Federal Government alerts public on outbreak of birdflu in 7 states, FCT

The Federal Government on Friday alerted the public to the outbreak of Avian Influenza or Birdflu in the FCT and seven states of the country.

Dr Gideon Mshelbwala, the Director of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development raised the alert at a meeting with state Commissioners of Agriculture in Abuja on Friday.

Mshelbwala listed the states affected by the outbreak to include Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT and lastly Kaduna, which reported a case in May 30.

He said that the disease had spread across 26 states of the federation and the FCT since it started in 2008 affecting 800 farms in no fewer than 123 local government areas.

Mshelbwala, who said that there were no scientifically proven vaccines for birdflu, noted that the Federal Government was adopting quarantine, movement control, stamping out, decontamination and bio-security measures to curb the spread.

The director expressed regret over the poor bio-security practices by some poultry farmers, adding that it was the major reason for the continuous spread of the disease.

According to him, the Federal Government has paid over N674 million in compensations to 269 farmers across the affected states.

“Our national action plan encourages proper regulation of the poultry industry and enforcement of annual registration of all actors along the poultry value chain including farmers, traders, egg merchants and feed millers.

“It also encourages the creation of veterinary extension services to facilitate the control and proper inspection of poultry and poultry products,’’ he said.

Mshelbwala said that the way forward to the containment of the disease was to ban importation of poultry and products, quarantine and bio-security measures, among others.

He, however, warned poultry farmers against illegal vaccination of birds, saying that it was a deadly alternative to the control of the disease. 

Daily Trust 

FG To Commence Mining Operations In Enugu

The Federal Government says it has finalised plans with South African investors to commence mining operations at the abandoned coal mines in Enugu.

The Director General, Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu who led South African investors Simang Group said the new development is in fulfillment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s promises made to Igbos to revamp coal for power generation.

Which is why the investors are in Enugu to meet with the Governor and discuss modalities of operations

The Managing Director of the company, Andrew Mosangwa emphasised on the need for local partnership and its importance to job creation and power generation.

The Governor of the state, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi expressed his readiness to partner with the group for the realisation of the goal.

Coal mining in Nigeria since the discovery of oil has been relegated as a source of revenue and power generation but has returned on the front burner of both state and Federal Government.

Source :Channels.com 

The House of Representatives Proposes Six months Jail Term for anyone that disturbes public queues

The House of Representatives is proposing a six months jail term for anyone caught jumping queues in public places. The bill which is currently on the floor of the house, scaled second reading yesterday June 1st.

According to the sponsor of the bill, Abubakar Amuda-Kannike (Kwara-APC), the bill if passed will ensure that Nigerians conduct themselves orderly in public places.

“The bill underscores the need to re-awaken a derailed national culture by proposing disciplinary measures to guide Nigerians in their daily behaviours. In our society today, out of total disregard for other persons, who strive to do the right thing by conducting themselves orderly in public places, a large number of Nigerians distort queues and go unpunished. The bill if passed shall provide a starting point of value and cultural re-orientation in Nigeria. The bill underscores the need to re-awaken the derailed national culture by proposing disciplinary measures to guide Nigerians in their daily behaviors. Any nation that is not organised cannot have rapid growth. We should be seen as organised people from point of entry but we have accepted that anything goes. Every school should have civic education in its curriculum to instil patriotism and orderliness in the country”he said

Another lawmaker, Sam Onuigbo who spoke in favor of the bill, said that it would among other things, ensure orderliness, equity, fairness and justice in the distribution of services in the country.

“It will be nice for us to be seen as orderly people from the point of entry into the country,” Onuigbo said.

Nursing Student Allegedly Impregnated By Lecturer Gives Birth

A former nursing student of the Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese Ijebu, Mosunmola,
has been delivered of a baby boy.

The 28-year-old gave birth without any complication at the General Hospital, Epe, Lagos State, on Thursday.

Punch Metro had reported that Mosunmola and her lecturer, Dr Seyi Adu, had  a sexual intercourse in a hotel sometime in August 2016.

While Mosunmola claimed that she was coerced into the relationship by Adu after she failed his course, Adu said he was seduced by the his student whom he never loved or dated.

After lecturers, the head of Adu’s department and provost of the health college tried in vain to mediate in the matter, the case was taken before the ministry of justice.

An official in the ministry was said to have brokered a deal between the parties as Adu agreed to be paying Mosunmola a monthly allowance of N5,000.

The agreement reportedly broke down in March,2017 when Mosunmola presented a list of baby items which she valued at N50,000. Adu was said to have turned down the request.

Punch correspondent reported that matters came to a head when pregnant Mosunmola, who claimed to be an orphan, confronted Adu during a lecture, which resulted in a fight.

She was said to have reported a case of assault against the lecturer at the Ilese Police Division.
Mosunmola had lamented that she was due for delivery in May, but had yet to procure baby materials.

After Punch Metro tried in vain to reach her since last Monday, a call to her phone eventually sailed through on Thursday.

After exchanging pleasantries, she told our correspondent that she was delivered of a baby boy on Thursday.

