AN 18-year-old Italian volleyball star of Nigerian descent Julia Ituma, has died tragically after falling from the window of her hotel just hours after her team was knocked out of their Champions League semi-final clash.
Ituma, described as the ‘next big thing’ in volleyball was found motionless on the ground outside the Valley Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey at around 5.30 am on Thursday morning.
She was pronounced dead by paramedics and emergency responders who arrived at the scene a short while after her fall from the sixth floor.
The rising star had been representing her team Igor Gorgonzola Novara in their second-leg knockout clash with Turkish side Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, where she had scored two points despite their loss.
Local police confirmed that they have launched an investigation into the incident. Her body has since been sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of the tragic death.
The Italian consulate in Turkey said they were working closely with officials in the country and providing support to Ituma’s family.
Ituma was born in 2001 in Milan to Nigerian parents and was considered one of the most promising talents in Italian volleyball. She started playing volleyball at the age of 11.
This was her first season with Igor Gorgonzola Novara, having transferred from Club Italia three seasons earlier.
Ituma had just finished the season with Igor where they finished fifth in the national Serie A1 league.
THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says Nigeria has recorded 4,338 suspected cases of Lassa fever infection in 2023.
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents or contaminated persons.
NCDC released its latest Lassa Fever situation report which covered all the suspected cases recorded between March 27 and April 2, on Thursday, April 13.
The report revealed that there has been continuous surge in the spread of Lassa Fever compared to the number of suspected cases recorded in April 2022.
The report also indicated that from week 1 to week 13, 2023, there has been 846 confirmed cases of Lassa Fever infections.
It further stressed that 148 deaths were reported with a case fatality rate of 17.5 per cent which reduced compared to the death rate for the same period in 2022 (19.1 per cent).
The report said, “Cumulatively from week 1 to week 13, 2023, 148 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.5% which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2022 (19.1%).
“In total for 2023, 25 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 99 Local Government Areas.”
NCDC stated that the number of confirmed cases decreased to 23 cases compare to the 39 cases recorded in week 12.
The report noted that newly suspected cases were reported from Bauchi, Ondo, Edo, Taraba, Ebonyi, Oyo and Kebbi states.
It noted that 72 per cent of all confirmed Lassa Fever cases were reported from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi while 28 per cent were reported from four other states.
Ondo, Edo and Bauchi topped the list of states with the highest number of all Lassa Fever suspected cases with 32 per cent, 29 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.
The report also showed that a health worker was affected in Week 13.
Meanwhile on Monday, January 30 The ICIR reported that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) issued a warning that the country is at a high risk of increased Lassa Fever transmission.
NCDC said that it had activated the National Multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centre for Lassa Fever (LF-EOC) at Level 2 to coordinate and strengthen ongoing response activities in the country.
According to the NCDC, “The outcome of the risk assessment placed the country at a very high risk of increased Lassa fever transmission due to an unprecedented upward trend in the number of confirmed cases being reported compared to previous years, increased number of states reporting cases in comparison to previous years and increased risk of healthcare worker infections and deaths due to Lassa fever infection.”
In January, The ICIRreported that the Edo State government said it has recorded 13 deaths from 115 cases of Lassa Fever in the state.
The ICIRreported that over 171 persons were killed by Lassa in Nigeria between January to September 2022.
In a report released in January 2023, the NCDC revealed that Nigeria recorded 1,067 suspected cases of Lassa Fever and 189 deaths from the disease in 2022.
The report pointed that the number of reported deaths with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.7 per cent was lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (20.0 per cent).
It further stressed that Nigeria recorded more suspected Lassa Fever cases towards the end of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.
Moreover, the Centre highlighted that 27 states recorded at least one confirmed case across 112 affected LGAs.
The report however, added that Ondo, Edo and Bauchi took the lion share (72 per cent) of all confirmed Lassa Fever cases in 2022 while 23 per cent were reported from 24 states with confirmed Lassa Fever cases.
THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned that Bayelsa, Lagos, Rivers, and Delta states are at higher risk of flooding in 2023.
During the presentation of the 2023 Climate-related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategies in Abuja on Thursday April 13, Director-General (DG) of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed said the flooding is predicted to result from rising sea levels and tidal surge in the states.
“This year’s forecast has indicated that there is a high risk of coastal flooding due to expected rise in sea level and tidal surge that may negatively impact agriculture, human settlements and transportation in Bayelsa, Delta, Lagos, and Rivers states.
“Flash and urban floods are also forecast over many cities and towns due to poor drainage systems and the lack of compliance with town planning and environmental regulations,” Ahmed said.
