A three-month-old baby has died after falling from the first floor of the Garki General Hospital, Abuja, The PUNCH reports.
It was learnt that the incident occurred early on Sunday.
A security guard at the hospital told The PUNCH that the mother of the baby and two others were on their way to the emergency ward when the incident occurred.
He said, “A woman along with two others were on the top floor, rushing to the emergency ward, when the baby she was carrying, slipped from her grip and fell to the ground floor. The baby’s neck got broken in the process and died.”
The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Adamu Onu, refused to give details of what happened when he was contacted for comment.
When asked if the matter was reported to the police, the MD said patients were entitled to their privacy and he would not divulge any information to this newspaper.
He said, “An incident happened in the hospital but it is not something I will like to divulge for the patient confidentiality reasons. I cannot go beyond what I am telling you at the moment. I cannot say anything beyond what I have said.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Command, Anjuguri Manza, said he had not heard about the report, adding that it was likely that no report was lodged in any police station.
“I don’t think this case has been reported to the police. Ask the hospital if they reported the matter to the nearest police station,” Manza said.
The Federal Government has suspended a charter and aircraft maintenance firm, Executive Jet Services, for flying Musician, Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, to Abuja to attend a concert.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said this during the Presidential Task Force briefing in Abuja on Monday.
Sirika said the aircraft which conveyed the musician was supposed to fly an Appeal Court Judge, Justice Adefope Okogie, from Lagos to Abuja.
He said, “The operation is a clear violation of our approval which we take very seriously. It seems this is becoming a norm. This is the second time. So, Executive Jet Services is hereby suspended indefinitely and they will face the law.
“The captain will also be sanctioned for giving wrong information to the control tower. It seems also that people are not tired of trying our resolve and we are not tired of living up to our responsibilities. Governance is a serious matter.”
The minister said the government would henceforth be stricter in granting approvals for private flights.
He said, “The person on that flight conducted a concert. We approved a flight, certainly not for a musician. The flight was approved to convey Honourable Justice Adefope Okogie from Lagos to Abuja and then back to Lagos for an official assignment.
“In this challenging time, in our wisdom, we decided that the judiciary was part of the essential services. Moving a judge from Lagos to Abuja was in order.”
The shooting at the Presidential Villa involving Usman Shugaba, the Aide-de-Camp to the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, and other security agents attached to her will top the agenda of the police management team meeting today (Monday).
The PUNCH gathered in Abuja on Sunday that the First Lady’s security aides would face a panel that would be set up by the leadership of the police.
It was also learnt the affected security aides would not be restored to the wife of the President following their involvement in an altercation with a personal assistant and nephew of the President, Sabiu Yusuf, also known as Tunde, last Thursday, at the Presidential Villa.
The trouble started on Thursday night, when the President’s wife and three of her children – Zahra, Halima and Yusuf – as well as some of her security aides, led by Shugaba, stormed the residence of Yusuf at House 8 by the Pilot Gate of the Presidential Villa.
They insisted that Yusuf, who had just returned from Lagos, should proceed on self-isolation for 14 days, to save the President and his family from the danger of COVID-19.
Yusuf had visited his wife, who was recently delivered of a baby in Lagos.
The situation worsened when the First Lady’s ADC, in his attempt to apprehend Yusuf allegedly released some gunshots on the premises.
Following the gunshots, Yusuf ran away and took refuge in the nearby house of his uncle, Mamman Daura, also Buhari’s nephew.
The IGP, a report further stated, after receiving security report at the Presidential Villa, ordered the arrest of the ADC to the First Lady and other security aides, who accompanied her to Yusuf’s residence.
Besides the ADC, a chief superintendent of police, others arrested were the escort commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sheriff Kazeem, who is the son of ex-IG, Hafiz Ringim, and four riot policemen who were at the scene of the incident. The operatives are being held since Friday morning.
One of our correspondents learnt on Sunday that the shooting incident would top the agenda at the weekly meeting of the police management team which would be presided over by the IG at the force headquarters, Abuja, today (Monday).
A source in the Presidency who confided in The PUNCH, said, “Shooting at the State House is not permitted under any guise. It is a serious security breach that should not have happened. And that is why the IG ordered the detention of the officers involved. The men will face a police panel and if found culpable, may be demoted and redeployed from the Presidential Villa.”
Explaining the incident further, the source stated, “The ADC, Shugaba, fired gunshots in the air after Yusuf jumped a locked gate in a bid to escape. Yusuf narrated the incident to Daura who informed Mr President; the President was very furious and he complained to the IG.”
“The truth is that the officers can’t go back to the villa. If they did not lose their ranks, they would be redeployed to other formations; this kind of incident attracts demotion and serious reprimand,” an official noted.
The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, could not be reached for comments as he did not respond to calls. He had yet to reply an SMS as of the time of filing this report.
One of our correspondents further gathered that Shugaba started working with the First Lady about three months ago.
Findings indicated that Shugaba was the Chief Security Officer to the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, before he was redeployed to the Villa as ADC to Aisha.
