Thursday, February 02, 2017
The Nigerian Army says it has summoned a soldier, Sulaiman Olamilekan, and a guard commander, for allegedly assaulting a Nollywood actress, Jewel Infinity, at a checkpoint along the Port Harcourt-Onitsha Road, Rivers State.

The PUNCH had reported on Wednesday that the Nollywood actress posted on her Facebook wall that she was allegedly assaulted by Olamilekan, while boarding a Sienna bus from Port Harcourt to Onitsha, Anambra State.

The actress, who was admitted to a hospital after the assault, had called on the army authorities to deal with the soldiers for infringing on her fundamental human rights.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, said on Wednesday that the soldiers had been summoned and necessary action was being taken by the army authorities on the matter.

He said, “The matter has been communicated to the General Officer Commanding, 6 Division and the necessary action is being taken. The soldier and his guard commander have been invited while effort is on to locate the lady.

“We enjoin the general public to have trust and confidence in the army by appropriately reporting issues to us; and if nothing is done, then they can go public with it.”

The actress, Infinity, had narrated that she was allegedly beaten with a wooden object by Olamilekan, after he accused her of insulting him while inspecting the vehicle.

“At the first checkpoint immediately after the airport, the soldiers us and asked our bus to pull over for the usual scrutinisation. One of them, the youngest, Sulaiman Olamilekan, began to molest me. He accused me of insulting him, but I was discussing with a lady sitting beside me.”

Thursday, February 02, 2017
A former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has returned a fresh sum of N30m to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, with a promise to pay a balance of N417m, The PUNCH can confirm.

Calculations by our correspondent showed that the former minister has now returned N167m to the Federal Government.

A reliable source told our correspondent that the former minister paid the money from his Diamond Bank account to the EFCC Recovered Funds Account.

The source stated, “I can confirm that Senator Obanikoro has been meeting up his part of the agreement. You will recall that last year, he promised to return a certain amount of money every quarter.

“He has made a payment of N30m, his first instalment in 2017. He is also reporting at the EFCC as he should.”

The ex-minister, who returned to Nigeria in October 2016, after spending about 15 months in the United States, was accused of receiving N4.7bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).

Obanikoro had said in his statement of oath at the EFCC that after receiving the money in 2014, he gave N1.219bn to the then governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, while N1.3bn was given to the PDP governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

He also confessed to giving Fayose a separate $5.377m at Spotless Hotel in Ekiti State in the presence of party stalwarts, including the then PDP state secretary, Mr. Tope Aluko.

Obanikoro was said to have kept about N785m for himself, which he allegedly spent while campaigning ahead of the PDP governorship primary in Lagos State, which Mr. Jimi Agbaje won.

However, the EFCC asked him to return about N584m, out of which he has returned N167m.

At the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, Mr. Alade Sunday, a manager at Zenith Bank, narrated how Obanikoro delivered about N1.219bn to Fayose’s aide, Abiodun Agbele, for onward transmission to Fayose.

He had added that it took the cashiers about 10 days to count all the money.

Sunday had said Obanikoro flew the cash to Akure airport and the money was loaded onto bullion vans.

“When we got to the airport, we waited for some minutes before the aircraft arrived. When the aircraft offloaded its passengers, one of them appeared to me to be Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and the other one appeared to be his ADC, Adewale.

“Agbele walked up to them and had a discussion with them. Thereafter, he signaled to me to bring the van. Bags loaded with cash were loaded into the van and Obanikoro’s ADC, I and Agbele drove back to the bank,” he had stated.

Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service who allegedly examined and cleared the ammunition-laden container at the Apapa port, Lagos State, have been declared wanted.

Our correspondent learnt on Tuesday that the officers, Abdullahi I, with service number 44483 ASC, and Odiba Haruna Inah, with service number 133386, fled after the weapons were uncovered by the operatives of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), had said the agency arrested three suspects – Oscar Okafor (importer), Mahmud Hassan (clearing agent) and Sadique Mustapha (escort) – in connection with the arms smuggling.

