Arsenal announce Giroud deal

Arsenal have confirmed that Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud will join the club on a long-term contract on July 1.

Giroud, who scored 25 goals for France’s unlikely title-winners last season, has been representing France at Euro 2012, and has agreed a move to the Premier League following the completion of their campaign in Poland.




The striker, 25, has completed a medical with Arsenal and will join the club in a transfer worth in the region of £13 million once the formalities of the deal have been completed.

Arsene Wenger told the club’s official website: “We are delighted to have secured the signing of Olivier Giroud. He has a very good physical presence and is exceptional in the air, with a great work ethic. We are excited about Olivier joining us and he will add an additional dimension to our attacking options next season.

“He has proved that he is capable of performing at the top level with club and country, and we saw what a big influence he was in Montpellier’s championship-winning side last season. We all look forward to Olivier joining us and seeing him play in an Arsenal shirt.”

Giroud is the second signing of the transfer window for Arsenal, who prior to the start of Euro 2012 confirmed they had secured Germany international Lukas Podolski from Cologne.

The striker has only played top-flight football for two seasons – scoring 33 goals in 73 Ligue 1 appearances for Montpellier – and otherwise has spells in the lower leagues with Grenoble, Istres and Tours on his CV.

He said: “I am delighted to be here at Arsenal and to be part of one of the great teams in English football. It’s a huge satisfaction to join this great club and it’s been a dream since I was young to play in the Premier League.

“I was attracted by the philosophy of football and Arsene Wenger’s ‘touch’ at this club. I have always admired Arsenal with its great history and reputation, and I now hope to achieve great things here. I’m very proud to be a Gunner and I will give my best for all the Arsenal fans.”
Giroud made three appearances at Euro 2012 though he played only 32 minutes.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Prince killed in Lagos land dispute

Prince Ibrahim Balogun of Isheri-Olofin community in Lagos was killed by hired hoodlums on Monday, over a land dispute.

This fresh violence is coming barely two days after two persons were confirmed dead in a bloody clash at Ilaja area of the state, over a sand dredging site.

Balogun was said to have been attacked by hired hoodlums while he was attempting to flee on a commercial motorcycle during a clash between residents of Idimu and Isheri-Olofin.

Both communities had engaged each another in a fierce fight over some landed property.

The violence which started on Sunday left several persons injured while properties were also destroyed.

The State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide also confirmed Prince Ibrahim's death.

It was gathered that High court verdict in Lagos ruled that the disputed land located between the two communities at the Council Bus Stop and Arida area of the state, belonged to the indigenes of Isheri-Olofin.

The verdict, which was delivered in April, was however appealed by the indigenes of Idimu who had been selling the land to prospective buyers.

However, it was further gathered that indigenes of Isheri-Olofin had stormed the area asking the residents to vacate the land as the land rightfully belonged to them.

This did not go down well with the settlers on the land and a fight ensued as the settlers vowed not to leave the property they claimed to have paid millions of naira to purchase.

It was in the wake of the forceful eviction led by several hired thugs that the said Prince Ibrahim was allegedly killed.

The violence also forced schools and several businesses in the area to hurriedly close up on Monday, as the feuding communities engaged each another with guns and other dangerous weapons.

Though the police claimed there was no clash in the area, residents however appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to wade into the matter in the interest of peace.
Culled:dailytimesnigeria

NUC suspends part-time programmes

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced the suspension of all part-time programmes run by universities in the country.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, also announced the results of accreditation of courses run by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Okojie said the commission wanted to streamline part-time programmes such that it would accommodate not more than 20 per cent of the students in universities and stop the establishment of satellite campuses.

Okojie also announced that 30 NOUN programmes have been granted accreditation.

He said four programmes- Cooperative Management, Entrepreneurship and Business Management, Agric Extension and Management and Hotel & Catering Management were granted full accreditation, 29 programmes were granted interim accreditation while Nursing Science was denied accreditation for failing to meet requirements.

