

“I want to assure the party and Rivers people that if there is a fair process that elects any other person than Senator Abe, I will not only support the candidate, but I will campaign for him.”

Former governor of Cross River state, Donald Duke on Wednesday described the inclusion of a private conversation between him and former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in the latter’s new book as being in “poor taste.”

The former minister of finance recently published a new book, titled, ‘Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines’, detailing her experience as a minister of finance.

In the book,  Okonjo-Iweala said Duke had urged her not to serve in President Goodluck Jonathan’s government in 2011.

This, she said, was to deny Jonathan’s government credibility so that it would be “weak and not succeed”. However she rejected his counsel and served in the government.

This revelation didn’t sit well with the former governor as  he took to his Twitter handle to react.

He wrote; “It’s true I met with Ngozi when the rumors were swirling about her being considered for appointment. As “friends”, she having been literally dismissed from an earlier appointment as finance minister, I urged caution. I made no mention of adding or subtracting credibility to anyone or govt. It was “two friends” discussing careers. It ended there and she subsequently made her choice which I respected.

However, I think it is in poor taste and demeaning of her to report a private conversation in whatever self laundering attempt she may be up to.

With hindsight, I was vindicated, Ngozi, as Minister of Finance and Economy, despite massive revenue receipts, left Nigeria poorer than she met it.”

Tempers flared at the Senate on Wednesday when lawmakers debated the arrest and detention of Senator Dino Melaye by the police over alleged involvement in gun-running.

The Senate, after a debate that lasted over one hour, resolved to step down all the items on the order paper and adjourn plenary.

Several lawmakers, who spoke alleged that policemen prevented them from seeing Melaye at the National Hospital Abuja, where he is undergoing treatment over the injuries he sustained from his alleged attempt to escape on Tuesday when he was being taken to Kogi State.

They, therefore, resolved that the plenary be adjourned to allow the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to lead them to the hospital, alleging that policemen guarding Melaye were preventing them from seeing the senator.

The senators also resolved that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, be summoned to appear before the lawmakers at the plenary on Thursday (today) over Melaye’s case and the killings by herdsmen and militias across the country.

Saraki said, “Just to re-emphasise the point: tomorrow morning, by 11am, Senator Abu Ibrahim (who is Chairman, Committee on Police Affairs), by the resolution on the motion, the IG should be here to address us in plenary.

“We will take the issue of Senator Dino and we will also use that opportunity to take the recent killings in the last one week, of close to a hundred in the country.

“Clerk, because of the importance of this, please inform your coverage people (Nigerian Television Authority). It should be live tomorrow, to discuss the issue of security in the country.”

While the lawmakers called for a delegation to visit Melaye at the hospital, Saraki informed them that he had earlier in the day sent one led by the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah.

Briefing the Senate about the visit, Na’Allah said the police and the hospital had not fed Melaye since they arrested him for fear of being implicated.

Na’Allah also said the police and the hospital’s management however asked that any volunteer could feed him, provided that such an individual was ready to taste the food before it would be given to Melaye.

The Deputy Majority Leader added that the police had attempted to take Melaye out of the facility but were told that an undertaking must be signed for the lawmaker to be discharged, the reason why he had remained in the hospital.

Na’Allah said, “…Lastly, there was an insistence to remove him from the National Hospital but the management told them that an undertaken must be signed that whatever happens will be on them. That is what is keeping Dino at the National Hospital till date, because nobody is willing to sign.”

In his remarks, Saraki said it had shown from the emotions displayed by the senators that the matter “has gone beyond us sending representatives.”

The Senate President said, “Also, because of the importance of this, the issue of the IGP briefing us should be immediate and that should be tomorrow (Thursday).”

Saraki said that he had not been able to reach the IG since 48 hours. He said efforts by him to get the police boss to discuss the security situation in the country had failed.

The debate on Melaye began when Senator Samuel Anyanwu raised a point of order to condemn the police over how Melaye was treated like “a common criminal” by security operatives on Tuesday.