He had explained that some other customs officers were arrested, adding that investigations were ongoing.

However, the spokesperson for the FOU, Jerry Attah, told our correspondent   on Tuesday that the suspects were cooperating, saying the two officers were declared wanted for their roles in the incident.

He said, “Immediately the weapons were uncovered, they took to their heels and that is why we are declaring them wanted. They were the ones that examined and checked the container at the Apapa port.

“The other suspects, including three other officers, are still in our custody pending the conclusion of investigations. There will be no half measures. We will get to the root of the case.”

Our correpondent saw a document, signed by the DCG Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Dan Ugo, declaring the two men wanted.

The document, which displayed their pictures and force numbers, said, “The above customs officers are wanted in connection with the clearance of a one-by-40-foot container no PONU/825914/3 found to contain 661 pump-action rifles.

“Whenever/wherever seen, they should be arrested and taken to the nearest customs formation….”

The PUNCH had reported that customs officers on patrol along the Mile 2 Apapa Expressway intercepted a container with 49 boxes stuffed with 661 pump-action rifles.

The manifest, which accompanied the 40-foot container was said to have declared that ‘steel doors and other merchandise goods’ were in the container.

The officers, however, found boxes of the weapons concealed deep in the container which came from China and was routed through Turkey.

Wednesday, February 01, 2017
The Federal Road Safety Corps says it will commence full enforcement of installation of speed limiting device in commercial vehicles nationwide on February 1 (today).

This is coming a few months after what it called ‘advisory enforcement’ without apprehending motorists.

The Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, Bisi Kazeem, told newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday that sector and field commands of the agency had been fully mobilised for the exercise.

He said the army, police, civil defence and other security agencies were on standby to provide security support for the enforcement.

Kazeem  also stated that mobile courts had been set up nationwide for the purpose, adding that defaulters could pay up to N3,000 as penalty.

He said, “In readiness for the full enforcement tomorrow (Wednesday), the field commands have been fully mobilised nationwide. To facilitate enforcement, a portal for Speed Limiting Device was created and is operational and a short code to confirm the installation of the SLD is active.

“A standard operating procedure has been dispatched with a directive that copies of the standard operating procedure be shared to security agencies within the commands’ areas of jurisdiction.

“A template for daily report has also been designed and forwarded to commands, while booking sheets with ‘Failure to Install Speed Limiting Device’ have been distributed to field commands.”

For effectiveness, Kazeem added that sector commanders had been instructed to carry out joint patrols with unit commands throughout the month of February.

According to him, commands are expected to hold mobile court sittings from the outset, and where mobile courts are likely to slow down the enforcement, they can proceed without them.

“We have created a situation room to monitor and collate reports on a daily basis and trial runs for the clampdown. Sector commands are fully prepared and have made arrangements for security backups and joint patrols with the police, civil defence, army and other security agencies,’’ he said.

Kazeem also  said the high involvement of commercial vehicles in road crashes across the country informed the need to begin the enforcement with them, adding that there was no going back on the policy.

After its initial opposition to the device, the House of Representatives in May last year later endorsed it as part of measures to curb road crashes.

A report of the House Committee on Committee on Federal Road Safety Commission indicated that the FRSC acted within the powers conferred on it by the FRSC Act, 2007, to“implement strategies to safeguard lives and property of road users.”

Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Latifat Ayodele, pictured in the photos has been reported missing since 28th of January, 201 – according to her family members, she was sent by her dad to withdraw the sum of N50,000 from an ATM around Kola bus stop and after he received an alert that his account had been debited, she is yet to return home.
Latifat Ayodele1

Anyone with valuable information should please contact 08078029214 or mention Twitter user @CallmeBiola.

Latifat Ayodele2

Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Musician Dede Mabiaku claimed yesterday that Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, told him to 'shut up' during their debate on Lagos Talk 91.3fm. But from the video, Adesina actually told him to 'keep quiet'. Please what is the difference between 'keep quiet' and 'shut up'.


Watch the video below:


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