She said, “I gave birth to a baby boy this morning (Thursday) at the general hospital. It was a normal delivery without any complication. I started labour around 12am (Thursday). I first went to a herbal home, but when the traditional midwives could not handle it, they took me to the general hospital around 5am. I eventually put to bed at about 6.30am.

“The leadership of the church, where I have been, staying has shown me support. They brought food to me this morning. I cannot repay them for their help.

“I called Adu’s family members this morning to break the news to them. I also called him and he thanked me for turning him to a star. We were still talking when my phone battery went dead. I used someone’s phone to call him back and asked him to call me on that phone, but he refused. I could not charge the phone battery on time due to the power situation in my area.”

Mosunmola told Punch she owed hospital bills which totalled about N20,000, appealing for support from well-meaning Nigerians.

When a Punch correspondent called Adu, who already had two girls with his wife, and asked if he was aware of the development, he declined comment and terminated the call.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Tunde Ipaye, said the committee set up to investigate the matter had turned in its findings, adding that it was discovered that the matter had been mediated by the Citizens Right Department of the Ministry of Justice.

He said, “From investigation, we discovered that the lady was indeed a student where the lecturer taught. But when the affair started, she had finished from the school. There was disagreement between them on who was responsible for the pregnancy. The lady had claimed that another man was responsible for it, but that she needed money for her upkeep. When communication broke down between them, she insisted that the pregnancy belonged to the man.

“She went to report the case at the Citizens Rights Department, Ministry of Justice, Ijebu Ode. The office mediated with a written Memorandum of Understanding which was signed by the parties. The man agreed to be paying her N5,000 every month.

“The man has been fulfilling his part of the bargain since that time. The lady then demanded N250,000 for accommodation, which was not part of the agreement, and the man refused. He said if the baby turned out to be his, he would accept it. These are all documented.

“Although there are ethical issues, their agreement seems to have negated the ethical concerns because they have also signed the MoU and the man had accepted to take responsibility, including informing his wife.”

A top source at the General Hospital, Epe, confirmed that Mosunmola had been delivered of a baby boy.

“She was delivered of a baby this morning. It was a normal delivery and there was no problem whatsoever. Both mother and child are in good health,”he said.

Photo: Man rubs salt, pepper into housemaid’s injuries in Aba

A man, identified as Chibuike Onwuchekwa, inflicted injuries on his housemaid for failing to fill two water containers at Umuga Ovom in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.
Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that Onwuchekwa and his wife had, last Sunday, sent the young girl (names withheld) to fill two water containers in their house from a nearby borehole, while they left for church service.
The couple returned from church to discover that the girl, aged about 10, was unable to fill the two containers before the borehole owner closed shop.

Onwuchekwa beat the girl, leaving her with injuries, locked her up and left for an event with his wife, despite the pleas from neighbours.
A resident of the community, who gave his name as Nkem, said they decided to invite the Police when the girl escaped from the house to inform them that Onwuchekwa poured a mixture of salt and pepper on the injuries he inflicted on her during the earlier beating.
He disclosed that the girl had suffered several of such beatings from Onwuchekwa. In one instance, when she was accused of theft in her school, he beat her even though she was absolved of the accusation by her teachers.
Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abia State Command, DSP Geoffrey Ogbonna, said he was not aware of the incident.
However, a senior Police officer at the Eastern Ngwa Division confirmed the incident, adding that the girl is receiving medical attention.

How traditional ruler ordered police Inspector to be buried alive

Six months after a detective attached to the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, disappeared into thin air, his corpse has been found in a shallow grave at the Ibeju Lekki area of the metropolis.

The deceased, Inspector Musa Sunday, was abducted, tortured and later buried alive while on illegal duty at Ibeju Lekki. Sunday and four of his men were alleged to have been drafted to guard a land, which was under dispute by their Admin Officer (AO), at Ibeju Lekki.

The policemen were drafted to the disputed land without the knowledge of the Officer in Charge of SARS (OC) and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni. The skeleton of the inspector, 45, a father of four children, with their ages ranging from four, six, eight and 12, was exhumed from a shallow grave after six months search.

At least five persons, including a traditional ruler, otherwise known as Baale have been arrested in connection with the murder of the inspector. A police source said: “The police are hunting for one Mr Balogun, who led the hoodlums that attacked, abducted and buried Sunday alive.

In fact, information at police disposal says that it was the fleeing Balogun that tied his hands before burying him. Balogun’s second in command, Arokin is in police custody. He’s helping police with investigation.”

The suspects confessed to have buried him alive after starving him for more than five days. They also admitted to have buried him alive on the orders of a traditional ruler, who has interest in the land under dispute.

Sunday was abducted sometimes in November, while guarding the disputed land. The abductors made away with his rifle. The inspector, who was the leader of the team, was on duty with four other policemen.

The abductors, alleged to be armed to the teeth, stormed the land on that fateful day in November and over powered Sunday, his policemen and civilian guards, patrolling. The civilian guards were there on the instruction of one of the men struggling for possession of the land, identified simply as Prince, living in Ikeja.

