A MAX Air aircraft has reportedly crash-landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, after the tyre burst into flames.
The aircraft had arrived from Yola, Adamawa State when the incident happened on Sunday, May 7.
It was reported that the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire-fighting Service (ARFFS) operating at the airport quickly responded to extinguish the fire.
Confirming the incident, the former President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Mike Ogirima, who was on the flight, said the tyre burst occurred after takeoff at Yola Airport.
He stated that the airplane crash-landed in Abuja, and emergency officials were already present to extinguish the fire, adding that the passengers were safely disembarked on the runway.
The incident caused panic among the passengers, who went into a prayer session to seek divine intervention.
“We thank God. We are still on the runway and pilot has reassured us. He has called for the stairs and we are now disembarking from the runway to be evacuated to the airport building at the arrival hall.
“We bless God because we have witnessed the pull out of the tyre right from the airport in Yola and we went into prayer session. I never announced it as a surgeon so as not to cause any panic but we bless God.”
Another official of the airline who spoke to Daily Trust on the incident, said the passengers and crew members are safe after disembarking from the airline.
He stressed that the airline would officially inform the appropriate authorities to carry out an investigation into the incident.
THE NIGERIA Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has urged Nigerians to continue COVID-19 tests even after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that the disease is no longer a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Ifedayo Adetifa, on Sunday, May 7, the Centre said it will continue to encourage the integration of COVID-19 testing and treatment with other infectious diseases as part of clinical care for pandemic flu preparedness.
COVID-19 investigation could also be done alongside tests for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and in high-risk populations, the Centre said.
The ICIR reports that WHO declared COVID-19 as no longer a public health emergency of international concern on Friday, May 5, when its Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, endorsed the recommendation of the WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee that called for the declaration.
On Friday, April 5, The ICIR reported how the agency raised the global COVID-19 deaths to 20 million, up from nearly seven million logged by multiple credible data platforms, including the WHO.
Ghebreyesus attributed the sharp rise to low estimates presented by countries to the WHO.
COVID-19 cases are currently about 700 million, according to Worldometer, one of the platforms collating global data on the disease.
Nigeria has 266,675 confirmed cases of the disease and has lost 3,155.
In its Sunday statement, NCDC explained that Nigeria had already de-escalated its COVID-19 response since 2022 in response to local epidemiology, which focuses on encouraging COVID-19 vaccination and recommended discretionary use of face masks and other public health safety measures according to personal risk assessments.
It noted that the decision had been complemented by efforts to leverage the pandemic response to improve national health security through health system strengthening, improving public health emergency management training, laboratory and infrastructural upgrades, and strategic focus on improving emergency preparedness and planning at state and local government levels.
“The declaration that COVID-19 is no longer PHEIC is to enable countries’ transition from acute emergency response to managing COVID-19 as part of integrated healthcare delivery for all infectious diseases.
“The threat of the virus remains within countries and globally and particularly for high-risk groups. As transmission continues within communities, the risk of new variants emerging and resulting in surges in case numbers and even deaths remains.”
Working with partners, the NCDC said it was piloting pan-respiratory virus surveillance, aligned with the WHO’s recently declared preparedness and resilience for emerging threats (PRET) initiative.
“As part of our genomic surveillance, we will introduce wastewater/environmental surveillance to track not just SARS-CoV-2 but antimicrobial resistance, Mpox, and typhoid (salmonella). Finally, we continue to work on consolidating COVID-19 pandemic laboratory investments into a cohesive tiered national network of public health laboratories as prescribed in the NCDC Act (2018).
“With the continued emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, our frequent and often concurrent disease outbreaks, and public health investments made during the pandemic to ensure health security in the country will need to be sustained.”
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command says it rescued 58 hostages at Udulu Forest, in the Gegu area of Kogi State, and other kidnappers hideouts in communities bordering the FCT.
The Police did not declare the number of hostages rescued at each kidnappers hideout visited but said a total of 58 hostages were rescued from the operation.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the Command, Josephine Adeh, on Sunday, May 7.