Culled:Dailytrustnigeria

Camel kills aide to Zamfara State governor

Ado Yahaya, the Head of the Special Protection Unit of Governor Abdul-Aziz Yari of Zamfara State, has been confirmed dead after he was involved in a motor accident involving the governor’s motorcade and a camel.


Pics:googleimage


Yahaya, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, died in the incident on Gummi-Sokoto Road, while five other police officers attached to the governor’s security detail sustained injuries.

Nuhu Anka, the Director of Press and Communication to the governor, told journalists on Monday that the accident occurred when the governor’s convoy was returning from Talata Mafara, after a road inspection visit in Gummi.

Anka, who was also on the convoy, said the vehicle conveying members of the special protection unit ran into a stray camel while on high speed; resulting in the death of Yahaya.

He said the governor had instructed that the corpse should be conveyed to Gusau for funeral rites, while the injured policemen were admitted at the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau.
Culled:dailytimesnigeria

NIMET forecasts 7 days rainfall for Lagos

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET)  says Lagos will soon experience a seven-day rainfall.

 Mr Abayomi Oyegoke of NIMET Central Forecast Unit, Oshodi, Lagos, made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen in Lagos.

Pics:googleimage

He said a total of 570 mm of rainfall was recorded in Lagos State between January and June.

Oyegoke said the rains being experienced in state were prelude to the seven-day rainfall. ``In the past one week, we have being having a prelude to the seven days rainfall and immediately after that, we will experience a little dry season. The dry season indicates the onset of the August break, and it seems the break may come early this year; towards the second or third week of July,’’.

 Culled :Dailytrustnigeria/NAN

Pregnant woman, six others electrocuted

Seven people, one of them a pregnant woman, have been reported dead at Apata market in Ibadan, Oyo State when a live high tension power supply cable of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) suddenly fell on traders at the busy market.

The gory incident which occurred at about 7 o'clock in the morning affected mostly vegetable dealers as they were busy transacting their business at the popular Agbekoja section of the market.

Eye witness accounts identified the deceased pregnant woman simply as Tawa, adding that her mother who was also standing beside her was a victim of the electrocution.

However, a one-year-old baby boy was rescued alive from the scene of the incident while the baby's mother, whose identity could not be immediately ascertained was not as lucky as the cable fell directly on her. Good Samaritans fought spiritedly to rescue the infant unhurt from the back of his electrocuted mother who passed on immediately after the shock.

Many other traders at the spot sustained injuries and were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for medical attention.

The rescue mission was led by a youth leader in the community, Wahab Bamidele (a.k.a Wabo) assisted by other youths in the area while the Apata Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Agboola Abiodun was also at the head of a team of policemen from the Division as they mounted security surveillance to ensure that hoodlums did not hijack the incident.

Speaking with newsmen about the electrocution, the Chairman, Ibadan South West Local Government Community Development Council, Alhaji Lasisi Bamidele Popoola lamented that this is the third time this year that the PHCN high tension wire at Apata has been cutting off and fallen explaining that one person was killed in a similar circumstance in the area sometime last year.

Meanwhile, the authorities of the Ibadan South West Local Government Council has declared a three-day mourning for the electrocuted victims just as the Apata Market has been temporarily closed down to enable the PHCN management effect thorough repairs to the disconnected high tension wire.

Commercial activities were totally paralysed at the ever bustling Apata Market throughout yesterday as traders immediately put their shops and kiosks under lock and key following the sad news. Even the commercial bus drivers were not left out as they momentarily parked their vehicles off the road, in sympathy with the victims of the early morning electrocution.
Culled:Dailytrustnigeria

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I'm Not Engaged To Timi Alaibe, Says Agbani Darego

Former Miss World, Agbani Darego has debunked the rumour of her alledged
engagement to former Governorship aspirant and former NDDC chairman,
Timi Alaibe, 50.

Agbani Darego,29, and first Black African Miss World wrote on her twitter handle @TheAgbaniDarego "Would be nice to read verified reports from credible sources"..



