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US announces N2.5b bounty for information on Boko Haram leader, Shekau

Amos ABBA
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US announces N2.5b bounty for information on Boko Haram leader, Shekau

THE United States Department of State is offering a reward of up to $7 million (N2.5billion) for information that would lead to the arrest of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.

Shekau, said to have been killed a number of times by Nigerian troops, is ranked number 8 on the wanted list  of the US government which also features other key leaders of several terrorist organisations.

The Rewards for Justice Program, which is the counter-terrorism rewards program of the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, revealed this development in a Twitter post on its official handle @RFJ_Francais.

“The United States Department of State offers a reward up to $7m for information leading to the arrest of the terrorist, Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram,” the tweet read.

Photo credit: US State Department Rewards for Justice Program

The message was originally written in French, but a Twitter user, posted its translation by Google to English indicates that the terrorist has N2.5billion bounty on his head.

Shekau is currently the leader of  Boko Haram, a Nigeria based extremist group seeking to overthrow the Nigerian government and establish territories governed based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

He assumed the leadership position of the group in July 2010, after the extrajudicial killing of its former leader, Mohammed Yusuf.

Other terrorists on the list include Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is the current emir of Al Qaeda and former leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad with a $25 million reward on his head, Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani Network based in Pakistan with $10 million, Abu Muhammad Al-Julani and Abdullah Abdullah are both wanted for their role on behalf of Al Qaeda in the 1998 US Embassy bombings with a reward of $10 million each.

According to the Global Terrorism Index, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced 2.3 million from their homes, of which at least 250,000 have left Nigeria and fled into Cameroon, Chad or Niger which led to being branded as one of the world’s deadliest terror group.

Their past targets include a vehicle bomb attack on the United Nations headquarters in Abuja in August 2011 marking the group’s first deadly operation against Western interests, killing at least 23 people and injuring 80 others.

In April 2012, the group bombed a Nigerian newspaper office in Abuja and later threatened other local and international news outlets.

The group has also carried out mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014 and two years ago, abducted some schoolgirls from Dapchi in Yobe State, releasing all of them except Leah Sharibu who refused to deny her Christian faith.

As part of measures to win the war against terrorism, the Federal Government of Nigeria has initiated a plan to give amnesty to repentant terrorists while the Senate is currently debating a bill to establish an agency that will cater to the repentant insurgents.

The government has claimed to have killed Shekau but the Boko Haram leader has resurfaced on several videos to show that he is still alive.

COVID-19: Suspending plenary could cause panic among Nigerians, NCDC reacts to lawmakers’ two weeks break

Lukman ABOLADE
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COVID-19: Suspending plenary could cause panic among Nigerians, NCDC reacts to lawmakers’ two weeks break

THE Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC),  Chikwe Ihekweazu has condemned the two weeks suspension of plenary by the Nigerian House of representatives noting that such suspension could cause panic in the country.

The ICIR had reported that members of House Representatives on Tuesday agreed to suspend plenary for two weeks to access the level of the nation’s preparedness to curtail the spread of COVID-19 otherwise known as Coronavirus.

“I have all the respect for the honorable members, they represent Nigerians, they express the anxieties of Nigerians across the country but I think the time has not come,” said Ihekweazu who has been on self-isolation since his return from China.

Ihekweazu, while speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday morning noted that the action was capable of creating an atmosphere of panic in the nation.

While acknowledging the anxieties the lawmakers might be having concerning the virus, the NCDC boss remarked that the time was not ripe for such anxieties.

He added that such action was disproportionate, stressing that rather than shutting down, the members should give their support to the efforts of the Commission.

Speaking on what such action could cause, Ihekweazu said “If they respond by suspending sessions, everyone else will begin to think ‘should I close my business?’, ‘should I close my office?’, ‘should I close my school?

“It is disproportionate at this time. I think what the honorable members should do is supporting the work we are doing; the technical work that the experts are doing. Give us your support; give us a sustainable budget so that we can develop the expertise,” he noted.

He also charged the members of the House to give faith to the Nigerians by showing their confidence in the agencies in charge of curbing the spread of the deadly disease.

“Ask us for advice so that we can advise you on what to do, Ihekweazu said.

“If I were asked, I would tell them that it is too early to carry out a measure like that.”

“They need to express by their actions and words, confidence in the government institutions that they have set up and which is their mandate to fund,” he added.

Adamawa university sacks two lecturers for sexually harassing students

Editorial
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Adamawa university sacks two lecturers for sexually harassing students

The Governing Council of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola in Adamawa State has terminated the appointment of two senior lecturers following their alleged involvement in sexual harassment.

The decision was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Information and Protocol Officer of the university, Aminu Gururmpawo.