Adeh said the police engaged the kidnappers in gun duels before rescuing the victims.
“The bandits were overpowered and escaped with various degrees of bullet injuries leaving behind their victims.
“The rescue is part of efforts by the Command leadership in a sustained joint operation with other security agencies and vigilantes and hunters from the various local communities to combat violent crimes in the FCT, rescue victims and bring perpetrators to book,” Adeh stated.
Some of the rescued hostages. Photo credit: FCT Police
She added that the newFCT commissioner of Police, Haruna Garba, has vowed that, while effort is being sustained to prevent any further threats to the safety and security of residents, the Command would also not relent in ensuring the rescue of any resident held hostage by criminals, and as well bring the perpetrators to book.
The CP called for the cooperation of residents, especially in being security conscious and giving credible information to the Police.
Meanwhile, the Police said one Tama Jonathan, unfortunately, sustained injury during the rescue operation and died on the spot.
His remains have subsequently been released to his family for burial. The other 58 rescued victims are being stabilised in the hospital and would be reunited with their families,” the statement added.
NIGERIA is feared to be technically headed to recession as both the Senate and the Federal House of Representatives sanctioned an approval of N23.7 trillion lent through ways and means (unregulated borrowing) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Federal government.
The ways-and-means provision allows the government to borrow from the apex bank if it needs short-term or emergency finance to fund delayed government cash receipts of fiscal deficits.
The Federal government has promised to repay the debt, which stood at N23.7 trillion in December 2022, with securities like treasury bills and bonds issuance.
But the government failed in its repayment assurance and economic watchers fear the wider implications of rising inflation and possible recession.
Senate Leader, Ibrahim Gobir, who spoke on the Senate approval on May 3, listed beneficiaries of the loan to include the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading, Azura Power West Africa, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, and Acugas Limited.
Knowledgeable economic watchers said this approval without a detailed breakdown of what the money was spent on had the capability to push Nigeria into recession.
To the Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, the National Assembly flouted its oversight function as mandated by the Act establishing it by not insisting on the details of what the approved funds were spent on.
“If the National Assembly members had insisted on the breakdown, and had done a cost-benefit analysis of the approval, they would have discovered probably that some of the funds were misappropriated. They flouted the law that empowered them for oversight,” Onyekpere said.
The National Assembly is mandated by the Constitution to act as an agent of accountability through its oversight mechanisms.
A development economist, Kelvin Emmanuel told The ICIR that the Federal government must repay the loan, albeit at a lower interest, and by implication, every Nigerian would be repaying it “since the Federal government is everyone in Nigeria, because it is their taxes and royalties.”
Emmanuel said, “Nine per cent on a 40-year Government bond means the bond yield curve is inverting, a sign that the country might be heading to a technical recession.
“When this is gazetted, the total debt stock rises to N69.04 trillion, and takes debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio to -34.5 per cent and debt service-to-budget ratio to -39 per cent.
The chief executive of CFG Advisory, Adetilewa Adebajo, advised the Federal government to adopt options within the Debt Management Office (DMO) Act to refinance N23.7 trillion of Nigeria’s total debts, instead of securitising it.
Adebajo proposed a resolution trust, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) backed by legislation within the current DMO Act and framework, for refinancing of the nation’s burgeoning debts, as against securitising the ways and means debt financing on the CBN balance sheet.
He suggested that the Federal government should, as a matter of urgency, stop financing the country’s debts through ways and means, which he described as “illegal.”
The World Bank had in its latest report on Macro Poverty Outlook for Nigeria released in April 2023 said the country spent 96.3 per cent of its 2022 revenue on servicing its debts.
The report noted that Nigeria’s fiscal position deteriorated in 2022, leaving the cost of petrol subsidy to increase from 0.7 per cent to 2.3 per cent of the GDP.
“This has kept the public debt stock at over 38 per cent of GDP and pushed the debt service to revenue ratio from 83.2 per cent in 2021 to 96.3 per cent in 2022,” it read.