A report by earlier on Tuesday had claimed the beautiful model is marrying the politician but that report has now being trashed by Agbani.
Culled:enownow

NMA Kaduna decries attacks on personnel

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kaduna State Chapter has decried attacks on its members and the vandalism of health facilities during crises.

The association, in a statement jointly signed by the State Chairman and Secretary, Dr. Solomon Avidime and Dr. Joseph Ovosi respectively, said that three private clinics and some of its members were attacked during the recent violence in parts of the state.

The statement listed two of the affected clinics as Covenant Hospital, Benin Street by Kano Road and Alheri Clinic, Jos Road by Bayajidda Street.





It said that one Dr. Zainab Mohammed-Idris was also attacked along Kamanzo.

While describing the attacks as "utterly condemnable," the statement said Mohammed-Idris lost her driver on her way to duty, during the mob action by some irate youths.

The Calvary Clinic at Kafanchan in the southern part of the state was burnt in a similar violence during the 2011 general elections.

"It should be noted that doctors and other healthcare personnel are doing their utmost best," it said. "This is at the risk of their lives to render emergency and basic healthcare services without any discrimination to religion, tribe, creed or political affiliation as enshrined in the Oath of Service, which we swore to uphold.

"Therefore, the NMA Kaduna State see this recent development as totally unwarranted and call for restraint on the attacks of innocent and law abiding citizens and also healthcare facilities and personnel who defy odds to help the sick and the wounded in the face of these crises.

"Life is sacred and its sanctity should be respected by all irrespective of the differences in our affiliation."

The association also condemned the bombing of three churches in Zaria and Kaduna cities on June 17, the attendant reprisal and counter-reprisal attacks which claimed several lives and property.
It commended "the courage and expertise of all doctors and other health workers" who provided emergency medical services during the crises.

"We are proud to say that within the limits of available human and material resources in most facilities where the victims were received, all patients, except the two that were fatally injured on arrival at the hospitals, are alive.

"Some have been discharged while others are now recuperating."

The statement reminded the public that the current security challenges and the attendant casualties in some states in the North were putting a strain on the already "thin and fragile" health system in the affected states.

"We appeal to relevant security agencies to ensure the movement of medical personnel as a matter of urgency when duly identified during crisis periods."

It called for a lasting solution to the current crisis, to promote peace and unity, which it described as the panacea for sustainable development.

The association lauded the Kaduna Government for its efforts to restore peace and security in the state, as well as the roles played by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jamatu Nasir Islam (JNI) in preaching peaceful coexistence.

"These are indeed trying times for us as a state. We urge the peace loving people of the state to remain steadfast and be each other’s brother's keeper by complementing the efforts of the government in maintaining peace and avoiding religious strife and intolerance."

Culled:dailytimesnigeria

Two die in Lagos gang war

Two persons have been confirmed dead following a clash between rival gangs at the Bariga area of Lagos.

The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident on Sunday.

She said the deceased died over the weekend, when two notorious gangs known as 'Downtown Boys' and 'Shaggy Boys' clashed over the control of a sand dredging site at Ilaje community in Bariga.

Unconfirmed sources however put the number of deaths during the clash at five.

The members of the gangs were said to have engaged in a gun duel for three consecutive days.

Residents were said to have clung to the safety of their homes following the attendant tension in the area.

Meanwhile, the police have declared one Ibrahim, also known as 'Small Jpron', wanted for masterminding the clash and other crimes in Shomolu area.
Culled: Dailytimesnigeria

Woman inserts 66 wraps of narcotics in private part

The law enforcement agents, at the screening section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, arrested a woman, Mande Bala who had 66 wraps of narcotics, in her private part.

The lady was promptly arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency shortly before she was due to board a Kenyan Airways flight to Nairobi.

The NDLEA Commander at the airport, Hamza Umar, confirmed the arrest, saying “the quantity of drugs that Bala had inserted in her private part was so much that it affected her gait, drawing the attention of the NDLEA officials.

 No suspect has ever inserted such a large quantity of drugs in the country. Usually, cases of insertion are not more than 300g. The discovery was shocking.”