He noted that 2023 floods could be similar or worse than what occurred in 2022 if adequate preparatory steps were not taken, and called for early action to mitigate or avert possible disasters.
“In NEMA, we believe that early warning must be matched with early action. Therefore, we have written letters and attached this document for dispatch to all the 36 State Governments and the FCT Administration with specific mention of LGAs at risk and actions that are expected to be taken by responsible authorities.
“We have also produced flood risk maps of areas at risk and uploaded them on our official website and social media platforms for greater access by the public,” he said.
Ahmed said the agency had commenced sensitisation of the public on the predicted floods and urged state governments to establish Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMC) in areas where they do not exist.
In 2022, several lives and properties were lost to floods which affected about 33 states.
According to NEMA, 665 people died and 3181 others were injured as a result of flooding.
Over 200 thousand people were displaced and nearly a million farmlands partially or totally destroyed.
A report by the National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Services (NAESRLS) also stated that agricultural investment lost to the 2022 flood was worth about N700 billion.
NEMA had issued a similar warning in March during a technical training on climate disaster, describing the 2022 flood as a wake up call for emergency responders.
“The 2022 flood disaster which is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria has wreaked havoc in all the states of the country. Many of the affected communities are still yet to recover from the impacts of the devastating event,” Ahmed said.
THREE policemen have been dismissed by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over offenses bordering on misuse of firearms, abuse of power, gross indiscipline and wastage of live ammunition.
The officers were attached to a popular Kano-based musician Dauda Kahutu Rarara.
The development followed a viral video of the officers shooting in the air while escorting the musician despite being surrounded by civilians.
The incident sparked angry reactions from many Nigerians on the social media and also drew the attention of the Police Public relations officer Olumuyiwa Adejob, who said the men would be sanctioned.
Subsequently, The ICIR reported that the three policemen were arrested and would face trial.
Meanwhile, a statement released by the Force PRO Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Thursday, April 13, disclosed that the trio were found guilty of the charges.
The statement read: “Subsequent to complaints and findings on video evidence widely circulated on Friday 7th April, 2023, on social media of high-handedness, unprofessional conduct, and misuse of firearms against some policemen from Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 1, Kano, and a follow-up orderly room trial of the affected policemen by the Force Provost Marshal, three officers from the SPU Base 1 Kano have been dismissed for the offences of discreditable conduct to wit misuse of firearms, abuse of power, gross indiscipline, and wastage of live ammunition.
“The trio, Inspr. Dahiru Shuaibu, Sgt. Abdullahi Badamasi, and Sgt. Isah Danladi were attached to a musician in Kano on escort duties. In the course of their duty on Friday 7th April, 2023 at Kahutu Village, Katsina State, the officers repeatedly fired shots from their official firearms into the air despite police policy against firing in the air, standard operating procedure and relevant Force Orders; and disregarding the possible risk to the crowd at the location which included children.
“The act was not only criminal and unprofessional but also embarrassing to the Force and the nation at large.”
The Force further warned all officers to ensure they carry out their duties in line with the extant laws to avoid running foul of its provisions and attracting attendant sanctions.
It also tasked its supervising officers to ensure continuous and detailed lectures of their with all necessary standard operating procedures.
Cases of dismissal in the past
In June, 2022, The ICIRreported that about 258 policemen have been punished following complaints received from citizens by the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) of the Nigeria Police Force since 2015.
The report stressed that 31 policemen were also dismissed while eight others were subjected to orderly room trials based on complaints received.
According to the CRU, a total of N55.6 million was returned to the owners after being recovered from defaulting policemen since the inception of the unit.
Similarly, a police officer attached to the Dolphin Divisional Police Headquarters, Lagos, Opeyemi Kadiri, was sacked for gross misconduct and other offences.
The police said the sacked corporal’s behaviour violated the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba.
Adejobi stated, “The dismissed officer, who enlisted into the force on 6th December, 2016, was caught searching a commuter’s phone by the roadside, contrary to the directive of Usman Alkali Baba, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), to that effect.
“He equally assaulted the commuter, who attempted to bring the order to his notice. His dismissal takes effect from today the 12th of August, 2022.”
The ICIR in October 2022 reported how the Police Service Commission (PSC) approved the demotion of seven senior officers and reduced the ranks of 10 others.
A statement issued by the PSC Head, Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani, explained that the punitive measures were based on gross misconduct of the errant officers.
The ICIR gathered that seven police officers were also dismissed in Imo State in December, 2022.