The Prince and his opponent had allegedly been fighting over possession of the land for months. This has led to several people, from both factions, being killed and maimed. A police source said that both men had been warring, using paid thugs, until Prince decided to take SARS men.

But rather than go through the proper channel, which was to contact Owoseni or OC SARS, Prince went to his friend, the AO. When the AO ordered Sunday with some policemen to the land, the Inspector couldn’t argue with his superior.

Sunday was kidnapped when he confronted a large number of thugs from the other faction. The thugs attacked, injured and attempted to carry away some of Prince’s thugs. An inside source said: “Sunday’s men abandoned him and ran away because the thugs from the other faction large expanse of land.

The Prince came to SARS to get policemen to keep his opponent from encroaching on the land.” After his abduction, his phone stopped going through. His colleagues became frantic. Sunday’s wife and family members besieged the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, demanding to know what had become of him. Speaking with a journalist a few months after the abduction of Sunday, his wife, Halimat, 27, said:

“They were deployed there to maintain peace. We learnt that hoodlums were attacking a man, so my husband and his men moved to rescue the man. He told the other two policemen to go and put the man in the car so he could be safe.

The hoodlums pounced on my husband and took him away. Sensing danger as the hoodlums kept increasing in number, his men ran away. Since then, we have not heard from him.” On the fateful day of the incident, Halimat said that she spoke with Sunday around 4pm; he promised to come home the following day.

In the evening, his kids demanded to speak with him, so Halimat called his line repeatedly, but it didn’t go through. In the morning, some of his colleagues called Halimat and told her what happened. Since then, Halimat and Sunday’s family members had been visiting the police headquarters in Lagos, praying and hoping.

She added, “Three months after, police kept telling us that they were on the matter. We learnt they have arrested the Prince that hired the hoodlums, but nothing has happened since then. His children keep asking after him. His aged mother, who has high blood pressure, has not stopped asking for his whereabouts. We don’t know what else to tell her.”

Halimat, a housewife, noted that since Sunday’s disappearance, she and her kids have been struggling to survive. She’s no longer able to pay the kids’ school fees. She said: “Nobody from the police cared to check on us, and now we don’t have money because we don’t have access to his ATM pin.

I want my husband to come back. The children are suffering, and I can’t carry the load alone.” A police source said: “Sunday was posted there with his team; they were five in number. Two of the policemen later left, saying they were tired of the constant threat.

Even soldiers that were supposed to guard the land with them left, complaining that Prince had never bothered to ask about their welfare. “Sunday has been on that land for almost three weeks when bulldozer entered the land.

Prince’s faction was overpowered. Everyone scampered for safety, but one of Prince’s thugs were held. Sunday ran back to save him. It was in that split second that his policemen and the man he saved drove off in a vehicle, leaving him.

Sunday was grabbed by the hoodlums, beaten and injured.” It was gathered that the fleeing policemen ran to Mobile Police Force (Mopol) 49, Epe. They explained that an inspector had been abducted, that they needed help to rescue him, but the commander allegedly didn’t respond to their pleas.

The policemen moved to Akodo Police Station, where a woman happened to be the Divisional Police Officer (DPO). The DPO said she couldn’t send anyone to the area because it was a volatile axis.

They went to SARS, Ikeja to report and for five days, no action was taken to rescue Sunday. Later, policemen started looking for Sunday, to the extent of going to Bonny Camp, Victoria Island. The soldiers said Sunday wasn’t with them. When the OC SARS went to meet Owoseni, to intimate him of the missing inspector, Owoseni demanded to know the person that deployed Sunday and his men on the illegal duty.

Determined to find Sunday, sources said that the OC SARS approached the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Abba Kyari. It was alleged that through the efforts of the IRT operatives, Sunday’s phone was tracked and some of his alleged killers arrested.

The suspects took police to where Sunday’s rifle was buried. A police source said: “Police investigation also led to the arrest of the traditional ruler. The traditional ruler denied knowing anything about the disappearance of Sunday.

He was invited to the police command; but rather than honour police invitation, he ran to Police Force Headquarters, Abuja. He was told at Abuja to go back to Lagos and respondfirst to police invitation.”

The source continued: “Balogun, who led the operation in which Sunday was kidnapped is on the run. But his second in command, Arokin, has been arrested. Arokin confessed that Sunday was buried alive.

He took police to the shallow grave at Ibeju Lekki. Police brought pathologists from Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), to exhume Sunday’s corpse. “One of the pathologists, when he saw Sunday’s skeleton, said that it looked as if he was buried with his hands tied behind.

It was at that point that Arokin confessed that Sunday was buried alive. He disclosed that after beating and disarming Sunday, he and his colleagues waited for five days for policemen to come for him, but nobody did.

In those five days, they didn’t give him food. He said that when police didn’t come searching for Sunday; the traditional ruler instructed them to go and bury the inspector alive. The traditional ruler said that nothing would happen. Sunday was buried alive.”