Report says  that in all, the 66 wraps of methamphetamine expelled from Bala’s private part weighed 1kg.

Ms Bala, who claimed to be a widow and mother of three, said she was pushed to trafficking in drugs in order to raise school fees for her children.

“I am a widow; my husband died in 2007. I have got three children to take care of. I need N45,000 to pay some fees for my child and I also had to take care of my rent because I have a quit notice to leave my house in July. I was actually supposed to swallow the drugs but I was too scared to do so. I then decided on my own to hide them instead in my private parts because I was scared I would die if I ingested the drugs. I have heard such things happen. Although it was difficult for me to walk, I had to do my best because there is no one else to take care of my children,” she said.

In his reaction, the chairman of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, described the incident as disturbing.

“Apart from the quantity of drugs caught with her, her route is a new development in drug trafficking.

 Drug barons now adopt a relay approach to drug trafficking. They wanted to use her to take the drug to another African country before using an indigene of that country to take the drug to other continents, where the profit is higher. We are not oblivious of their moves and we are prepared to nip them in the bud,” he said.

According to the agency, no suspect has ever inserted such a large quantity of drugs in her private part since the establishment of the NDLEA in 1989. The suspect, who is a graduate of accounting from a South-West university, lives at Ijoko in Ogun State and is a native of Lagos Island in Lagos State. She will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.
Culled:Channelstv

Court stops FG from renaming UNILAG

A Federal High Court in Lagos has  granted an interim order restraining the Federal Government from renaming the University of Lagos.

The order was granted by Justice Stephen Adah, who was ruling in the suits brought against the May 29, 2012 renaming of the institution by the students and alumni of the University of Lagos.

The court, however, advised the litigants to harmonise the suits into one and adjourned further hearing till July 4.




The defendants in the suits are UNILAG, the UNILAG Governing Council, the UNILAG Senate, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the National Assembly.

President Goodluck Jonathan had last month renamed the University of Lagos after the late businessman and acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola.

The renaming of the institution as Moshood Abiola University was greeted by protest from the students and staff of the school. Others criticized the president for not following due process in renaming UNILAG. They insisted that the president should have consulted with the National Assembly before making the pronounciation on democracy.

President Jonathan on Sunday during a presidential media chat with selected journalist said that he did not breach the consititution of Nigeria in renaming the University of Lagos. He said the renaming the insitution is similar to the process the president can declare state of emergency before subjecting the matter before the National Assembly.

He supported his arguement by saying that he just signed the act establishing the University of Uyo, a university that according to him have being producing Phd graduates.
Culled:Channelstv

Euro 2012: Wife's fury after husband heads out to Ukraine to see England play instead of celebrating anniversary

One England fan looks to be in the doghouse with his partner when he gets back from the Ukraine after a banner was hung over a bridge declaring: 'I hope the quarter finals are worth missing our anniversary for.'

The message was directed at a man named only as Chris who appeared to have defied his wife's wishes and flown out for the Euro 2012 clash with Italy on Sunday.

The 5ft by 3ft banner has been hung over a busy dual carriageway in Birmingham where thousands of motorists pass by each day.
It was first spotted by motorists travelling along the A38 between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield on Wednesday.

James Sporren, 30, from Lichfield, Staffs, who under it said he had sympathy with the man in question.

He said: 'He's just enjoying a chance to support his country in a major tournament - and that doesn't come along very often.

'You shouldn't make a man pick between his woman and his country.

'They will have an anniversary every year - this is our best chance.
Culled:Yahoonews

Suspected vandal stuck atop telecoms mast

Residents of Bayara community, a suburb in Bauchi State, weekend, woke up to the startling discovery of a suspected vandal atop a telecoms mast.

Report says that the suspect, whose name was giving as Babangida Bangis, 30, had in the early hours of the day, climbed the mast to vandalise it but was unable to come down out of fear.



Pics:Googleimage

The incident attracted the attention of residents of the community, motorists and passers-by to the scene located a few metres away from the Bauchi-Dass Road axis.