Gururmpawo said the university’s council also sacked Bakari Girei of the Registry Department for misappropriation of the university’s Primary School Parent/Teacher Association’s funds to the tune of N1.12 million.

The statement read, “The Governing Council of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola at its 96th regular meeting held on Thursday 27th February 2020 approved the termination of appointments of three senior staff of the university.

“Two of the senior academic staff appointment was terminated for their involvement in acts of victimisation and sexual harassment.

“They are Dr Yakubu Bobboi and Dr Toma Fulani Mbahi both staff of the Department of Animal Science and Range Management who were penalised for their involvement in the victimisation and sexual harassment of one Miss C. A. Bathon, a Master’s student in the Department.

“The appointment of Alhaji Mohammed Bakari-Girei, Deputy Registrar, Registry Department, was also terminated for his role in the misappropriation of the University Primary School Parent/Teacher Association’s (PTA) funds to the tune of One million, One hundred and Twenty thousand (1,120,000.00) Naira.’’

According to the information and protocol officer, the termination is with immediate effect.

(NAN)

‘I am well,’ NCDC debunks claim of DG’s quarantine over COVID-19 Virus

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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‘I am well,’ NCDC debunks claim of DG’s quarantine over COVID-19 Virus

THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) has refuted reports that its Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has been on quarantine over alleged contact with the Coronavirus. 

The several news platforms reported yesterday that the NCDC boss was quarantined for the possible infection of Covid-19.

Ealier, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, disclosed Tuesday that the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, has been quarantined for 14 days.

Ehanire made the claim when he appeared before the Senate leadership to provide an update on the activities of his ministry to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country.

He  told the Senate top officials that Ihekweazu was quarantined because he just returned from China, adding that it was a standard practice  for any individual entering the country to be quarantined for 14 days before mingling with other members of the public.

But, the NCDC through its official Twitter handle debunked the claim.

It also issued a press statement clarifying the true situation.

Describing the earlier report as false, the NCDC stated that the DG only went on self-isolation as contained in the NCDC public health advisory, after returning from China. He was reportedly part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) delegates that travelled to China between 16th and 24th February, on a high-level mission to the virus originating country.

The statement further added that Ihekweazu had simply adhered to the same NCDC principle to protect himself and the public.

However, while both terms may give almost the same meaning, self-isolation is described as a sort of voluntary quarantine where people could make personal arrangements, rather than being subjected to observation by apparatus of the state.

The statement reads in part: “The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is aware of reports from the media stating that Dr. Ihekweazu is in ‘quarantine over coronavirus’. This is false.

“Between the 16th and 24th of February 2020, the World Health Organization deployed a
high-level mission to China. The joint mission had 25 national and international experts,
including the DG of the NCDC Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu. He also made this known via his Twitter account https://twitter.com/chikwe_i/status/1233862464917385217?s=21.”

It reads further that, “The Mission met with counterparts in China to understand their response to COVID-19 and how the global community can learn from this.

As recommended in NCDC’s public health advisory, travellers from countries with ongoing transmission of COVID-19 are advised to proceed on 14-day self-isolation, whether well or unwell.”

“The Director-General has adhered to this, to protect himself and the public.

“He has been tested since his return, and has shown no symptoms of COVID-19 infection. He remains in good health.”

The statement, however, referenced the Minister of Health’s recognition of Ihekweazu’s contribution, which, he noted, “reflects the high-level recognition and respect the global health community has for Nigeria.”

Nigeria had its first case last Friday and other suspected cases thereafter.

The WHO also applauded the Nigerian government for the actions taken to manage the deadly virus.

 

Senate seeks upgrade of Federal University, Yaba to broaden tech, research in Nigeria

Nneoma BENSON
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Senate seeks upgrade of Federal University, Yaba to broaden tech, research in Nigeria

THE Senate has proposed for the upgrade of the Federal University of Technology, Yaba to broaden the scope of research and technology in the nation.

The proposed bill by Solomon Adeola representing Lagos West senatorial district is geared towards expanding the experiences gained in technology by prospective students which in turn creates the needed manpower to drive technology in Nigeria.

The bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the Federal University of Technology Yaba and for other matters connected therewith, 2020 (SB. 85)” also seeks to produce well- trained and skilled personnel, if enacted into law.

Supporting the bill, Ayo Akinyelure representing Ondo central district held that, with the passage of the bill, the institution will have the opportunity to expand the experiences gained in technology.

“Everybody knows the importance of having the necessary manpower that is well trained in technology. This Bill is to upgrade this institution to a university and allow for research so as to be able to get necessary manpower to drive the need for our nation,” Barau Jibrin, representing Kano north senatorial district had said.

Senator representing Kebbi central district, Adamu Aliero was also of the opinion that there was no way Nigeria could develop technologically without concentrating on science and technology.

“We are simply asking the federal government to upgrade the institution to a full-fledged University. I, therefore, support this Bill,”- Aliero said.

