PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013
PAGE 6
News
Borno mosque attack: JNI demands probe By Aisha Biola Raji
T
he Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, has demanded a probe into the recent attack and killing of worshippers at a mosque in Konduga town of Borno state. A JNI statement on
Wednesday described the attack as barbaric, callous, obscure and incomprehensible and “utterly condemnable in its entirety.” The statement signed by the JNI Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, said that the group was worried that with the state of emergency currently in place in Borno state, and with the visible security check points at every nook and cranny of the state, “it is hardly
believable that such dastardly acts could still occur unabated. “Hence, the JNI is seriously perturbed by it and calls for curtailing the proliferation of small arms. “In as much as there is the need for restraint and caution on the part of the security men in the affected areas, we are interested to know how the perpetrators gained access to the cordoned areas with such explosives
and guns? “Who were they? Why were they not prevented or arrested and what were the motives behind such repeated orchestrated and heinous acts? “In the light of the above, we call on governments at all levels to do everything possible as a matter of urgency to stop these evil acts of unleashing terror on innocent and peace loving souls,” the JNI stressed.
Jonathan appoints Pius Osunyikanmi DG, Technical Aid Corps
P
resident Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of Dr. Pius Olakunle Osunyikanmi as the new Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Technical Aid Corps (TAC). He was until his appointment Special Adviser to the President on International Relations. Osunyikanmi succeeds Ambassador Mamman M. Daura whose tenure expired in June. A native of Ile-Oluji in Ondo state, Osunyikanmi holds a doctorate degree in Political Science. He previously served in several capacities including Special Adviser to the Governor of Ondo state on Inter-governmental Affairs and Multilateral Relations (20092010), and Commissioner for Education, Ondo state (2010).
JTF kills 7 suspected armed bandits in Gombe
From David Hassan, Gombe
T L-R: Representative of former Lagos state Governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr. Leke Pitan, representative of President Goodluck Jonathan, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Ambassador Jibrin Chinade, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Henry Odein Ajumogobia, during the public presentation of a pictorial biography of Chief Emeka Anyaoku yesterday in Lagos. Photo: Olawale Rotimi
Lagos Dantata rescues NORTEX, police kill FINETEX staff with N250m Customs A officer From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos
A
n Assistant Inspector of Customs whose name was simply given as Orok was yesterday shot dead allegedly by some policemen at the second gate of Tin Can Ports, Apapa, Lagos. The deceas e d , w h o u n t i l his death was attached to the Federal Operations Unit of the Customs in Ikeja, was said to have been recovering from injury he sustained in an auto accident few weeks ago before he met his death. Sources close to the Customs told our c o r r e s p o n d e n t t h a t the late Orok who works in the office of the Provost at FOU was barely a year old in the service. The Public Relations Officer at FOU, Uche Ejesieme, confirmed the killing, noting that investigations were on to ascertain circumstances that led to the shooting.
major shareholder at the comatose NORTEX/ FINETEX textile companies in Kaduna, Alhaji Aminu Dantata has doled out N250 million as final settlement of staff gratuities. Secretary General, National Union of Textile, Garment & Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, disclosed this at a press conference in Kaduna yesterday. Aremu described the development as a giant stride for the union in the effort to ensure settlement of entitlements of workers in closed textile
factories. According to him, the two companies were closed down in September 2003 without settlement of workers’ gratuities amounting to N305,653,887, outstanding salaries amounting to N63,434,190 as well as outstanding union dues of N7.6m. “When all efforts by the union to bring the management of both companies to a round table discussion failed, the union resorted to legal action to get justice and secure the payment of their terminal benefits. “At the hearing on December 8, 2005, the presiding Judge advised that in order to avoid long argument on
the matter, parties should go for out of court settlement. “The management rolled out a blueprint for the revival of the company and offered to pay the sum of N250 million as the total and final payment for workers’ entitlements. “They (management) explained that only Alhaji Aminu Dantata is ready to bring in the money as other shareholders have backed out and after consultation, and given the workers’ acceptance of the offer, the union wrote to the management accepting the offer of N250 million as full and final settlement of their gratuities.”
was taken at the weekly state Executive Council meeting. He noted that last year, the registration fees were fixed at N37, 000 for Arts students while Science students paid N43, 000. He said that with the reduction, Arts students in the university would now pay N27,000 while N32,000 would be paid by Science students. He said that those who registered last year would be
refunded 25 per cent of fees paid. Similarly, he added, “those who registered last year but have graduated will also be refunded 25 per cent of the fees earlier paid.” Meanwhile, the state transport authority has allocated two 30-seater mass transit buses for use by students of Federal University, Dutsin-ma, Isa Kaita College of Education and secondary schools in the Dutsin-ma area.
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua varsity: Shema approves reduction in fees From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina
G
overnor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina state has approved the reduction of registration fees for both Arts and Science students of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University by 25 per cent. Shema’s Special Adviser on Higher Education, Alhaji Aliyu Haruna Jani, explained that the decision to reduce the fees
he Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Gombe state has killed seven suspected armed bandits while a stray bullet hit a teenager which also resulted in her death. Our correspondent who visited the scene reports that the incident happened around 1am on Wednesday when the suspected bandits invaded Baurunde community on the outskirts of Gombe. According to eyewitness accounts, the hoodlums went through a hill and started shooting sporadically, drawing the attention of residents who informed operatives of the JTF who were on patrol. The source said during the gun battle with JTF, some of the hoodlums escaped while others were arrested. The account said that those arrested led the JTF to an uncompleted building where some other bandits were hiding and engaged them in a shootout. The eye witness said that the teenager who lost her life was believed to be a child of one of the hoodlums. He noted that the mother of the teenager was also involved in the gun battle but escaped with bullet wounds. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer at Gombe state Police Command, DSP Fwaje Atajiri, confirmed the attack. He told our reporter that the hoodlums were among those who attacked the NNPC mega filling station in Gombe recently where they lost two policemen and another attack at Makay Supermarket where they carted away undisclosed amount of money. He warned residents especially landlords to always investigate tenants before accommodating them in their respective houses.