The police spokesperson in the state, Michael Abattam, said the dismissal of the officers followed series of complaints to the commissioner of police in Imo State against the officers by some residents.
Abattam said the complainants accused the police officers of brutality, harassment, extortion and illegal checking of their mobile phones.
Several other policemen have been dismissed over misconduct and unprofessional behaviour by the NPF.
LABOUR Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi has denied receiving any letter of apology from the British Government over his detention by Immigration officials at the London Heathrow Airport.
On April 7, Obi was detained on suspicion of impersonation during routine immigration checks as he arrived in London for a brief visit.
The incident was disclosed by the spokesperson of the Obi-Datti Media Campaign team, Diran Onifade, in a statement released on April 12.
On Thursday, April 13, there were reports that the British Government has apologised to Obi.
The reports said the British authorities sent an apology letter to the LP presidential flagbearer.
However, Obi, in a statement by Onifade, on Thursday, said he did not receive any apology from the UK government.
The statement also expresses the LP’s confidence in the ability of British authorities to resolve the matter.
“We have been receiving enquiries with regards to a so called apology, purportedly issued by the British Government or any of its agencies, to our Principal Mr Peter Obi, in respect of a routine Immigration engagement with him, as he arrived London, for a brief visit, last Friday, the 7th of April,” he said
“We would like to state emphatically that we are not aware of any such apology, and have not issued any statement whatsoever, in that regard. While we continue to examine any dubious or political motive, on the part of the perpetrators of the identity theft, we have every confidence in the ability of the British authorities to resolve the matter, to conclusion,” Onifade said.
While the incident has sparked concern among his supporters and other Nigerians, Onifade said the LP and Obi’s team have since moved on from the incident.
He said they are focused on the legal processes before the Election Petition Tribunal, where they hope to recover the mandate they believe was given to the LP presidential candidate by Nigerians on February 25.
In an earlier statement released on April 12, where he recounted what transpired at the London Heathrow Airport, Onifade had expressed concerns that Obi’s alleged impersonator, who is still at large, may commit some offences that might result in Obi’s arrest in the UK.
Narrating what happened, Onifade said: “The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, just back from London, United Kingdom where he celebrated Easter, has confirmed that he was harassed by London Immigration officials and placed in detention but for the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport.
“Obi-Datti Media Office can confirm that the LP presidential candidate in the February 25 presidential poll arrived at the Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, and joined the queue for the necessary airport protocols when he was accosted by Immigration official who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside.
“He was questioned for a long time, and it was very strange for a man who lived for over a decade in that country.
“The Immigration officials who were also taken aback at the reaction of the people were forced to reveal that Obi was being questioned for a duplication offence meaning that someone has been impersonating him in London.”
BENUE State governor, Samuel Ortom and the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) have said the 2023 national census should be suspended until Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are returned to their ancestral lands.
The national population and housing census is scheduled to hold from May 3 to 7.
Ortom and the leadership of the Middle Belt Forum called for the postponement of the planned census on Thursday, April 13, when a delegation from the MBF, led by its President, Bitrus Pogu, paid a courtesy call on the governor in Makurdi.
The governor said the failure of the Federal Government to provide adequate security for IDPs and the country before the census would amount to “a hidden agenda”, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur.
Ortom noted that about two million Benue indigenes displaced by insecurity would miss the census unless they are safely returned and resettled in their homes.
“I want to say that the Federal Government should suspend the issue of census because it looks like the proposed census is coming with an agenda. Because I understand from the National Population Commission that those to be counted must be counted in their localities”, he said.
Ortom decried the continued attacks on Benue communities by armed herdsmen over the years which, according to him, have led to the death of more than six thousand people, “and property worth billions of naira destroyed with the Federal Government doing little to help”.
“In Benue State alone we have lost over six thousand people. In the last few days alone, over 131 persons were killed and we are still counting because others are in the hospital”, he added.
Governor Samuel Ortom (L) in a handshake with Bitrus Pogu Credit: Facebook
In his remarks, MBF leader Pogu said attacks by armed herdsmen on various communities within the Middle Belt “are frightening, because after killing and displacing the villagers, the Fulani came and renamed those villages”.
While calling on Federal Government to ensure security of lives and property in the country, Pogu said “Middle Belt will not cede our land to anyone”.
“No portion of our land will be ceded to anyone. It will not be allowed. That should not be allowed to happen. Our land is our heritage”, he added.
First census since 2006
The 2023 national population census will be Nigeria’s first headcount in Nigeria in 17 years. The last census was in 2006.
The census will be conducted in May and, according to the NPC, will meet global best standards.