THE United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says an estimated 219,000 women are currently pregnant in Khartoum, capital of Sudan, and are not receiving essential health services, a situation that could prove life threatening for them.
UNFPA, a UN agency that works to improve reproductive and maternal health worldwide, disclosed this in a publication on Sunday, May 7.
The agency said it is stepping up support, with midwives playing a key role, in helping to provide safe deliveries for the 219,000 pregnant women as 24,000 are expected to give birth in the coming weeks amid growing violence in the country.
“Access to midwives is the single most important factor in stopping preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
“Some 24,000 women are expected to give birth in the coming weeks, in the throes of chaos and bloodshed, making it extremely hazardous for them to seek essential antenatal care, safe delivery services, or postnatal support.”
The UN agency for reproductive health said it condemned the attack on a hospital in Khartoum. “Health facilities and hospitals should be safe havens in times of crisis.”
UNFPA regional director Laila Baker maintained that pregnant women in the capital city are facing perilous conditions.
“We are acutely concerned,” she said. “There is no way we can monitor them, there is no access to safe delivery services, no way to ensure even meagre communication.”
She added that women can go into premature delivery, and complications can arise from panic that “the circumstances are so tenuous”.
The crisis in Sudan had trapped citizens of many countries including Nigerians since over two weeks of brutal fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) turned Khartoum, the epicentre of the violence, into a warzone and thrown the country into turmoil.
The ICIR had followed the incident with reports, the latest being that the Federal Government has successfully evacuated Nigerians who indicated interest to leave Sudan.
According to the UN report, more than 500 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes, either within the country or across borders to neighbouring Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
Many of those fleeing have already been displaced multiple times due to political instability, hunger and climate crises, with untold numbers taking refuge in unsafe, crowded and unsanitary makeshift camps.
The health sector is collapsing as only one in four hospitals in Khartoum are fully operational, with most damaged and only partially functioning, leaving millions of people without access to critical care, UNFPA said.
Dozens of attacks on hospitals, healthcare staff and ambulances, alongside widespread looting of already scarce medical supplies, water, fuel and electricity, are pushing the health sector to the brink of collapse.
OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized 8,852 kilograms (8.8 tons) of Canadian Loud, an imported synthetic strain of cannabis, in the Lekki area of Lagos after a 30-minute gun battle with armed men escorting the consignment loaded in two long trucks.
The NDLEA, in a statement by its spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Sunday, May 7, said acting on credible intelligence, its operatives laid ambush for the traffickers along the Eleko beach road in Lekki at about 4:51 am on Thursday, May 4.
“Two long trucks conveying the illicit consignments were flagged down, but rather than stopping, the trucks escorted by armed men sped off, as a result of which there was an exchange of gunfire that lasted 30 minutes. After they were overpowered by the NDLEA operatives, the truck drivers and their armed escorts escaped into the bush, abandoning the trucks and the drug consignments.
“While one of the trucks painted red has 149 jumbo bags weighing 6,548kg, the second one with blue colour has 53 big bags with a weight of 2,304kg, bringing the total number of bags to 202 and gross weight of both to 8,852 kilograms,” the NDLEA said.
The agency added that operatives are already on the trail of an unnamed drug lord who shipped the illicit consignment into the country.
The statement further disclosed that on the same day, May 4, operatives also intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle driven by one Mukaila Idowu, conveying 88.3kg skunk at Otedola bridge, in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
Wnother suspect, Joseph Friday, was arrested on Saturday, May 6 at Iyana Ira, Lagos with 58.7kg cannabis sativa concealed inside his Toyota Camry car marked FST 587FH.
Mukaila Idowu arrested on Otedola Bridge, Lagos. Picture courtesy NDLEA
In Ogun State, operatives of the NDLEA, in the early hours of Wednesday, May 3, busted a mini factory where a suspect, Bakare Taofeek, was producing skucchies around Safari Onikolobo, in Abeokuta.
