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Kenya: Over 50 bodies dug up in investigation of pastor who told members to ‘starve to meet Jesus’

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
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Kenya: Over 50 bodies dug up in investigation of pastor who told members to ‘starve to meet Jesus’

MORE than 50 bodies have been exhumed from a land belonging to Pastor Paul Makenzi of the Good News International Church, in coastal Kenya, who was arrested for telling his followers to fast to death.

The followers said they were starving on the pastor’s instructions in order to “meet Jesus”.

Malindi sub-county police chief John Kemboi said that more shallow graves have yet to be dug up on the land belonging to Makenzi, who was arrested on April 14 over links to cultism.

The pastor has also been fingered in the death of two children who were starved and strangled to death by their parents “to please God”.

The chilling discovery of the bodies was made after a tip off from members of the public led police to raid the pastor’s property in Malindi, where they found 15 emaciated people, including four who later died last week.

Police had been told there were dozens of shallow graves spread across Makenzi’s farm and digging started on Friday, April 21.

The pastor has been arrested twice before, in 2019 and on March 22, this year, in relation to the deaths of children.

Each time, he was released on bond, and both cases are still proceeding through the court.

Police have asked a court to allow them to hold Makenzi longer as investigations into the deaths of his followers continue.

VOA’s Russian Service seeks digital media, multimedia specialists

Blessing OTOIBHI
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VOA’s Russian Service seeks digital media, multimedia specialists

VOICE of America’s (VOA) Russian Service is hiring a digital media specialist and a multimedia specialist.

The digital media specialist will use social media to enhance the Russian Service’s online presence, increase audience reach and engagement, and improve the quality of reporting through the use of internet marketing, digital distribution networks, video production and graphic design.

The multimedia specialist will use video and digital journalism techniques and equipment to record, select and edit multimedia materials and make enhancements that add value and interest to digital presentations and website capabilities.

The employer says both positions offer a competitive salary.

To apply for the digital media specialist position, click here.

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To apply for the multimedia specialist position, click here.

Journalists fluent in English and Russian can apply for a full-time position in Washington.

The deadline for submission of entries is April 27, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.

Students threaten showdown over Buhari’s refusal to end Bsc/HND dichotomy 

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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Students threaten showdown over Buhari’s refusal to end Bsc/HND dichotomy 

NIGERIAN students under the umbrella of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), have vowed to shut down polytechnics and other institutions awarding Higher National Diploma (HND) if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to assent to a bill to end the dichotomy between HND and BSc awarded by universities.

They gave the President 14 days to sign the bill and make it one of his achievements in office or face the wrath of “over 20.1 million” students and graduates of polytechnics and related institutions in the country and the Diaspora.

In the students’ letter, signed by the NAPS Deputy Senate President, Adeniji Temitope, and posted on his Twitter account on Monday, April 24, the students’ body said the “Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma, passed by the National Assembly in 2021 and transmitted to Buhari, failed to enjoy his assent.

“The Senate arm of the National Association of Polytechnic Students through the Office of Deputy Senate President has agreed on shutting down all Polytechnic, Colleges of Technology and allied institutions that award Higher National Diploma across Nigeria if President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the President Federal Republic of Nigeria, doesn’t assent to HND/Bsc dichotomy Bill in the next fourteen (14) days.

“For some time now, we observed that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been assenting to many bills, but HND/Bsc dichotomy Bill hasn’t been attended to. In line with this, if the President Federal Republic of Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR fails to assent to this bill within Fourteen (14) working days, the polytechnic students across Nigeria will occupy Presidential Villa in Abuja and continue to cry until President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR assent to the bill.” 

The students argued that polytechnic students and graduates had supported Buhari’s government since he came into power in 2015 and shouldn’t be treated like outcasts.

Buhari leaves office on May 29 after serving two terms of four years each.

Letter from Nigerian polytechnic students urging President Buhari to sign the bill ending Bsc and HND dichotomy

The ICIR reports that the students’ threat follows appeals by Nigerians to the President to sign the bill.

The Civil Service in Nigeria has different entry levels for employees with Bsc. and HND certificates. The career of HND graduates terminates at most on Level 14, while those with Bsc reach Level 17, the highest in the civil service.

The dichotomy also plays out in the country’s security institutions. HND graduates are recruited on a step lower than those with BSc, who are engaged as commissioned officers.

But the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board abolished the policy in 2019, leaving other government departments, agencies and ministries with the policy.

Another disadvantage suffered by HND holders is that they don’t progress directly to Masters Degree, but will have to enrol for a Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD).

