19 arrested for attempting to burn down police station in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 19 persons, who allegedly attempted to burn down the Ejigbo Police Station around 11.15pm on Saturday.

A resident of the area, identified simply as Tunde, told our correspondent that he was lounging outside his apartment when he suddenly saw hundreds of commercial motorcyclists armed with dangerous weapons racing towards the police station.

According to him, he did not understand what they were saying until one of his friends told him that a police vehicle allegedly knocked down two of their colleagues.

He noted that few minutes after, the motorcyclists started hurling missiles at the police station and threatened to bring it down.

He added that in the process, the mob damaged some police vehicles.

Tunde explained that by the time the police mobilised and repelled the attack on the station, some of the motorcyclists had sustained varying degrees of injuries.

He said, “I was lounging outside when I suddenly saw hundreds of youths running towards the Ejigbo Police Station. They were chanting in Hausa. I did not understand what they were saying.

Punch

Only those who have integrity like me will make my next cabinet

President Muhammadu Buhari says only those with integrity and interest of Nigeria will be considered in the next cabinet.

He also promised to appoint more women and youth during his second tenure, acknowledging the “significant role” they played toward his re-election.

He said his administration would not disappoint them.

Buhari spoke at a dinner the All Progressives Congress (APC) women and youth organised to celebrate his re-election, on Saturday.

He said more fertilizers were being made available to Nigerian farmers at a lower rate, adding that this has resulted in an increase in agricultural production and reduction in food importation.

Buhari also called on Nigerian youth to embrace agriculture to ensure more food sufficiency and food export.

He again faulted the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he said, “wasted the nation’s resources”.

According to him, the country witnessed “rampant infrastructure decay” in spite of the huge resources earned during the period.

TheCable

Nigeria's refineries lose N114.3bn in 2018

Nigeria’s refineries posted a cumulative loss of N114.3bn in the first 11 months of 2018, latest industry data have revealed.

Figures obtained from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Friday in Abuja showed that the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, Port Harcourt Refining Company and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company made losses in the months under review.

Further analysis of figures received from the national oil firm showed that the expenses incurred by the refineries were higher than the revenue they generated during the specified period.

Among the three refineries, it was observed that Kaduna refinery earned the lowest revenue of N3.1bn, while its expenses in the same period was put at N34.73bn.

Port Harcourt refinery garnered a revenue of N140.82bn, while its expenses for the 11-month period was N185.03bn.

For Warri refinery, it spent N178.32bn, higher than its total revenue of N140.23bn.

Figures from the NNPC also showed the budgeted revenue, expense and surplus that were expected from the refineries during the period.

The corporation’s budget for Kaduna refinery, in terms of revenue, was N294.8bn, while an expense of N265.2bn was also budgeted, leaving a surplus of N29.55bn.

This, however, did not happen as budgeted.

For Port Harcourt refinery, the NNPC expected a revenue of N441.43bn, an expense of N377.2bn and a surplus of N64.25bn. This also did not manifest in the actual figures from the refinery during the 11 months.

Punch

Uganda to lose its main assets to China over huge unpaid debt

Ugandan government is now at risk of losing its main state assets to China over unpaid huge increasing loans from Chinese government.

But according to Ugandan government, the growing debt is sustainable, and the country is not at risk of losing state assets to China, the country’s finance minister, Matia Kasaija.

African Stand reported in December last year that Kenyan government risks losing the lucrative Mombasa port to China if the country fail to repay huge loans advanced by Chinese lenders, but both Chinese and Kenyan officials have dismissed that the port’s ownership is at risk.

Others think Chinese government are in some ways gangsters, taking over mines all over Africa, sending thousands of Chinese workers, destroy environment, bring the minerals such as copper, sink, gold, silver, diamonds etc home, and make deals with corrupt politicians to plunder the countries.

“The case is one of the examples of China’s ambitious use of loans and aid to gain influence around the world and of its willingness to play hardball to collect,” says the New York Times in December 12, 2017.

At a time in Somalia when local fishermen are struggling to compete with foreign vessels that are depleting fishing stocks, the government has granted 31 fishing licenses to China.

But Uganda’s auditor-general warned in a report released this month that public debt from June 2017 to 2018 had increased from $9.1 billion to $11.1 billion.