Exhibits recovered from him include: 4kg black currant drink (Sobo) mixed with cannabis; 255 litres of skucchies; 1,880 tablets of tramadol; 735 grams of cannabis; three deep freezers; 2 gas cylinders and two cooking pots, among others.
THE Nigerian Army says it is investigating a viral video which showed soldiers assaulting workers of a cleaning services company in Kaduna State.
The ICIR had reported that the incident took place at the 2 Seasons Resort and Conference Center, where the company was engaged to provide services.
A staff of the company, @ayopaintedit, who shared the video on Twitter in a series of tweets seen by The ICIR on Saturday, May 6, said the soldiers were called to the hotel by the managers after the cleaning company requested payment of outstanding fees.
Instead of resolving the matter amicably, he said the soldiers resorted to brutal force, assaulting the workers and seizing their phones.
He said the incident left some of the workers injured, with one suffering a broken head, and another almost losing his eyesight.
In another footage, he said one of the soldiers called later, threatening to deal further with staff of the cleaning company if the Twitter post they made on the incident was not pulled down.
The incident sparked outrage amongst Nigerians, who took to the social media to demand justice for the victims.
However, the Army spokesperson, Clement Nwachukwu, in a text message sent to The ICIR in the early hours of Sunday, May 7, said the Army is investigating the incident.
The Army spokesperson said the video footage is being studied, to establish its veracity.
While noting that appropriate discipline will be taken once the veracity of the incident is established, Nwachukwu added that the Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for any form of human rights abuse and brutality.
“Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for any form of human rights abuse and brutality. There are extant codes of conduct and rules of engagement to guide the conduct of our troops in operations and exercises. We are studying the video footage to establish its veracity,” he said.
“Investigation has already commenced into the incident. Once this is established, be assured that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.”
He further noted that the Nigerian Army has Human Rights desks at the Army Headquarters and Divisions Headquarters where violations could be reported officially.
“Please note also that the Nigerian Army has Human Rights desks at the Army Headquarters and Divisions Headquarters where this kind of violations could be reported officially,” he added.
THE Director of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Osilamah Braimah, has explained that the closure of the Garki International Market was due to environmental issues and the potential risk of outbreak of an epidemic.
The market, located in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, was sealed off on Friday, May 5, by operatives of the AEPB.
Braimah said the Board derived no joy in sealing off the market but will be “failing in its responsibility, if the market is allowed to operate in its current deplorable condition”.
This was disclosed on Sunday, May 7, in a statement by the AEPB deputy director of information, Janet Peni.
The statement explained that environmental health officers of the Board noticed the unhygienic condition of the market while carrying out routine monitoring activities, a week ago.
“Following our standard protocol, we served them an abatement notice, giving them the required time allowable under law, to clean up.
“They ignored the notice and refused to clean up, rather the pile of garbage in the market premise grew worse,” Braimah said, according to the statement.
The AEPB went to court to obtain the order to seal the market.
“It is indeed a sad spectacle to behold fruits and vegetables being sold in close proximity to damaged sewer lines and heaps of garbage.
“Subsequently on Friday, over 5,000 traders who thronged the modern market in order to trade, couldn’t gain access into their shops as the market was sealed up.
“This means that every commercial activity grinds to a halt, because the situation as it is, is a recipe for an epidemic,” Braimah added.
The AEPB boss explained that promptly tackling a possible epidemic decisively is more economically beneficial than allowing trading to go on as usual in a filthy market environment.
He also noted that the Board can’t afford to place financial interests of the traders above the greater public health of the general populace.
According to him, once the managers of the market undertake to clean up, the market will be opened.
“As soon as they do the needful, we will go back to the court to obtain a court order to unseal the market for operations.”
The statement revealed that the situation at Garki International Market remained the same even after a late evening meeting on Friday between the AEPB, Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML) and shop owners.
“Traders with perishable goods were allowed to evacuate their goods so as not to incur losses.”
OSUN State governor Ademola Adeleke has dismissed reports that he is planning to demote workers and pay them half salaries every month.
He described the reports as mere fabrications aimed at undermining the harmonious relationship between him and and the workers.