At several meetings she headed or attended, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, pledged that the Federal Government would remove the dichotomy, but Buhari’s refusal to sign the bill that will end the gap has voided such promises.

The ICIR reports that the crisis has lingered after the Federal Government had in 2006 (during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government) constituted a White Paper Drafting Committee on the Consolidation of Emoluments in the Public Sector to end the dichotomy.

NiMet tackles NGO over lightning advisory

Bankole ABE
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NiMet tackles NGO over lightning advisory

THE Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has tackled a non-governmental organisation, Nigerian Lightning Safety and Research Center (NLSRC), over a lightning advisory issued by the latter.

In a statement released on Monday, April 24, NiMet dissociated itself from an advisory purportedly issued by the NLSRC in which the organisation alerted Nigerians of the possibility of lightning strikes across the country in May 2023.

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In the statement titled ‘Disclaimer’, signed by General Manager Public Relations, NiMet, Muntari Yusuf Ibrahim, the agency said it did not permit NLSRC to provide any such weather forecasts to the public.

NiMet stressed that it was not accountable or liable in any way for any consequences brought on by relying on or acting on weather information provided by NLSRC or any meteorological information obtained from any source not approved by the agency.

“It has come to the notice of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) that there is a publication purportedly issued by the Nigerian Lightning Safety and Research Center (NLSRC) to the Nigerian Public, alerting them to the possibility of lightning strikes across Nigeria in May 2023.

“NiMet wishes to inform the Public that at no time did it authorise NLSRC to issue any such weather forecast to the Public, as this is the statutory function of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.

“NiMet is statutorily mandated under Sections 7 (1) (a) and (i) of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency Establishment Act, 2022 (NiMet Act), to advise the Federal Government on all aspects of meteorology and to collect, process and disseminate all meteorological data and information within and outside Nigeria.

“NiMet is also the sole authority to prescribe and issue the meteorological data and information required for all sectoral activities in Nigeria (Section 7(2)).

“Further to the above-stated provisions, any person who collects, uses or disseminates weather forecast or any other meteorological information obtained from any other source outside the approval, licence or authority of the Agency for a commercial or Public purpose commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to a fine or a term of imprisonment or both (Section 30 (2) of the NiMet Act),” NiMet stated.

NiMet further warned the public to disregard the material released by the NLSRC completely.

In its reaction, NLSRC acknowledged that it had not sought NiMet’s permission before publishing the weather forecast.

In a statement released by Michael Adebayo Omidiora, NLSRC also stated that it did not intend to compete with NiMet or any other government agency responsible for weather forecast and dissemination of meteorological data and information.

The NLSRC, a a non-governmental organisation registered in the United States focusing on lightning safety education and awareness, had on April 15 said about 2.9 million lightning incidents are expected to accompany rainfall in May.

The centre advised Nigerians to be careful when moving around and engaging in activities outside during the rainy season.

It cautioned members of the public to safeguard their appliances and electronic devices, saying that some states would experience more powerful cases of lightning.

The states mentioned include Enugu, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Edo, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba, Anambra, Osun, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Cross River and FCT.

The centre advised Nigerians to be ready for potential fatalities and fire outbreaks, noting that the listed states were more likely to experience catastrophic lightning strikes and flooding.

Five-storey building collapses in Lagos

Vincent Ufuoma
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Five-storey building collapses in Lagos

Zamfara gov reinstates monarch suspended for turbanning bandit leader

Bankole ABE
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Zamfara gov reinstates monarch suspended for turbanning bandit leader

THE Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has reinstated a monarch, Aliyu Garba Marafa, who was suspended for turbanning a notorious bandit leader, Ado Aleiru.

Marafa, the Emir of Birnin Yandoto, was suspended shortly after giving the bandit leader a chieftaincy title in 2022.

In a statement on Sunday, April 23, the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Kabiru Balarabe Sardauna, announced that Marafa has been reinstated as the Emir of Birnin Yandoto.

The statement reads: “This is to inform the public that His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, MON, (Shatiman Sokoto), has approved the reinstatement of Alh. Aliyu Garba Marafa as the Emir of Birnin Yandoto.

“His reinstatement is based on the recommendations of the committee constituted to investigate all issues pertaining to the conferment of a traditional title to a repentant bandit, Ado Aleiru. The committee found no evidence of any ill motive or collaboration between the Emir and the bandit.

“Based on the findings of the committee, the traditional title was conferred on the repentant bandit as part of peace-building efforts between the repentant bandit and banditry-affected communities in Tsafe and Gusau Local Government Areas, which include Yandoto town. The reinstatement takes immediate effect.”