Seconding the motion, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, stated that “coercion cannot work,” stressing that it was not the way things should be done. He called for due process, especially as the matter was already in the court and the court had not issued an arrest warrant against Melaye.

Also, Senator Isa Misau asked why the police was bent on forcefully taking Melaye to Kogi State when the force had alleged that the lawmaker committed the crime in Abuja. He warned that Melaye’s relocation to Kogi might spark protests and violence.

Misau pointed out that if the police had the personnel strength to deploy about a hundred men to guard a person in a hospital, the policemen should be redeployed in Zamfara or Benue “where killings are taking place every day.”

Also speaking, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who stated that she was not in support of what happened to Melaye, said, “If Senators Dino Melaye and Ovie-Omo Agege can be taken away by the police, it destroys the sanctity of this chamber.”

Shortly after the plenary was adjourned, Saraki led some senators to the National Hospital where they first met with a former Speaker of the House of Representatives who is now the Chairman of the Governing Board of the hospital, Mrs. Patricia Etteh; and the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Jeff Momoh.

Etteh and Momoh later led the lawmakers to the National Trauma Centre within the premises where Melaye was being treated. They spent about 20 minutes in the building, which was manned by about 50 armed policemen.

After the visit, Saraki said, “After the sitting of the Senate today, we decided to come here because, for 24 hours we have not heard or known the state of Senator Dino. We are happy that we have seen him. He is under intensive care. He is stable for now. He has not eaten for the past 24 hours. We are trying to resolve that. He is on fluids and he has been seen by a cardiologist and all specialists.”

Asked whether Melaye was handcuffed to his bed as reported, Saraki said, “No, he is not on handcuffs.”

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday nullified the National Assembly Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which ought to provide the order in which Independent National Electoral Commission must conduct the 2019 general elections.

Delivering judgment in a suit filed by Accord Party to challenge the bill, Justice Ahmed Mohammed held that the bill was in clear breach of the provisions of paragraph 15(a) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution which empowers INEC to organise and conduct elections.

The judge also ruled that INEC has issued its timetable for the 2019 general elections, the later passage of the bill to reverse the electoral body’s decision was in breach of sections 4, 5 an 6 of the Constitution.

The court ruled that the powers conferred on INEC to conduct elections comprised the powers to decide the sequence of the elections and fix dates for the elections and such powers could never be taken away by an Act of the National Assembly.

The court resolved all the issues formulated in favour of the plaintiff and against the National Assembly.

It also granted all prayers sought by the plaintiff except one which ought to compel President Muhammadu Buhari from assenting to the bill.

Justice Mohammed ruled on Wednesday that it was no longer necessary to grant such prayers since the President had refused to give his assent to the bill.

Earlier, the court dismissed the National Assembly’s notice of preliminary objection praying for the dismissal of the suit.

It anchored the prayer for the dismissal of the suit on the grounds that the suit was not jusiticiable, that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to initiate the suit, that the suit was an academic exercise and that the failure to join the President as a necessary party in the suit had rendered it incompetent.

But ruling, the judge dismissed all the grounds of the objection.

The parties to the suit are the National Assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday asked the people of the South East geopolitical zone to vote out President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections “in their own interest.”

Speaking at a meeting of the Coalition of Nigerian Moment in Awka, Anambra State, Obasanjo said the Igbo would be the most beneficiary in Buhari’s ouster.

He asked the Igbo not to believe the promise that the Igbo would produce the President in 2023, describing it as “a grand deceit and evil machination.”

Speaking through the South East convener of CNM, Dr. Okey Nwosu, the ex-president asked the people of the zone to “collectively work with the CNM towards ousting Buhari from office in the 2019 general elections..

He accused the All Progressives Congress government of perpetrating “carnage and wanton destruction of lives and property across the country.”

He said, “The meeting is a wake-up call for Nd’Igbo to dump APC and collaborate with CNM, which is the best alternative for their rescue from poverty, hunger, recklessness and ethnic cleansing in the hands of the Hausa/Fulani marauders.

