THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER •APRIL 23, 2016
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NEWS
In Brief Prisons CG Denies Assault on Lawmaker
The Controller General of Prisons, Dr. Peter Ekpendu has denied alleged beating of a female Lawmaker by his aide. According to a release by the Service spokesman, Mr. Francis Enobore, none of the CG's aides had face off with the Lawmaker. The statement reads: "The attention of the Controller-General of Prisons, Dr. PE Ekpendu has been drawn to media reports on an alleged assault on a female member of the House of Representatives by his aides on Wednesday, 20th April 2016 and the disquiet it has continued to generate. It is important to state that whereas it is true that the Controller-General was at the National Assembly on the invitation of a Committee to attend to some official issues with some of his staff, neither the pilot car in front of him nor his official car had any confrontation with anyone. He went there with four cars and not 20 as alleged."
EFCC Didn't Bar Me, Says Metuh
LETS WORK TOGETHER... L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, discussing with Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Barr. Danladi Ibrahim and General Manager, Marine Service, NIWA, Engr. Olusegun Balogun during a meeting with the Governor in Abuja, recently
Top Osun State Government officials Kidnapped in Kogi Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo and Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja
Three top Osun State government officials have been kidnapped along Obajana-LokojaAbuja road while returning from Abuja. The state government confirmed the kidnap through a release signed by the Head of Service, Mr. Sunday Olayinka Owoeye. The release reads in part: "Preliminary information available to us indicate that the gunmen
accosted them between Obajana and Lokoja, the Kogi State capital and forced them to stop before the three officials were violently whisked away. "The officials were returning from Abuja where they attended the briefing on the State and Local Government Reforms Project; a World Bank and European Union Programme. "The Government has alerted all necessary security agencies nationwide in general and Kogi State in particular towards safe release of the three abducted
officials”. The government however appealed to all Nigerians for useful information that could lead to their immediate release. THISDAY gathered that the victims were marched into the bush by their captors while the official vehicle in which they were traveling was abandoned by the road side. The Permanent Secretary and the Director were said to be on their way from Abuja where they had gone to represent the state at the monthly FAAC meeting.
When THISDAY called on the Kogi State Police Commissioner, Mr. Yakubu Umar, he disclosed that he was in Abuja but yet to be briefed. It would recalled that just this week Monday, three staff of the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) Ltd, situated at Itakpe along the Lokoja-Okene high way in Kogi State were also kidnapped by some suspected kidnappers. The abducted workers were John Job, Mohammed Tajudeen and Samuel Abiodun.
Man to Die for Killing Fulani Man Tobi Soniyi in Abuja The Supreme Court has affirmed the death sentence handed out to a farmer and father of five, James Afolabi by the Kogi State High Court and the Court of Appeal. In a unanimous judgment delivered yesterday, a five-man panel of the apex court held that there was no basis to disturb the concurrent finding of the trial of the Appellate and lower courts in their previous judgments. Afolabi, from Kogi State, was convicted and sentenced to death by the Kogi State High Court, Lokoja in 2012 having been found guilty for the murder of a Fulani man, Abubakar Mohammed.
The court relied on Afolabi's confessional statement to the police, where he claimed to have shot Mohammed on the chest for straying into his (Afolabi's) yam and cassava farm on February 27, 2009. The Court of Appeal, Abuja on March 22, 2012 dismissed his appeal and upheld the decision of the trial court, a decision he appealed to the Supreme Court. Yesterday, Justice John Inyang Okoro, in the lead judgment, in the appeal marked: SC/181/2012, held that although the prosecution could not produce an eye witness at trial, it provided sufficient evidence, through its witnesses, "which gave vent to the confession of the appellant. "And in any case, this court held
in Mohammed v State (2007) 11 NWLR (pt 1045) 303 at 230 paragraph F that where an accused person confesses to a crime, in the absence of an eye witness of the killing, he can be convicted on his confession alone. "For all I have said, I hold a strong view that the court below was on a strong wicket when it upheld the conviction and sentencing of the appellant upon reliance on his confessional statements," he said. Justice Okoro also sided with the lower court in concluding that the intention of the appellant was to kill the victim. "In the instant case, the appellant states emphatically, in Exhibit D (confessional statement), adjudged
to have been freely and voluntarily made, that he aimed his gun at the chest of the deceased at close range and shot him. "It was his further evidence that the deceased fell down and could not move again. At that point, he ran to the village head and reported that he had killed a man. "In the circumstance, did he intend to kill the man? I had earlier stated in this judgment that a person is taken to intend that natural and probable consequences of his act. "So, when the appellant aimed his gun at the chest of the deceased and shot it, did he intend to keep him alive? I do not think so. At least he intended to cause him grievous bodily harm."
JEDC: Why We Disengaged Some of Our Workers Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Managing Director (MD) of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) Plc, Alhaji Gidado Modibo has denied alleged disparities in the salaries of workers, noting that the company would continue to put the welfare of staff as top priority. Explaining that salaries of staff of the company were harmonised in November 2015, the MD said the records were there to back his claim, adding that "we know the relevance of morale to efficiency, and cannot treat some workers
better than the others because we all need their maximum output." Modibbo, who addressed the press in his office, also said "The union's claim that we have been sacking people is not true. Since we took over the company in 2013, we have recruited more than 150 people into the system. "We only disengaged a few redundant and weak people that were not adding any value to the system, and that included four Assistant General Managers, four Business Managers and some principal and senior managers.
