The Nigerian Army has freed Victoria Idakpini, the detained wife of Lance Corporal Martins Idakpani.
This came nine days after she was held by the army because her husband slammed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai, in a viral video over the handling of the Boko Haram terrorists. The army proceeded to arrest his wife after she granted a media interview, calling for the release of her husband. Sources say she was arrested Tuesday midnight and spent nine days in the military guardroom where she was locked up. Her phone was also confiscated.
Nigerian Pilot learnt that her release came after a human rights lawyer, Tope Akinyode, vowed to institute a lawsuit against the Nigerian Army over the unlawful detention of the couple.
The lawyer later filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian Army, the Chief of Army Staff, and the Attorney General of the Federation, urging the Federal High Court to grant unconditional release of the Martins and his wife. Akinyode told our correspondent that the lawsuit against the army would continue despite Victoria’s release. There is, however, no information about Martins.
The Ondo State Commissioner For Health, Wahab Adegbenro is dead.
Multiple sources in the government house told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Adegbenro died at the state’s infectious disease hospital on Thursday.
“He died this morning at the state infectious disease hospital where he was receiving treatment,” one of the sources who did not want his name on print said.
The senior special assistant to the governor on special duties, Odebowale Oladoyin also confirmed the death of Mr Adegbenro. He was silent on whether he died of COVID-19 complications.
This is coming two days after the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, tested positive for the deadly disease.
He had since ordered his cabinet members to go for a compulsory test.
Profile:
The late health commissioner was born on June 5, 1955 at Ilara-mokin in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State where he had his primary education.
He later attended Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure between 1962 and 1967,
before proceeding to the University of Benin, in Edo to bag Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B; B.S).
He was a member of the Nigerian Medical Association; member of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria; Associate member, Royal College of General Practitioners of London; and member of Nigeria Guild of Medical Directors.
He established Crown Hospital, Akure where he was the Chief Medical Director.
He served at different capacities during his time.
He was once a commissioner in charge of culture and tourism and later the health ministry.
Also, he served as the Chairman, Ondo State Council of All Progressive Congress (APC) Muslim members.
Governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, who himself tested positive for the disease, is currently in self-isolation and has since ordered his cabinet members to go for compulsory test.
The meeting was meant to reassure Tinubu that the dissolution of the party’s National Working Committee was not targeted at him.
Members of the Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress are currently in a meeting with National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, at his Bourdillion residence in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
A source told Sahara Reporters that the APC Caretaker Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, led other members of the committee that included the Secretary, Senator Akpan Udoedehe; Osun State governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, and governor of Niger State, Sani Bello, to the meeting.
The source said the meeting was meant to reassure Tinubu that the dissolution of the party’s National Working Committee was not targeted at him.
The National Working Committee of the party headed by Adams Oshiomhole was dissolved last week by the party’s National Executive Committee at an emergency meeting attended by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was seen as a blow to Tinubu’s rumoured presidential ambition because of his closeness to Oshiomhole.
Mobile operator MTN Group launched its 5G network across major cities in South Africa on Tuesday, joining Vodacom Group and Rain in the race to expand fifth-generation technology in the country.
MTN said it used additional temporary spectrum, assigned by South Africa’s telecoms regulator in April to tackle high demand for data during a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The company has held 5G trials and tests in the last two years with telecoms equipment makers including Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp , MTN South Africa’s CEO, Godfrey Motsa, told Reuters.
“In the Western Cape, ZTE is building there, (in) Gauteng it’s Huawei building here and the Free State region and Northern Cape region it’s Ericsson,” Motsa said, referring to provinces where equipment providers are working for the company.
Ericsson built MTN’s core network, he said.
South Africa has allowed telecom companies to choose their network vendors provided they meet various requirements, including security.
MTN said it launched 5G services across 100 network towers in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and several smaller towns.
The rollout of the 5G network will be ramped up to more sites once the government allocates permanent spectrum through a planned auction later this year, Motsa said at the launch event.
MTN aims to secure a commercial agreement with the government to convert the temporary spectrum into a permanent one for a fee.
5G is essentially fifth-generation mobile network technology which offers faster data speeds and lower latency or response time. It allows several devices to be connected at one go and in future could help in running unmanned cars and seamless communication and interconnectivity between smart devices, a process commonly called the internet of things.
MTN has partnered with Australia’s Emerge Gaming to allow people to play cloud games on their Huawei P40 Pro phone using MTN’s 5G network, in order to attract more consumers, especially video games’ enthusiasts. (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Susan Fenton).
Former Speaker, House of Reps, Ghali Umar Na’Abba; former Education Minister, Obiageli Ezekwesili; senior lawyers, Femi Falana and Olisa Agbakoba; and 26 other activists and professionals are championing a new political movement ahead of the 2023 general election.
The movement called National Consultative Front is aimed at mobilising Nigerians for a popular mass action towards political constitutional reforms that are citizen-driven and process-led in engendering a new peoples ’ constitution.
The group made this known in a communiqué released Wednesday at its new National Secretariat in Abuja following a month-long nationwide consultations and virtual meetings.
NCF also set up a 30-man steering committee that includes Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’abba ; former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank , Dr. Obadiah Mailafia ; Olisa Agbakoba , SAN ; Femi Falana SAN ; Col . Abubakar Umar ( retd .) , Dr Oby Ezekwesili; Prof Jibo Ibrahim ; Yabagi Sanni ; Amb , Nkoyo Toyo , Isa Aremu, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, and Senator Shehu Sani .
Others include: Prof . Remi Sonaiya , Mallam Tanko Yinusa , Alhaji Shettima Yerima , Lady Funke Awolowo, Peter Ameh and Ogbeni Lanre Banjo, among others.