In July 2022, the Zamfara State Government announced the suspension of Marafa as the Emir of Birnin’ Yandoto, in Tsafe Local Government Area, for turbanning the bandit leader.
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Secretary to the State Government, Kabiru Sardauna, announced the suspension in a statement.

Marafa conferred Aleiru with the title of leader of the Fulani.

According to the Emir, Aleiru was conferred the title for his pivotal role during a peace process between the Emirate and the bandits terrorising Tsafe Local Government Area.

Following the development, the state governor, Matawalle, set up a committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the Emir’s action.

Zamfara State, in Northwestern Nigeria, is one of the strongholds of armed bandits who have been terrorising residents of many northern states.

The Zamfara incumbent governor, Bello Matawalle, lost his reelection bid to Lawal Dare of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded governorship election.

The returning officer for the election, Kasimu Shehu, said Dare scored 377,726 votes to defeat Matawalle, who polled 311, 976 votes.

Recruitment: FRSC warns of fraudulent LinkedIn account

Ijeoma OPARA
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Recruitment: FRSC warns of fraudulent LinkedIn account

SECTOR Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Taraba Selina Williams has issued an alert over a fake LinkedIn account being used to defraud members of the public through an employment scam.

Although there is an ongoing recruitment process by the FRSC, Williams noted in a statement on Sunday, April 23 that the employment offer advertised by the LinkedIn account with the name Marshal Dauda Biu and WhatsApp number 07069777732, was fake.

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FRSC “FRSC recruitment process is on and there is a fake linkedin account operating on Whatsapp number: 07069777732 under the name of Corps Marshal Dauda Biu with the intent to defraud innocent members of the public on the guise of offering them employment.

“I enjoin prospective applicants or members of the public in Taraba to be wary of such fake account and disregard it,” she said.

Members of the public interested in applying for employment were advised to visit the Corps’ portal at www.recruitment.frsc.gov.ng where the application process is free.

Many unsuspecting members of the public have been defrauded by fraudsters using phishing websites and social media platforms for employment scams across the country.

In 2021, The ICIR reported how fraudsters steal data from job seekers, including login credentials and credit card numbers, to illegally siphon users’ money from their bank accounts without their knowledge.

Oftentimes, there is an outright demand for application fees from unsuspecting applicants.

According to the report, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) said about 443 people in Nigeria were victims of employment scams in 2020, with losses estimated at $20 million.

Saudi-bound widower, divorcee arrested at Lagos airport with 14.4kg cocaine

Bankole ABE
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Saudi-bound widower, divorcee arrested at Lagos airport with 14.4kg cocaine

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a widower, Ariyibi Ahmed Olaseinde and a divorcee, Akanbi Silifat Tunrayo, for drug trafficking at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

According to the NDLEA, the suspects who were going for the Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia were arrested for attempting to export 14.4 kilograms of cocaine concealed in lace and Ankara fabrics.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday, April 23, signed by the spokesperson of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi.

According to the statement, Ariyibi was intercepted on Thursday, 20th April, at the screening point of MMIA Terminal 2 during outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers travelling from Lagos via Doha to Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Silifat Tunrayo AkanbiPhoto credit: NDLEA
Silifat Tunrayo Akanbi
Photo credit: NDLEA

“When his carry-on bag was checked, four sets of white lace material with linings of substance that tested positive to cocaine weighing 11.50kg were discovered.

“The suspect, who claimed to be a widower and an advertising practitioner, said his original plan was to ingest the drugs but had to change his mind after failed attempts to swallow bitter cola, which he was using to practice the process.

“He is expected to be paid One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N1,800,000) upon successful delivery of the consignment in Medina, Saudi Arabia,” the NDLEA stated.

The anti-narcotic Agency said that on Wednesday, April 19, NDLEA officers at the Terminal 2 airport also arrested Akanbi with 2.90kg of cocaine during outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers from Lagos via Doha to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

A search of her hand luggage led to the discovery of six sheets of cocaine weighing 2.90kg concealed in Ankara fabrics.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a divorcee and a trader who used to hawk clothes around the Awoyaya area of Ajah, Lagos.

“Based on information in her statement, a follow up operation that lasted through the night into the early hours of Thursday 20th April was carried out, during which the person who recruited her, Adebayo Adeola Wasiu was arrested at No 28, Olateju Street, Mushin, Lagos. Adebayo is the managing director of B&T Travel Agency,” the NDLEA added.