However, Senator Boroffice Ajayi from Ondo North district noted that it was important that the institution adhered strictly to technology if the bill was passed into law.

Contributing, Senate President Ahmed Lawal stressed the need to focus and refocus the educational system to provide for professionals with requisite skills for the 21st Century.

“I think the time has come to insist that the Federal Ministry of Education & NBTE are kept on their toes to ensure institutions are restricted to those courses they have originally been established to produce.”

He called for a review of the nation’s educational curriculum while ensuring the nation has people ensuring a working digital economy.

“This is one Bill that is well focused on ensuring we upgrade the polytechnic to university status. We should have this process as quickly as possible,” Lawal said.

The bill was thereafter read for the second time.

Established in 1947, the Federal University of Technology, nee Federal College of Technology, Yaba was the first higher institution in Nigeria to establish a Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, with linkages with the world of commerce and industry.

On May 23, 2019, the Senate had passed a bill to convert the Yaba College of Technology (YABATCH) to City University of Technology in a bid bridge technological challenges in the country, now the lawmakers want an upgrade of the institution.

Coronavirus: Iran temporarily frees 54,000 prisoners to curtail spread

Jennifer UGWA
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Coronavirus: Iran temporarily frees 54,000 prisoners to curtail spread

IRAN has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners in an effort to combat the spread of the new coronavirus disease in crowded jails.

The BBC reported that Gholamhossein Esmaili, the state Judiciary spokesman said inmates were granted furlough after testing negative for Covid-19 and posting bail.

“Security prisoners” sentenced to more than five years will not be let out.

Iran’s Covid-19 outbreak has killed at least 77 people in less than two weeks. On Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases in Iran rose by 50 per cent for the second day in a row and currently at 2,336, although the real figure is believed to far higher.

A number of senior Iranian officials have contracted the virus including Iraj Harirchi, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister and Pirhossein Kolivand, head of emergency medical services.

Meanwhile, health officials in Lagos State have quarantined a Chinese national shortly after he arrived in the country via an Ethiopian Airline plane.

Professor Akin Abayomi, the commissioner for Health in the state, disclosed this to reporters on Tuesday.

The Chinese citizen was accosted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport after he was made to go through the mandatory screening for those coming into the country.

Authorities revealed he has been moved to the Lagos State Isolation Centre where he tested positive to novel coronavirus.

EFCC recovers, returns looted N263m fund to Kwara state

Jennifer UGWA
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EFCC recovers, returns looted N263m fund to Kwara state

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday has again returned over N263 million looted funds to the Kwara state government.

In a press statement signed by EFCC, the money handed over to Abdulrahaman Abdul-Razak, governor of the state at the anti-graft zonal office Ilorin was recovered from suspected looters of the state’s treasury following thorough findings.

Isyaku Sharu, Head of the EFCC Zone, in the state, said: “The money was siphoned from KWIRS and 16 Local Government Areas of the state.”

“We have 48 convictions and the worth of recovered assets, both at interim and final forfeiture is in excess of N8.5 billion.

“The mandate given to the commission is to conduct holistic and all-inclusive clean up of fraud and pen robbery, and we will not relent in doing this,” Sharu said.

He disclosed that about N5 billion was siphoned from KWIRS and shared in the ratio of 30/70 percent by some notable individuals in the state through their cronies.

In October last year, the Ilorin Zonal Office had handed over a sum of N112million cash recovered from thieves who looted the state treasury.

Abdul-Razak who bemoaned the corruption in the state revealed that the sum of N2billion borrowed by the previous administration from the Federal Government to implement SME programmes was not accounted for, as most of it was stolen.

He, however, said the just recovered funds would be used “ To augment the budget, social development, and the remaining will be used for paying state government debt to the federal government on the SME programme.”

S’Court strikes out Ihedioha’s application to review judgement

Lukman ABOLADE
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S’Court strikes out Ihedioha’s application to review judgement

THE Supreme court has dismissed the application of the People’s  Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor of Imo state governor, Emeka Ihedioha for a review of the judgement that sacked him as governor of the state.

Ihedioha and PDP had demanded a review and reversal of the Supreme Court judgement on Imo state gubernatorial election in a press conference before embarking on protests in about five Nigerian states and in the United Kingdom.

After the victory at the Electoral tribunal petition, Ihedioha was sacked as governor by the Apex Court less than a year to his tenure by a seven-man panel led by the Chief Justice of the Nation, Tanko Muhammed on January 14.

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Delivering judgement the judgement, a member of the panel, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun ordered the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued to Ihedioha while another is immediately issued to Hope Uzodinma, the APC candidate.

According to the Supreme Court judgement, there were electoral irregularities in the poll that brought Ihedioha in as governor.