"We run JEDC as a private outfit that must stay afloat and survive, so much premium is placed on productivity and resourcefulness. "The records and data are there to support the performances of those sacked and those retained. "We have found out that it is the former workers that were sacked over such poor performance that have mobilised students and miscreants to fight the system." He said some of those sanctioned were shown the way out because they were involved in all manners of extortion.
"But they are struggling to remain in the system which is not just possible because the union cannot force us to engage or keep anyone we do not find useful." Mr. Musa Ayiga, Vice President, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), North-East had recently accused the JEDC of sacking no fewer than 50 employees, including him. Ayiga told the newsmen in Jos that the management carried out the sack over staff agitation arising from disparity in salaries and working conditions.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) , ChiefOlisaMetuhhasdeniedreportsthathehasbeenbarredfromcontesting for any position in the forthcoming national convention of the party. Metuh in statement issued on Friday, said that both the party's guideline and constitution of country upheld the principle that one was presumed innocent until indicted by the law court. "I have been inundated with calls from friends and associates enquiring about a report in a section of the media suggesting that I have been barred from contesting any position at the forthcoming National Convention of our great party. Nothing can be farther from the truth! I wish to restate that the decision not to contest is personal and completely within my right. At no time have I ever been approached or any responsible person ever infer that the constitution of our party should be changed to exclude those facing court trials.
Assassins Kill Medical Doctor
Management and staff of the University of UyoTeaching Hospital (UUTH) inAkwaIbomStatehavebeenthrownintomourningasyettobeidentified gunmen assassinated, the Head of Pathology Department of the hospital, Dr. Ivy Umana.The deceased who was declared missing by the university authority was later discovered to have been murdered by suspected hired assassins at her residence in Shelter Afrique Housing Estate in Uyo, the state capital. The body of late Dr. Umana aged 44 who reportedly lived alone at her residence was seen when her house was forcefully opened on a search. By the time of filing in this report the cause for her assassination could not be ascertained as family sources suspected that she must have been killed by hired assassins. “She was living alone in her Shelter Afrique residence before her murder. We just heard that gunmen came to her house and killed her”, a source said.
Unijos Appoints Maimako VC
Followingakeencontestamong26Professors,SebastianSeddiMaimako has emerged the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Plateau State. In a statement signed by the Principal Assistant Registrar, Information and Publications of the university, Mr. Abdullahi Abdullahi, the university on Friday announced the appointment of Maimako, saying "The 12th Governing Council of the University of Jos has approved the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor for the University. He is Professor Sebastian Seddi Maimako who is the Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Jos. This follows the Council’s consideration of the recommendation of its Selection Board at its Special Meeting held on Friday 22nd April, 2016. His appointment will take effect from 23rd June, 2016."The statement added that the appointment was for a single term of five years.
RCCG Shops for N300m
The Redeemed Church of God Mission, Upper Room Assembly, Ogudu Road branch is hosting an impartation service where it hopes to raise about N300 million to enable it build facilities to accommodate the 600 member strong congregation. “It is pertinent to note that Upper room Assembly has been growingprogressively in congregation and has planted seven new parishes within the Lagos province 19. Presently, we have over 600 members including children as the strength of worshipers and thisis putting a lot of strain on the subsisting facilities in the church, hence the urgent need to have a bigger and better structure for the Area/ Zonal Headquarter. “Our mission is to raise the sum of =N=300million between April and August 2016.To this effect, Pastor J.TKalejaiye will be coming on April 30, 2016 for an Impartation service of Kingdom partners to launch the new church project.The programme starts at 3 pm prompt at our church auditorium, 122, Ogudu road, Ogudu GRA, Lagos”, they said.
Okugbe Club Elects Officials
Okugbe Social Club Nigeria recently elected her new executive members toruntheaffairsoftheClubforthenexttwoyears;January2016-December 2018.Those elected to pilot the affairs of the club are; Dr. Jacob Otabuko (President),Mr.Alfred Okurokpe(VicePresident);Mr.DanielRhogho(General Secretary);Mr.RobinsonEberuje(AssistantGeneralSecretary);Mr.Gabriel Ikpedia(Treasurer);Mr.EdwardTanure(Spokesman);Mr.SundayEssi(Elder); Mr. Bright Edefah (Patron Internal) and Mr. Goodluck Onorienobohwo (Adviser). Others are Mr. Monday Esemedi (Adviser); Evang. Macaulay Obore (Financial Secretary); Mr. Victor Agharehon (Assistant Financial Secretary); and Mr. Issac Najuvie (Organising Secretary) Certificates of Leadership were presented to the officers.
Hussey College Old Students
Hussey College Warri Old Students Association(HCWOSA), Lagos branch will hold its monthly meeting on Sunday April 24, 2016 at No.20, Wole Olateru Crescent, Lekki Phase-1, Lekki Pennisula. According to a statementsignedbytheSecretaryoftheassociation,Mr.EmmanuelMok, the meeting to be hosted by Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (rtd), former Chief of Defence Administration and one-time Minister of Transport, will deliberate on the school's 69th anniversary dinner/awards nights slated for Saturday, June 11, 2016 as well as ongoing HCWOSA projects in the institution.