The report — without naming China — warned that conditions placed on major loans were a threat to Uganda’s sovereign assets.

AfricanStand

Gunmen kill six people in Kaduna

Six people have been reportedly killed by unknown gunmen while eight others sustained gunshot injuries at Sabon Sara, near Kidandan village in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

An investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that the hoodlums attacked the village at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning in an attempt to kidnap one Alhaji Nasidi, a large scale farmer in the area.

An eyewitness, who pleaded for anonymity, said the gunmen who stormed the village in large numbers were unable to kidnap the farmer. Instead, they whisked his wife away.

The source added that the villagers mobilised themselves and chased the gunmen and eventually retrieved the woman from captivity.

“In an attempt to rescue the woman, the bandits opened fire on us killing six persons while eight other people among us escaped with gunshot wounds.

“The deceased have been buried according to Islamic rites in the presence of Giwa Local Govt Chairman, Engr. Abubakar Shehu Lawal Giwa and the Council Secretary, Alhaji Usman Ismail.

“While the eight injured persons were rushed to Kauran Wali Clinic in Zaria for medical attention,” the source said.

When NAN checked the Kauran Wali Clinic located on Gaskiya Junction, some of the victims were on a drip. However, it seemed that the necessary urgent medical attention was not actually given to their case.

One of the victims was discharged on the grounds that his multiple injuries needed to be taken care of in a traditional manner.

NAN got some names of the deceased to include; Ibrahim Bakanike, Lawal S/pawa, Lawal Belo, Tukur Kafinta and Ummaru Mai Rake while one Fatima Ahmad died as a result of high blood pressure.

Those with gunshot injuries are Abdullahi Umar, Aminu Ya’u, Rabilu Isa, Salisu Usman, Sabi’u Ya’u, Muhammad Musa, Ibrahim Sani and Sani Ahmad Buzu while another victim, Yahuza Tukur was hospitalised because of high blood pressure.

All efforts to get reactions of the police proved as the Public Relations Officer of the Kaduna State Police Command, Yakubu Sabo, refused to respond to several phone calls.

He, however, in a text message, promised to get back to the reporter later.

NAN

Army begins Operation Show Of Force In Akwa Ibom ahead of March 9 Elections

A joint show of force parade has been embarked upon by the 2 Brigade Nigerian Army, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state - The army says the parade is necessary ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial and Houses of Assembly elections.

The parade is made up of troops from the 2 Brigade Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps The 2 Brigade Nigerian Army, Uyo in Akwa Ibom state has embarked on a joint show of force parade ahead of the March 9 governorship and Houses Assembly elections.

Speaking to newsmen in Uyo on Saturday, March 2 during the exercise, Major Bashir Jajira, assistant director, Army Public Relations Officer, said the exercise was in conjunction with other sister security agencies in the state.

NAN reports. Legit.ng gathers that Jajira said that the command would deal decisively with anyone involved in political thuggery, ballot box snatching, arson and other electoral offences.

Legit NG

Phone call from Aso Rock stops EFCC from probing private jet loaded with cash

The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has been barred from investigating a private jet loaded with money on February 15, 2019, the eve of the aborted presidential and National Assembly elections, Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday.

Our correspondent gathered that the plane which was billed to fly to Ilorin, Kwara State, from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos failed to take off due to the weight of the money on board.

Multiple sources said the EFCC operatives thereafter stormed the plane after a tip-off from some people about the cargo. They demanded the source of the money, its owner and destination.

The crew was said to have informed the operatives that the money was meant for election expenses in Kwara State, but the detectives reportedly insisted on taking away the cash haul.

Our sources said, “The EFCC operatives interrogated the crew and they claimed they were part of the government. They also gave a code which they assumed the operatives would understand, but the detectives insisted on taking away the money.

“However, a phone call came from the Presidential Villa ordering them to hands off the matter and clear off from the scene. Shortly after, armed soldiers took over the scene and the money was transferred into another plane which took off by 10pm that night.”

The Public Relations Officer, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, could not be reached for comments on the aircraft involved in the cash movement as she did not respond to calls to her phone. She had yet to respond to a text message as of the time of filing this report.

In his reaction, the acting EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade, simply explained that he saw the alleged picture of the said aircraft being shared on the social media, noting that it could have been ‘created and recreated.’