The PUNCH learnt that Shugaba had denied firing the shots, insisting that the shooting was done by a DSS official.
‘Tunde’s security aide, not first lady’s ADC, fired shot’
A top aide to the first lady, however, told The PUNCH that the gunshots that were fired last Thursday emanated from the gun of one of Yusuf’s security aides.
He said it was unfortunate that the police, acting under the instruction of Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura, had decided to take sides with Yusuf (Tunde) and feed lies to the public.
The aide, who wished to remain anonymous said, “Madam (Aisha) never asked her aides to shoot Yusuf. It was Yusuf’s security men that were shooting into the air when madam’s ADC attempted to remove him from the Villa.
“If the police investigate thoroughly, they will discover that the bullets came from the gun of one of Yusuf’s security aides. Unfortunately, the public is being fed with lies. The police IG is also bowing to pressure from Mamman Daura who is the brother to Tunde’s late mum.
“Also, Yusuf met with Maikanti Baru, the former GMD of NNPC that died of Covid-19. Tunde’s wife is pregnant but it is not true that he went to visit his wife. He went to visit Baru and that is why we said he should self-isolate.”
Tottenham Hotspur have released a statement insisting that preparations for Friday’s Premier League clash against Manchester United will continue, despite their meeting with a Norwich City player who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Spurs lost 2-1 to the Canaries in a behind-closed-doors friendly match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However a player from the visiting team, was confirmed as one of two to test positive for Coronavirus, when the latest batch of testing results were released on Saturday.
With the player now set to isolate for seven days, it has led some to speculation that Spurs players would also have to isolate under the track and trace guidelines.
However Spurs say that isn’t the case, as their squad weren’t in close contact with the Norwich player.
“Close contacts have been defined by the government as being within two metres of a confirmed case for 15 minutes or more,” Tottenham said in a statement.
“The Norwich player in question confirmed he had no ‘close contacts’ with our team and our squad also verified this.
“Our testing has continued to return only negative results for Covid-19 since one positive reading was confirming almost two weeks ago.”
A forty-two-year-old passenger on board an Air India flight from Lagos to Mumbai at the weekend died under unusual circumstances.
The development has raised several questions on the checks and thermal screening being conducted at airports amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources hinted that the passenger was seen shivering inside the flight. When inquired, the passenger had informed the Air India crew that he had malaria.
Sources said the crew of the flight had also provided him oxygen as he was finding it difficult to breathe.
The passenger, however, collapsed and died on board the flight.
It was learnt that the passenger bled from his mouth.
The flight landed at the Mumbai Airport at 3:40 am.
Questions are now being raised at the airport checks on how the passenger with fever was allowed to board the flight.
Air India has, however, said that the passenger died of “natural causes”.
Denying that the passenger had a fever, Air India said: “Our Lagos medical screening team would have detected the same,” if that was the case.
In a statement, the airline said: “A passenger aboard AI1906 of June 13, 2020, from Lagos to Mumbai passed away due to natural causes today.
“A doctor on board along with our crew, who are trained to handle such medical emergencies, made a valiant attempt to revive the passenger, aged 42, who had suddenly collapsed, through resuscitation, but all their efforts went in vain. He was declared dead on board by the attending doctor.
“The MIAL doctors attended to the passenger after the flight landed and after all the procedures were complete, the body was sent to a hospital as per protocol. Relatives of the deceased were informed and aircraft taken for full fumigation in line with prescribed norms.”
Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza died on Tuesday in what the government said was a result of a cardiac arrest. He was set to retire in August after completed controversial elections.
A day after he died, reports emerged that he had died from the deadly Covid-19. On Wednesday, his mother, Domtille Minani is reported to have died, also from Covid-19.
At the same time, a sister to Pierre Nkurunziza is said to be hospitalized in Bujumbura under intensive care. The first lady, wife to Pierre Nkurunziza was hospitalized in Nairobi after being flown in to be treated of Covid-19.
The President-Elect, Everiste Ndayishimiye, who was set to take over in August is also reported to be hospitalized in Bujumbura.
The Speaker of Parliament and one who is supposed to take over in the event both the outgoing President and the President-Elect are absent is also reported to be in the hospital under intensive care unit (ICU).
The whole government in Bunjura is now in ICU and it is not clear who is running the government at the moment. President Pierre Nkurunziza refused to lock down the country when Covid-19 became intense.
Pierre Nkurunziza dismissed Covid-19 and told his people not to wear masks. He gave representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO) 48 hours to leave the country when they questioned his handling of Covid-19.
Nkurunziza also allowed and took part in political campaigns that attracted huge crowds that had no masks on. There was zero social distance and the President himself mingled freely with people.
It is said that no single test for Covid-19 has been carried out in Burundi. Reports indicate that people are dying in large numbers and there is no single preparation on how to handle the pandemic.
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in Africa. It is also one of the countries with the worst health facilities. All government hospitals are either neglected or closed with those operating being without medicine and enough doctors.
Dozens of soldiers and civilians are reported to have been killed in twin attacks by Islamist militants in north-eastern Nigeria’s Borno state.