Silifat Tunrayo Akanbi and Adebayo Adeola WasiuPhoto credit: NDLEA
Silifat Tunrayo Akanbi and Adebayo Adeola Wasiu
Photo credit: NDLEA

In the same vein, NDLEA said officers attached to courier companies intercepted two drug consignments: ecstasy and skunk, going to the United Arab Emirates.

While the ecstasy pills were concealed in a gold wedding gown, the skunk was hidden in a microcontroller.

APC dissolves presidential campaign council ahead of Tinubu’s inauguration

Vincent Ufuoma
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APC dissolves presidential campaign council ahead of Tinubu’s inauguration

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissolved its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), which was established in September of last year.

The Council was chaired by the Plateau State governor, Simon Bako Lalong, with James Faleke serving as the Secretary.

The announcement of the dissolution was made via a statement jointly signed by Lalong and Faleke and released on Sunday, April 23.

According to the statement, the APC expressed its gratitude to all Council members, leaders, and supporters for their efforts towards securing “a resounding victory for the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu”.

The statement also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his unwavering support and leadership throughout the campaign.

The APC acknowledged the campaign council’s unprecedented, relentless, and engaging mobilization of party members nationwide and in the Diaspora towards securing the majority popular votes for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential ticket.

“The journey has been a worthy one with our hard-won victory. The credit goes to all our members particularly, the leaders and members of the various campaign directorates,” the statement said.

“However, we have concluded that it is in the best interest of the campaign and its stakeholders for us to dissolve our council with immediate effect. This has become necessary to retune us towards the May 29, 2023, inauguration of the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

“The process of transitioning into a new era of a Renewed Hope is underway and all our energies and activities must reflect the principles underlying this process.”

The party expressed hopes that all members will continue to stay involved in Nigeria’s political process and advocate for issues they believe in.

The dissolution of the PCC comes as the APC prepares for the inauguration of Tinubu’s administration on May 29.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

According to INEC, Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar had 6,984,520, while the Labour Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, polled 6,101,533.

The PDP and LP candidates have rejected the result. Both parties have approached the tribunal with separate petitions to challenge Tinubu’s victory.

Meningitis kills 118 persons in Nigeria in six months — NCDC

Bankole ABE
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Meningitis kills 118 persons in Nigeria in six months — NCDC

THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said Cerebrospinal Meningitis killed 118 persons in Nigeria in the last six months. 

The NCDC disclosed this through its official Twitter handle on Sunday, April 23.

The Centre said that between October 2022 and April 2, about 235 confirmed cases had been reported, with 118 deaths from 22 states and 79 local government areas (LGAs).

The public health institute expressed worries that the disease killed 23 persons in one week between March 27 and April 2.

The deaths were reported from two states, Jigawa (6) and Yobe (17).

Additional information on NCDC’s website added that the national multi-sectoral Cerebrospinal Meningitis Technical Working Group (TWG) persist in monitoring response to the disease across states.

“As of April 2, a total of 1,479 suspected cases, including 118 deaths (Case Fatality Ratio, CFR 9.3 per cent), were reported from 22 states in 2022/2023 Cerebrospinal Meningitis seasons.

“Age group 5-14 years was the most affected age group; males were 57 per cent, females were 43 per cent.

About “93 per cent of all cumulative cases were from five states: Jigawa (1064 cases), Yobe (234 cases), Zamfara (36 cases), Bauchi (23 cases) and Adamawa (21 cases),” the NCDC said.

In 2022, the NCDC disclosed that Meningitis killed 56 persons in Nigeria between January and October 5.

In a statement, the Centre said the deaths occurred from 961 suspected cases.

The Centre said the suspected cases and deaths were logged from 159 local government areas in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) is an epidemic-prone disease with cases reported annually in Nigeria. 

The highest burden occurs in Africa’s ‘Meningitis Belt’, south of the Sahara Desert.

In Nigeria, the belt includes all 19 northern states, the FCT and some southern states.

The bacteria that causes Meningitis is transmitted from person to person through carriers’ droplets of respiratory or throat secretions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined Meningitis as a severe infection of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

Anyone of any age can be affected, but particularly infants, young children, and of preschool age.

The early symptoms can take several hours or several days. A sudden high fever, stiff neck, excruciating headache, nausea, and vomiting are a few examples.

In some situations, such as Meningococcal Meningitis, it may also cause disorientation or difficulty concentrating, seizures, tiredness or difficulty waking up, sensitivity to light, lack of appetite or thirst, and skin rash.

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