Nigeria’s estimated population is more than 200 million, and the United Nations expects that to double by 2050. That would make Nigeria the world’s third most populous country, overtaking the United States.
The census had been earlier scheduled for March 29 but was postponed due to the postponement of the gubernatorial and state assembly elections.
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), has called on non-profit organisations (NPOs) in the Northeast to join hands with it in combating the financing of terrorism and money laundering in the region.
The Director, SCUML, Daniel Isei, gave the charge on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at a two-day workshop for NPOs in the Northeast.
The theme of the workshop, held at Pinnacle Hotel, Maiduguri, was, ‘Collaborating to Fight Terrorism Financing.’
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday, April 13, signed by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren.
According to the statement, Isei, while addressing the participants on the report of the ‘Risk Assessment of the Non-Profit Organizations Sector in Nigeria’, said the document is the outcome of engagements with relevant stakeholders and provides a sort of roadmap on how NPOs can insulate themselves from the vulnerabilities in the sector.
“We are aware that some NPOs are at a higher risk than others because each and every NPO’s area of operation is not the same. Therefore, the report is for us to take in, digest, and see the findings, how they affect each and every one of us,” Isei said.
He emphasised the critical role of NPOs in the fight against terrorist financing and charged them to ensure their businesses were not used as conduits for terrorism financing.
Isei also urged the participants not to consider visits by SCUML as suggestive of the discovery of any wrongdoing, adding that the agency has a statutory mandate to monitor the organisations.
“The visit is to check your processes to ensure that actions and mechanisms are put in place, and to prevent the possibilities for NPOs to be misused for terrorist financing,” he said.
He warned that errant NPOs would face requisite sanctions.
The head of the Maiduguri Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Oshodi Johnson, accompanied by his deputy, Okeckuku Obiageli Ethlynda, stated that NPOs were critical in curbing the menace of terrorism financing.
He urged the organisations to be wholly committed to their humanitarian work and resist every temptation to be involved in activities that are against the laws of the land.
The Executive Secretary of the Borno State Agency for Coordination of Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Response, Bunu Monguno, expressed confidence that the risk assessment report would help NPOs to deliver on their mandate.
SCUML is charged with the responsibility of monitoring, supervising and regulating the activities of Designated Non-Financial Institutions (DNFIs), in line with the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act ML(P)Act 2011 and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) 2011.
DIVE Photo Guide, in partnership with the United Nations, is inviting entries for the United Nations World Oceans Day 2023 Photography Competition.
The competition seeks to inspire the creation of imagery capturing the beauty, the challenges, and the importance of the ocean and humankind’s relation to it.
Six categories are open for submissions of entries: No Time to Waste; Putting the Ocean First; The Wonderful World of Tides; Underwater Seascapes; The Ocean is Life; and Big and Small Underwater Faces.
Winning images will be recognized at the United Nations on June 8, 2023, during the UN event marking World Oceans Day 2023.
The organiser says entry is free.
Photographers around the world can enter a photo contest on ocean preservation.
The deadline for the submission of entries is April 23, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.
ECONOMISTS and industry watchers want the Federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay closer attention to ease of doing business before adopting the monetary tightening measures suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest report outlook.
The IMF, in its latest quarterly World Economic Outlook report unveiled at the ongoing Spring meeting in Washington DC, United States, said Nigeria’s economy could drop slightly to 3.2 per cent in 2023, and then lower further to 3 per cent next year as global outlook sustains high uncertainty amid recent financial sector turmoil, high inflation, ongoing effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and three years of COVID-19 pandemic.
The global economy faces a “rocky” recovery as geopolitics, monetary tightening and inflation continue to weigh on growth, the IMF said.
“For Nigeria, our forecast is one of the most stable ones for this year. We have a slight increase; we have 3.3 per cent in 2022. That’s an upward revision. And for 2023, about the same 3.2 per cent, and 3 per cent in 2024. So this is an economy with very high inflation as well, and this is why we have a forecast of about 20 per cent for 2023,” IMF Division Chief, Research Department, Daniel Leigh, stated during a press briefing announcing the report.
Global growth is expected to expand 2.8 per cent this year and 3 per cent next year, each 0.1 percentage point less than the Fund’s January projection. That compares with 3.4 per cent expansion in 2022.
But economic watchers are of the view that Nigeria has reached its limits on tightening, arguing that further monetary tightening could squeeze the manufacturing sector further into crisis.
They insisted that the government must rally efforts around ease of doing business, to enable manufacturers and other players in small and medium scale enterprises not to be squeezed out by such monetary tightening tools.