According to the communique, part of the resolutions reached during the meeting was that, “A new ideological mass Movement shall be initiated to embark on immediate mass mobilisation of the nooks and crannies of the country for popular mass action towards political constitution reforms that is citizens -driven and process-led in engendering a new Peoples ’ Constitution for a new Nigeria that can work for all .
“The new movement shall also , without delay , mobilise for the economic wellbeing and prosperity of all Nigerians by demanding and ensuring that Chapter 2 of the present Constitution i .e . ; “Fundamental Objectives & Directive Principles of State Policy becomes justiciable once and for all , while also mounting an articulate and vigorous campaign to deconstruct and reconstruct obnoxious election laws which have provided leeway for opportunists in the corridor of power to subvert the will of the electorate making voting irrelevant in determining who actually becomes elected in Nigeria .”
• This means she will be able to vote for Oscar winners – and comes months after her own film was disqualified as a submission.
• Njaji starred and directed in Lionheart, which was Nigeria’s first-ever Oscar submission for best international feature film in 2019.
Lionheart’s director and actor Genevieve Nnaji.
Nigerian actress and director Genevieve Nnaji has been invited to be a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation which hands out the Oscars.
This means she will be able to vote for Oscar winners – and comes months after her own film was disqualified as a submission.
Njaji starred and directed in Lionheart, which was Nigeria’s first-ever Oscar submission for best international feature film in 2019.
But the film, about a woman running her father’s ailing bus company, was disqualified because it was largely in English.
Films in this category must have “a predominantly non-English dialogue track”.
However, the dialogue in 95-minute film was in English except for an 11-minute section in the Igbo language.
At the time Njaji hit out saying that Nigeria “did not choose who colonised” the country.
At the announcement of her membership to the Academy on Wednesday she said she was honoured.
As a new member she now has an automatic right to vote for the Oscar winners for 10 years, reports Hollywood Reporter.
Nnaji has starred in more than 80 films over the last two decades and her rise to prominence coincided with the exponential growth of Nollywood, as the Nigerian film industry is called across Africa.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency has announced a new price band of N140.80 to N143.80 per litre for Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol.
The PPPRA, in a circular dated July 1, 2020 to marketers, said, “After a review of the prevailing market fundamentals in the month of June and considering marketers’ realistic operating costs, as much as practicable, we wish to advise a new PMS pump price band of N140.80-N143.80 per litre for the month of July 2020.
“All marketers are advised to operate within the indicative prices as advised by the PPPRA.”
The agency had on May 31, 2020 announced a price band of N121.50 to N123.50 per litre for the product.
Sources at the Abuja headquarters of the agency said the rise in petrol price for July was primarily due to the increase in global crude oil prices, as PMS had been deregulated.
A Nigerian Doctor has narrated how an 8 months pregnant woman who had a “little quarrel” with her husband today July 1, chopped off his penis.
@drpenking said the pregnant lady chopped off her husband’s penis after they got physical. The doctor reiterated that domestic violence goes both ways.
He tweeted;
An 8 month pregnant wife had a little quarrel with her husband this morning which got physical. She grabbed a kitchen knife and amputated the man’s penis. When next you want to advocate against domestic violence, remember that it can be both ways. (Viewers Discretion Advised).
Click HERE to see the pictures. VIEWERS DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED
The Federal Government has disclosed plans to force the Digital Satellite Television, owned by MultiChoice, a South Africa-based cable service provider, to provide pay-per-view options to Nigerian subscribers.
The government also said it has amended Nigeria’s broadcasting code to prevent DSTV from monopolising its channels and contents.
This is just as the House of Representatives ordered the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission to ask DSTV to reverse its subscription rates introduced on June 1, 2020.
The House has been probing DSTV for allegedly cheating its Nigerian subscribers by restricting them to prepaid plans.
A vigilante group in Bauchi State, Yan Committee, has tortured a 21-year-old undergraduate to death on allegations by his mother that he stole her wrapper.
The incident was said to have occurred on Sunday.
The deceased, Abdulsalam Ibrahim, was a 300-level Political Science student of the Bauchi State University, Gadau.
It was gathered that the deceased’s mother, Aisha Ibrahim, reported him to the vigilante group to discipline him, because he allegedly stole her wrapper from their home in the Zango area of Bauchi metropolis.
A close neighbour of the deceased’s family, who gave his name simply as Ningi, said Aisha accused her son of stealing her wrapper estimated at less than N3,000.
He added that after she questioned him and Abdulsalam denied the accusation, Aish invited the vigilante group, which took the undergraduate to its office and tortured him to death.
Ningi said, “It was a sad day for us, especially looking at the circumstances that led to the death of Abdulsalam. Parents should always endeavour to settle matters at home.
“Taking your child to outsiders for disciplinary measures because of small mistakes is not a solution. Every household has its own peculiar domestic problems.
“I don’t think the mother will ever forgive herself for allowing her anger to make her take such an irrational decision that has cost her family the loss of a promising young man.”
Another neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that the mother was of questionable character as she had also been allegedly caught stealing from a shop.
The neighbour stated, “The mother had been caught shoplifting in markets. She even shoplifts bread from provisions shops. But because of sheer wickedness, the vigilantes sent a message to her that due to the torture, her son had soiled his clothes.
“She did not even bother to go and see him, but only sent another set of clothes to them to give him to change. I don’t know why that woman has not been arrested.”
An eyewitness said the deceased was hit on the head with a bamboo stick, his fingernails forcefully removed and he was beaten to a state of unconsciousness that he never recovered from.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, who confirmed the incident, said it was a case of culpable homicide.
He stated that three suspects had been apprehended in connection with the incident.
Wakil, a Deputy Superintendent of Police said, “The principal suspect is one Adamu Babayo; the other two suspects are Sani Babayo and one Abubakar. One other suspect is still at large.”