The apex court judgement held that according to evidence, election results from 388 polling units were unlawfully excluded from the overall collated results giving way for Ihedioha to be declared the winner.

The judgement further stated that results from cancelled polling units in the state amounting to 213, 295 votes, most of it being Uzodinma’s stronghold.

The ousted former governor, Ihedioha and PDP had on Monday 27th January approach the court seeking a review of the judgement as he believed that justice was miscarried.

Meanwhile, the number of votes allotted to the APC in 215 polling units is higher than the number of permanent voter cards (PVCs) collected in the designated polling units by 15,167 votes.

Enforce court order stopping mandatory donation of blood before receiving health care, SERAP tells Sanwo-Olu

Nneoma BENSON
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Enforce court order stopping mandatory donation of blood before receiving health care, SERAP tells Sanwo-Olu

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Tuesday has asked the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to enforce the judgment of the Lagos High Court which stopped the mandatory donation of blood by patients or their relatives as preconditions to access health care.

The group had asked Sanwo-Olu in an open letter dated March 3, to instruct the Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi to enforce the judgment with immediate effect.

SERAP on Monday, filed a suit before Justice Raliat Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court demanding a stop to compulsory blood donations from women seeking antenatal and maternity services in the state.

The group held that demanding compulsory blood donation from those seeking medical attention including maternity services, is arbitrary, unfair and a violation of their human rights including the rights to life and to equal opportunity for everyone within the health system.

In her judgment, Justice Adebiyi said a policy that denies citizens the right to medical care based on failure to donate blood is not only unconstitutional but unconscionable and adverse to the life and wellbeing of all citizens that access the respondent’s facilities.

The judge held that such action is a violation of the human rights as enshrined in section 38(1) of the 1999 constitution, thereby ordering the immediate stop and discontinue of the policy.

In the letter signed by SERAP’s deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare on Tuesday, the group noted that enforcing the judgment will spur the Lagos government in its need towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as improve the chances of everyone including women during and after childbirth, and ensure quality health services, which will contribute to the promotion of these goals.

“The enforcement of the judgment will also show Lagos State as a champion of the SDGs and be entirely consistent with international standards and best practices, including those developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which recognize that the safest blood donors are voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors.

“The WHO has in fact recommended that no coercion should be brought to bear upon the donor to donate.”

The group noted that the effective enforcement of the judgment will also improve maternal health, comply with WHO’s policy to improve the availability and use of safe blood to save the lives of women during and after childbirth.

It will also ensure universal access to safe blood transfusion particularly for patients that are vulnerable to blood shortages and to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections, in support of the SDGs, the group had stated

“We hope that the aspects highlighted will help guide your actions in instructing Professor Abayomi to enforce and implement the judgment by Justice Adebiyi’s judgment.

“We look forward to working with you, Professor Abayomi and the Lagos State Ministry of Health in the efforts to enforce and implement the judgment. We would be happy to provide further information or to discuss any of these issues in more detail with you,” SERAP said.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of complaints, received by the group from residents of Lagos on the compulsory donation of blood by some medical facilities before access to health care services

COVID-19: We are operating in uncharted territory, says WHO

Jennifer UGWA
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COVID-19: We are operating in uncharted territory, says WHO

TEDROS Adhanom Ghebryesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday during the daily briefings since the outbreak of novel coronavirus said that public health officials are operating in “uncharted territory” as the number of affected persons increases to over 90,000 across 73 countries and territories.

Since the outbreak which originated in Wuhan China late December 2019, the virus has spread to every continent except Antarctica after the first cases in Africa–Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt over the past weeks.

Ghebryesus in a Tweet on Monday said that to defeat the virus, an understanding of the epidemic would be instrumental.

“We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures,” he said.

After six deaths in the United States as a result of the virus, the number of deaths outside of mainland China, according to the WHO, totalled 172 while the global death toll was said to be 3, 115.

Nonetheless, Maurice Iwu a Nigerian professor of  Pharmacognosy,  and former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) claim that Nigeria has a possible cure for the virus.

Iwu, made this disclosure on Monday in Abuja while briefing Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of State for Health, and  Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi the Minister of State for Science and Technology.

The professor who heads a bio-science institute said the US Government has reached out to him to take the discovered compound and test it against the COVID-19 virus.

“On Thursday last week, the US Government contacted me and we signed a non-clinical evaluation agreement for us to take this product forward and we are trying to see how we can test this compound immediately against this new virus.

“They are trying set up so we can see if this particular one is inferior to SARS so that the programme will be able to go on,” he said.

The first case of coronavirus in Nigeria was imported by an Italian expatriate who flew into the country via the Turkish airlines last week.

Although the infected Lafarge consultant has been quarantined, the Nigerian government is yet to locate all 158 passengers aboard the aircraft alongside the coronavirus patient.

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