It was gathered that it took the efforts of two policemen, who climbed up the mast, where the suspect was hanging, to persuade him to come down.

Speaking with newsmen on the development, state Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect had been arrested.

He said: “The suspect had been charged to court on a two-count charge. The first charge, is attempted theft, while the second one is attempted suicide, because he wanted to jump down from the mast so as to avoid been arrested.”

An eyewitness, who gave his name as Kabiru Mohammed, however, explained that Babangida was first seen at the highest point of the mast by some farmers residing in the area, when they were going to their farms in the morning.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate/Vanguard

World loses species with death of Lonesome George

Lonesome George is dead, leaving the world one species poorer.

The only remaining Pinta Island tortoise and celebrated conservation icon passed away  on Sunday.

According to the Galapagos National Park Service in a statement ,estimated to be more than 100 years old, the creature's cause of death remains unclear and a necropsy is planned.




Lonesome George's longtime caretaker, Fausto Llerena, found the tortoise's remains stretched out in the "direction of his watering hole" on Santa Cruz Island, the statement said.

Lonesome George was discovered on Pinta Island in 1972 at a time when tortoises of his type were already believed to be extinct.

Since then, the animal had been part of the park service's tortoise program.




Repeated efforts to breed Lonesome George failed.

"Later two females from the Espanola tortoise population (the species most closely related to Pinta tortoises genetically) were with George until the end," the park service said.

In honor of Lonesome George, the park service said it was convening an international workshop in July on management strategies for restoring tortoise populations over the next decade.

The Galapagos Islands, situated about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off Ecuador's coast, is considered a haven for tortoises.
Culled:Yahoonews

Movie Marketers ban Ghanaian movies in Nigeria

 Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN) has placed embargo on Ghanaian films with effect from the end of this month.

The association has also resolved to halt the distribution of films produced by non-professionals. It insists that if such film(s) must be distributed at all, its right of ownership should be transferred to its members on negotiation.

The FVPMAN chairman, Onitsha branch, Mr. Uzo Godson Nwosu who confirmed this development to HVP, said this position was taken after the association’s general meeting last weekend in Onitsha.

According to him, the decision became necessary following the position taken by their Ghanaian counterparts who have banned the distribution of Nigerian films in their country long time ago.

His words, “starting from the first week of August, no Ghanaian film will be allowed to enter the Nigerian market again. We have resolved that no Ghanaian film will be distributed within our controlled market. Our Ghanaian counterparts have long stopped distributing our films in their country, and given this development, we have no choice than to reciprocate the gesture.” FVPMAN boss stated.

Nwosu who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Guinks Investment said any of their members who failed to compile with this new order will either be prosecuted or have his goods confiscated by the association.

The marketer said the association is finalising plans to storm Ghana any moment from now, particularly to confront those local television stations who are illegally airing Nigerian films without obtaining permission from the right owners.

Also, given the problem associated with “second tier market”(where a producer is compelled to observe a three-month grace before releasing his film into the market in a large quality), Nwosu said the association has decided to reversed the trend.

Film owners, according to him, are now free to release their films into the market without necessarily observing the mandatory three months grace before doing so.

They will also be required to obtain censors’ board and copy right commission’s documents in addition to registering the film with the sum of N10,000 with the FVPMAN.

“In order to move the association forward, we have resolved to address the problem of second tier market.” FVPMAN boss further stated.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Saudis give women Games go-ahead

Saudi Arabia, where public sports events for women are banned, will allow females to compete in the Olympic Games for the first time.

Saudi Arabia embassy in London said in a landmark statement.

The Saudi Olympic Committee will “oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify”, the BBC quoted the statement as saying.

The issue of women in sport remains extremely sensitive in the ultra-conservative Muslim state, where women are not even allowed to drive cars and the authorities shut down private gyms for women in 2009 and 2010.







Equestrian contestant Dalma Malhas is likely to be the country’s only female athlete to qualify for this summer’s Games in London which get underway on July 27.