Fighters attacked Monguno, a garrison town where UN and other aid workers are based, and a village in Nganzai.
The UN said it was “appalled” by the raids that came days after at least 81 villagers were killed in Gubio.
A Boko Haram faction calling itself the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) says it is behind all three attacks.
The splinter group declared its loyalty to the Islamic State group four years ago.
Have Nigerian militants been defeated?
What do we know about the attacks?
At least 20 soldiers and more than 40 civilians are said to have been killed in the two attacks.
People from Goni Usmanti village in Nganzai told the AFP news agency that militants shot dead 38 people and set a truck on fire with passengers inside.
Security sources and residents said at least 15 people, including nine soldiers, died in Monguno town, which is about 60km (37 miles) away.
Monguno is host to many people who have fled their homes during Boko Haram’s decade-long insurgency
Militants armed with heavy weapons including rocket launchers arrived in Monguno, a base for many international non-governmental organisations, on Saturday morning, overrunning government forces in the area.
In a statement, the UN confirmed that “non-state armed group operatives” entered Monguno in the late morning.
“Several” civilians, including a four-year old girl, were killed, it said, while at least 37 other civilians were injured.
Although vehicles were set ablaze and an unexploded missile found outside the main humanitarian facility, it was not seriously damaged.
“Protective security measures deployed at the humanitarian hub prevented any harm to the over 50 aid workers who were in the facility at the time of the attack,” the UN said.
Reports say hundreds of civilians were injured in Nganzai and the local hospital was overwhelmed, forcing some of the injured to lie outside awaiting help.
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The militants then distributed letters to residents, in the local Hausa language, warning them not to work with the military or international aid groups, the BBC’s Chris Ewokor reports from the capital, Abuja.
Iswap does not usually target civilians unless they are working with Western aid agencies, or suspected of providing information to the army.
What has the reaction been?
“I am relieved all staff are safe and secure, but I am shocked by the intensity of this attack,” said Edward Kallon, UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Nigeria.
The Nigerian military said that its forces had “successfully repelled” the attack on Monguno and killed 20 jihadists.
It did not mention any casualties among soldiers and civilians or the attack in Nganzai.
More than 100,000 of Monguno’s residents are people who have been displaced from their homes by the 10-year conflict in the region.
Protests have taken place in Atlanta over the shooting of an African-American who had fallen asleep in his car at a drive-through restaurant.
Rayshard Brooks died after struggling with police officers on Friday, authorities say.
Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields has resigned over the death.
It comes as protesters across the US take to the streets over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in police custody.
According to police, Brooks resisted arrest after he failed a breathalyzer test.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is probing the death of Brooks, 27, and is looking at video taken by an eyewitness.
What’s changed since George Floyd’s death.
Why US Protests are so powerful this time.
In the video, he can be seen on the ground outside a Wendy’s restaurant, struggling with two police officers.
He grabs an officer’s Taser and breaks free from the officers, running away. The other officer then manages to use a Taser on Brooks and both officers then run out of the frame of the video.
Gun shots can then be heard and Brooks is seen on the ground.
He was taken to hospital but later died. One of the officers was treated for an injury from the incident.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office is conducting a separate investigation into the incident, it said in a statement.
Protesters gathered in central Atlanta on Saturday to protest Brooks’ death
This is the 48th officer-involved shooting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has investigated this year, according to ABC News. Of those cases, 15 of those were fatal.
A number of protesters gathered outside the Wendy’s on Friday, according to the New York Times.
Protests then began again in the centre of Atlanta on Saturday. Images from the protest show demonstrators holding signs with Brooks’ name and Black Lives Matter signs.
People in Atlanta had already been protesting following the death of George Floyd. He died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes. The officer has been sacked and charged with second-degree murder.
Demonstrations have taken place across the US and across the world since Floyd’s death.
Minneapolis City Council passed a resolution on Friday to replace its police department with a community-led public safety system. Just days before it voted to disband the police department.
A breakaway faction of Boko Haram has released a video showing the execution of a soldier and a police officer.
In the video, members of ISWAP, the breakaway Boko Haram faction, executed the two security personnel.
In the 49 seconds video, the two security personnel who were abducted last week while travelling between Maiduguri and Monguno introduced themselves after which they were summarily shot dead.
According to the slain security personnel, they were on a trip from Maiduguri to Monguno when they were ambushed and abducted by the insurgents whom they described as “Tilafa army”.
One of the slain personnel who spoke in Hausa said, “my name is Yohanah Kilus, I am policeman, my rank is Inspector, I was abducted between Maiduguri and Monguno; I am presently in the custody of Tilafa soldiers.”
The second abducted personnel, said, “I am 13NA/70/8374, Lance Corporal Emmanuel Oscar, I was captured by Tilafa’s along Maiduguri to Monguno.”
Shortly after that, the video showed two armed men pointing AK47 rifles at the two personnel kneeling with their faces blindfolded. Shots were simultaneously fired and and the two security personnel were killed.
It is not clear when the video was shot. But it was released three days after suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked a village in Gubio local government killing at least 81 residents.