“I don’t really agree with this position of IMF on further tightening of our monetary position. As far as I’m concerned, we have reached the limits of tightening. How many countries have a cash reserve ratio (how much money banks can keep in their vaults as permitted by the CBN) of 32.5 per cent in the world,” the Executive Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises and former Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muda Yusuf, told The ICIR.
Yusuf: wants attention paid to ease of doing business
Yusuf maintained that the high interest rate of 18 per cent was already squeezing businesses dry, making cost of funds for businesses almost beyond reach.
He stressed that the government needed to do more on the ease of doing business, adding, “The forex challenge is still there and there is no transparency. This is a policy problem. The second concern is energy cost, which is extremely high, and which affects cost of transportation.
“We also have the problem of high costs of production, which makes manufacturers not to sell easily because of high costs occasioned by high inflation and other costs of major concern,,” he said.
Another development economist, Celestine Okeke, said beyond monetary policy tightening, the government must pay attention to cutting wastages and fiscal discipline.
Okeke: Nigeria needs to cut wastages from government expenditure
Okeke said, “We are doing the wrong type of tightening. We need to cut out wastes from the ministries, departments and agencies of government. Every year, we are buying Hilux vehicles and several unnecessary things. For me, the $800 million they are bringing for the social safety would have been put into getting our refineries to work to lessen the buden of high energy costs.”
An economic analyst with the Arise Television, Chuka Mbonu, said the manufacturers were going through difficult times occasioned largely by high cost of production and weak impact of ease of doing business.
Mbonu said, “Manufacturers are buffeted by insecurity, lack of power, double taxes, legal fee issues, and high transportation costs. They are not even able to produce goods at a lower price. This issue of monetary tightening would not solve these problems. The fiscal side and enabling business environment has to play its role.”
The IMF had earlier expressed worry that earlier hopes in 2023 that the world economy could achieve a soft landing — with inflation coming down and growth steady — have receded amid stubbornly high inflation and recent financial sector turmoil.
These situations have added to pressures emanating from tighter monetary policy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The unexpected failures last month of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, and the collapse of Credit Suisse Group AG have stirred markets and raised fears of financial stability concerns, complicating central banks’ quest to tame inflation, while maintaining growth and the health of the banking system.
Nigeria’s Purchasing Manager Index – an index to guage the health of the country’s manufacturing survey conducted by Stanbic IBTC Bank in March 2023 – declined to 42.3 points, below the 50-point benchmark of a good performance.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product declined to 8.40 per cent from 8.59 per cent in the corresponding period of 2021, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS data also showed that Nigeria’s total non-oil exports in 2022 were worth $4.8 billion (N2.2 trillion), which is just a fraction of Vietnam’s $53.2 billion earnings from only its agricultural export in the same period.
BANDITS have attacked the Atak’Njei hamlet in Kaduna State’s Zango Kataf Local Government Area, killing at least eight people.
The latest attack occurred a few weeks after a similar tragedy in the same local government area’s Langson village that took eleven lives.
Atak’Njei is home to the palace of the Agwatyap Chiefdom’s supreme monarch.
The President of Atyap Community Development Association, Sam Timbuwak, told Channels Television that the gunmen invaded the neighbourhood on Wednesday, April 12 at around 9:00 pm and began firing intermittently at residents’ homes.
He claimed that the bandits killed eight individuals during the attack and injured four others.
The Atyap leader, who revealed that the attack’s scene is close to a military checkpoint, bemoaned the soldiers’ late arrival in the neighbourhood after the assailants had already left.
He urged the security agencies to find those responsible for attacks in Atyapland.
Attempts to reach the police authorities and the state’s commissioner for security were unsuccessful.
While the Police spokesperson, Mohammed Jalige, promised to get back to The ICIR’s reporter on the issue, the Commissioner of Security, Samuel Aruwan, did not pick up his calls and did not respond to a text message sent to his phone.
The high rate of bandits’ attacks in Southern Kaduna has increased in recent years.
The ICIR reported that Nigerians condemned the unending attacks in Southern Kaduna by bandits following the killing of about 28 residents on December 18, 2022.
In the December 18, 2022 attack, the bandits also razed houses at Malagum and Kagoro communities in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
An inter-denominational burial service was held for the victims of the attack on Thursday, December 22. Images from the burial were attached to a post on Facebook and other social media platforms by the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan.
The post was captioned, ‘The inter-denomination burial mass/service of the victims of the Fulani herders attack at Mallagum, Kagoro, Kaura Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria on this day, Thursday, 22nd December 2022. May their souls rest in peace with the Lord’.