Malhas, born in the United States, won a bronze medal at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics without having been nominated by her country, following an invitation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The BBC reported that Saudi’s King Abdullah pushed for the policy change, but had delayed the announcement due to last week’s death of heir-apparent Crown Prince Nayef.

“It’s very sensitive,” a senior Saudi official told the BBC. “King Abdullah is trying to initiate reform in a subtle way, by finding the right balance between going too fast or too slow.

“Partly because of the mounting criticism we woke up and realised we had to deal with this. We believe Saudi society will accept this,” the official said.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei are the only three countries never to have sent women athletes to the Olympics.

But Qatar has already announced it will send a three-woman team to London made up of shooter Bahia Al-Hamad, swimmer Nada Wafa Arakji and Noor Al-Malki, a 100m and 200m sprinter.
Brunei, meanwhile, will send a to London as part of their two-athlete delegation — 400m hurdler Maziah Mahusin.

Saudi Arabia’s decision could provoke resistance in Malhas’s homeland which operates under a strict Islamic code in which women are forced to cover themselves from head to toe.

Women wanting to take part in sports in the Gulf kingdom face an uphill struggle as they have to do so behind closed doors, like a group of 300 women who played basketball at an enclosed court in the city of Jeddah on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8.

There had been increasing pressure on the Saudis to fall into line over sending a women’s team to London with IOC president Jacques Rogge admitting in April that he was conducting a lengthy dialogue with the kingdom’s rulers.
BBC/247nigerianewsupdate

Chris Okotie divorces wife

House Hold of God General Overseer, Pastor Chris Okotie, has announced that he and his wife will be splitting up after four years of marriage.

Pastor Okotie,who allegedly broke the news to his congregation few hours to the end of the service and this left members speechless and puzzled for seconds.

Okotie drew the attention of the church after the June brethrens birthday celebration (a monthly programme to celebrate those born in different months of the year) of the church service and made the pronouncement.

“Stephanie and I are no longer married. We have separated. You can see she’s not in church today. It’s due to irreconcilable differences and you should please respect our wishes at this time because there is no going back,” he was quoted to have said.

It would be recalled that the House Hold of God pastor got married to his second wife, Stephanie Henshaw, who is also a member of his ministry, in 2008 after he had separated from his first wife due to unresolved issues that were undisclosed.

A lot of controversy trailed his marriage to Stephanie, a widow and mother of three. Pastor Okotie had earlier divorced his first wife Tina, who is now living in the United States of America.

The marriage between the estranged couple started during a thanksgiving service held in his church on August 10, 2008. Okotie created a stir when he told his congregation that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that his bride had never been married before. The woman, who was married, was dead and this one is born again, a new creation and quoting the bible, he said, “old things had passed away”- so also was the fact that she was once married. Okotie had also dispelled the belief that the bible is against re-marriage after divorce in a situation where the spouse is still alive.

“There is a difference between a man abandoned by his wife and the one that divorces. The only thing that breaks a relationship is a divorce and even when there’s a divorce, the bible says you can re-marry,” he said at the time.

Okotie had ignored opposition from his church members and other relatives concerning his decision to wed Stephanie, claiming he had heard God clearly at the time.

Culled:Dailytimesnigeria

Senate backs creation of Edu State

The Senate yesterday indicated its intention to support the request for the creation of Edu State in the forthcoming constitution review exercise.

Edu is required by various groups from the present Niger, Kogi and Kwara states.

Senate President David Mark said this in Abuja while receiving an updated memorandum from the leader of a delegation from the three states, Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar.

Mark was represented by Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba. Former Minister of Information and National Orientation Prof. Jerry Gana said the proposed state is a prospective oil-producing state which also has variety of solid minerals.

Insecurity: Jigawa, Rivers, Bayelsa evacuate students from ABU

 

 

Eighty students of Ahmadu Bello University were evacuated from the school in Zaria by their states following recent crisis that rocked parts of Kaduna State without the knowledge of the university authority, the institution’s vice chancellor, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, raised the alarm yesterday.