“Every Nigerian leader is very much embarrassed with the state of the nation where people are attacked, killed, raped and made refuges in their own homes.

“Political leaders must advocate action against these senseless killings and seek how to design a new democratic action plan to ensure we take care of this conundrum democratically, and say, ‘Enough is enough.’

“If unchecked, these unethical activities will lead to the destruction of the country. It does not augur well for Nigeria’s development.”

He said the objective of CNM was mostly on how to “sack Buhari from Aso Rock in 2019 and ensure that a visionary government is elected.”

He added, “Nigeria’s eminent personalities, including Generals Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida and T.Y. Danjuma have all spoken and condemned the killings and destruction in the country.

“If these people can say that the nation needs to be saved from these calamities, the South-East geo-political zone must add their voice to the clarion call.”

He said the CNM had mobilised no fewer than five million Nigerians to realise its objectives in 2019.

The Federal Government on Thursday paid the sum of N135m as compensation for the killing of eight persons and the injury caused 11 others during a raid of an uncompleted building in Apo/Gudu district of Abuja by men of the Department of State Service (DSS) and the Nigerian Army in September 2013.

This came over four years after the National Human Rights Commission made the recommendations to the Federal Government on April 7, 2014.

The commission had, through its three-man panel headed by its then chairman, Chidi Odinkalu, on April 7, 2014, following an inquiry into the incident, held the Federal Government responsible for the death of eight of the victims and the injuries suffered by 11 others.

The commission then recommended that the Federal Government pay the families of the deceased and the injured victims the total sum of N135m.

The commission recommended that the Federal Government pay the families of the eight deceased the sum of N10m each and the 11 injured victims N5m each.

Acting on the NHRC’s recommendations made four years ago, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), presided over a brief ceremony of the official presentation of the cheque to the representatives of the victims at his office in Abuja on Thursday.

The victims, aged between 18 and 25 at the time of the incident on September 20, 2013, were said to be members of the Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association in Abuja.

They were said to be squatters in an uncompleted building in the Apo/Gudu district of Abuja, where they were attacked by the security agents who were on a mission searching for Boko Haram members.

Speaking shortly before the cheque presentation, the AGF confirmed that the payment of the N135m award would start on Thursday.

He said, “I am glad to inform you that the National Human Rights Commission has received the payment from the Department of State Services and the process of payment of the monies to the beneficiaries starts today,” Malami said.

There was excitement in Enugu State yesterday as 200 lucky traders went home with the sum of N50, 000 each at the second raffle draw of the repackaged state’s Traders Empowerment Scheme held simultaneously across the 54 registered markets in the state.

The money is meant to assist the traders grow their various businesses to help promote all-round economic growth in the state.

Addressing jubilant traders at the famous Oji-River Urban Market, Oji River Local Government Area, Gov. Ugwuanyi, while declaring the lottery draw open, said that his administration built on the success of the first phase of the scheme, “to introduce an improved and modified version that would accommodate more beneficiaries and also extend the scheme to more markets in the State”.

The governor disclosed that the government was in Oji River Urban Market and other 53 registered markets “in continuation of this historic journey to empower traders in Enugu State through a monthly open lottery draw to be held in selected markets across the State”.

He added that the exercise took place simultaneously in all the registered markets in the state to accommodate all interests and “ensure that only genuine traders who are present and participating in the draw will have the opportunity to win”.

While thanking the traders and market associations “for their cooperation and enthusiastic participation in the scheme and continued support for our administration”, the governor reiterated his administration’s “unwavering commitment to improving the standards of living of our people and ensuring that opportunities for growth and rapid development are extended to every class of people in Enugu State”.

Climax of the event in all the markets was the emergence of winners through an open raffle draw and presentation of cheques to the lucky winners amid jubilations.

The second phase of the empowerment scheme was launched in March at the Nkwo Ogbede Market, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, with an annual packaged of N120 million instead of the initial N60 million in keeping with the vision to enhance the living standard of the traders in particular and people of the state in general.