Speaking through a statement released by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on May 7, the governor said he had no plan to demote any of the state’s workers and would not introduce payment of half salary.
The statement read: “Osun State Government under Governor Ademola Adeleke has not and will not demote any worker. There is also no plan to introduce half salary.
“Additionally, we declare that the content of the said story and all the references to a supposed worker are mere fabrications to undermine the very strong bond between Governor Adeleke and Osun workers, both in the formal and informal sectors.
“The bond of partnership between this administration and the workers was further cemented at the May 1st workers day celebration where labour leaders praised the extraordinary commitment of Governor Adeleke to workers’ welfare. The May Day event also saw confirmation by all stakeholders that Governor Adeleke was the first Governor in Osun state to have workers’ welfare as the first item on his governance agenda.
“Members of the public and the labour movement also acknowledged that the present administration has been clearing the mess and the evil fallouts of years of maladministration by the APC in Osun state. Part of that acclaimed step is the template adopted to clear years of half salary and pensions owed Osun workers.
“It is, therefore, a failed hatchet job by the opposition party to allege that a solution provider, a workers’ governor and a performing leader of peoples’ government is planning any anti-labour agenda.”
Adeleke said he has been working round the clock to restore public confidence in government, bridge the infrastructural gap, clear backlogs of salaries owed to workers, rebuild the public service, sanitise public finance and digitalise Osun economy.
The governor urged members of the public to ignore reports about the demotion of workers and introduction of half salaries.
According to the statement, Adeleke is an apostle of good governance and grassroots development who upholds workers’ rights and the aspirations of Osun people.
Several social media posts have claimed that former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has flown in a Russian-based lawyer to reclaim the mandate of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi during the presidential election tribunal.
“Obasanjo flies in World-Class Russian lawyer “Natalia Veselnitskaya” to defend Peter Obi ahead of Monday’s Presidential court case,” one of the tweets read.
Twitter post claim on Olusegun Obasanjo, Peter Obi and Natalia Veselnitskaya
“According to reports, she is the most dangerous lawyer in the whole world with an unbeatable record” the tweet from the user @SpecialConvenant added.
The user @convenantadarego added that that Natalia Veselnitskaya is a close associate of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, “She has never lost a case before. She is the special adviser to President “Putin” and was the same lawyer woman that defeated America in a court case against heavy sanctions on Russia. According to reports, she doesn’t believe in adjournment, she stands for you once in court”.
Similar claims were made by Twitter user Dennejoor in a now-deleted post.
The two Twitter posts were shared on Friday, May 5.
Both posts have since gathered 642 likes, 135 retweets, more than 50 thousand views from Twitter users and several comments.
“I hear she represented Donald Trump,” reads one of the comments.
The Claim:
Obasanjo flies in a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, to reclaim Peter Obi’s mandate.
The Findings:
The ICIRreported that the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Court was scheduled to commence on Monday, May 8 with a pre-hearing session. The election petition courts is organised to clarify the disputed declaration of All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer Bola Tinubu as the president-elect.
The ICIR earlier reported INEC declared Tinubu the winner of the February 25 presidential poll with 8,794,726 votes.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), came third with 6,101,533 votes.
Abubakar hired the services of 19 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to challenge the election’s result, while his counterpart Obi had secured the services of at least 20 SANs to challenge the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
Speaking to The ICIR on Saturday, May 6, the media aide to the Obasanjo, Kehinde Akinyemi said that Obasanjo neither employed nor invited the service of a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya to reclaim Peter Obi’s mandate for the presidential election tribunal.
Akinyemi stressed that there is a need for Nigerians to question the credibility and authenticity of the report.
“It is a rumour that is unconfirmed, and it has got nothing to do with Obasanjo. Also, it is not from a credible medium,” he stated.
Further independent findings by The ICIR revealed that no credible media outfit published the report as claimed.
The Verdict
The claim that former president Olusegun Obasanjo invited Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer, to reclaim Peter Obi’s victory during the presidential electoral tribunal is FALSE.