A statement by VC’s media consultant Waziru Isa Gwantu said Rivers and Jigawa states “whisked away 80 students of the university in suspicious manner” and the institution had already alerted the federal government of the development, as the university’s authorities were not contacted before the students were “smuggled out”.

“Rivers and Jigawa State governments have whisked away 80 students of our university in a suspicious manner on Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23. Four buses belonging to the Jigawa State government with armed mobile police escort forced their way into the Kongo campus of the university where the state’s students numbering 50 were whisked away.

“The Rivers State government, too, on Saturday committed a similar trespass and illegally evacuated students from the state in a 40-seater bus. The bus was also escorted by armed mobile policemen.

 Neither of the governments of these states consulted the Kaduna State governor, who is the chief security officer of the state or the authorities of the university before evacuating the students. This was why the university management alerted the federal government of this development,” it said.

When contacted, Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s spokesman David Iyofor said he would get back to newsmen later because he needed to get certain things clear before making comments.

In its response, the Jigawa State Education Commissioner, Professor Haruna Wakili, said it was wrong for ABU authorities to go to press over the issue of the evacuation of its students from the school. Professor Wakili said the right thing for the institution to do was to contact the state government over the matter, adding that the state government did not call a press conference when they evacuated the students for security reasons.

In a related development, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has ordered the immediate evacuation of students of the state’s origin from trouble zones in the country.

The decision, according to him stemmed from the incessant attacks by militants suspected to be Boko Haram on innocent citizens in some parts of the northern states.

In a statement released by his spokesman, Daniel Iworiso yesterday in Yenagoa, the governor said the action was meant to safeguard the lives of its indigenes from the persistent activities of terrorism in the north, especially as witnessed in Kaduna and Yobe in the past one week.

While praying for peace to return to the area, a team including officials from the state’s ministry of Education had already been dispatched to Kaduna state with a mandate to bring back home safely students of Bayelsa origin from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Culled:dailytrustnigeria

Calm gradually returning to Kaduna as FG sends delegation

Chief of Defense Staff Air-vice Marshal Petinrin and Inspector General of Police Muhammad Abubakar were part of federal government delegation that visited Kaduna yesterday for on the spot assessment of the crisis that engulfed the state.

Air-vice Marshal Petinrin said more troops were deployed to Kaduna from neighbouring states in order to enhance the present security situation.

The federal government delegation was at Kaduna Government House where members of the delegation were received by Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa.

Yakowa said the visit of the high-powered delegation was an indication that the federal government was committed to ensuring that peace reigns in Kaduna State and the country at large.

The delegation visited some areas of the metropolis, where they promised that government would do everything possible to avert a recurrence of such crisis. The delegation cautioned Nigerians against taking law into their hands in the name of reprisals or other disguises.

Meanwhile, areas like Anguwan Dosa, Ghana Road in Badarawa and some parts of Malali witnessed some pockets of violence yesterday but with quick intervention of security personnel, the situation was brought under control. Before the intervention of the security personnel, some houses and other properties were burnt in Unguwan Yaro in Badarawa.

Reports from Barnawa and other areas in Kaduna South indicate that calm was gradually returning as there was no report of violence as at yesterday evening.

Some residents of Barnawa area however complained of inadequate presence of security personnel, saying the situation was causing apprehension among them.

Streets remained deserted, an indication that the 24-hour curfew is being observed, it was gathered. Some residents interviewed urged government to relax the curfew as some people had to move out before they could get what to put on the table with their families.

However, a rescue services official said more than 98 people have died since Sunday after a trio of church bombings sparked reprisals in Kaduna State. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

Officials initially said 21 people were killed in Sunday morning’s blasts, but now said the death toll jumped to 98, including reprisal killings. They refused to give a breakdown clarifying who died in the initial blasts and who was killed in reprisals.

An AP reporter quoted spokesman of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency Abubakar Zakari Adamu as saying that parts of the state continued to riot as at yesterday.

Culled:dailytrustnigeria