The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on a two- week warning strike with effect from Monday.
Its National President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, announced this at end of the National Executive Council meeting(NEC) held at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).
Ogunyemi said the strike action was to compel federal government to implement the agreements and resolutions of Memorandum of Action discussed in the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the 2017 Memorandum of Action (MoU), all of which have not been implemented.
The Kano State Government led by Abdullahi Ganduje has announced the sacking of the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II.
The Director-General, Media and Communications, Kano State Government, Salihu Yakasai, said this on his official Twitter handle, @Dawisu, on Monday.
“The Kano State Executive Council has unanimously approved the dethronement of the Emir of Kamo Mallam Muhammad Sanusi II at a special sitting held today by the council,” he tweeted.
Sanusi ascended the throne in 2014, following the death of his granduncle Ado Bayero. His grandfather Muhammadu Sanusi I reigned from 1953 to 1963, when he was deposed by Premier Ahmadu Bello. His father Aminu Sanusi was Ciroma of Kano.
Prior to his ascension, Sanusi was an economist and banker. He served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2009 to 2014, when he was suspended by President Goodluck Jonathan after raising the alarm on the $20bn alleged to be missing.
The PUNCH reports that the emir has been engaged in a battle with the governor since last year amid allegations that he supported the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abba Kabir-Yusuf.
The monarch has since been under investigation for alleged corruption while his emirate was split into five to whittle down his influence.
A truck belonging to Dangote Group of Companies on Sunday crushed four family members to death at Gaida community in Kano metropolis.
The police spokesperson in Kano, Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the incident to Freedom Radio.
He said the driver is on the run but the police have impounded the truck.
One of the victims, Muhammad Sagir, 40, was riding a motorcycle carrying his wife and three children.
Four of them were crushed to death by the truck loaded with cement. One of the children survived the accident and is currently responding to treatment at the hospital.
The police said they evacuated the victims to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in the state.
The Kano accident joins a growing list of similar accidents involving Dangote trucks.
The company has in the past tried different measures to limit such incidents including conducting a graduate trainee programme to recruit graduate drivers.
The suspected killers of three female students of College of Education, Minna have been arrested while trying to sell the victims’ body parts.
The suspects, Musa Smart, Ndakolo James and a voodoo priest, Bature Nathaniel, were arrested by police in Niger State at different locations.
The suspects, during their parade at the police headquarters, said they kidnapped and killed the ladies and proceeded to sell their parts to one Musa Smart, who allegedly promised to pay N5 million for the parts.
Two female students of College of Education, Minna, Oladepo Blessing, and Oluwasemilore Mary, were earlier in the year declared missing and although their names were not given, the girls may have been the victims, it was gathered.
One of the suspects, Musa Ndakolo said that they were promised N5 million to get the left breasts and hands of ladies.
He said the voodoo priest had not delivered on the N5m promised even though they had kept their part of the bargain.
“We have killed three girls and removed their breasts and buried their remains in the bush. We gave the parts to the Alfa and Sile who is also part of us but has run away.”
Ndakolo said that he was not involved in the killings, “I was not there when the victims were killed but I was the one keeping vigil at the entrance of the bush and the operation was successful. I did not participate in the killing.”
Another suspect, Musa Smart said that they picked up the students at around 9.30 pm when they were returning from school to their hostel after reading at night.
Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said the suspects confessed to killing and mutilating the bodies of their victims for ritual purposes, adding that the suspects also took the police to the place where one of the victims was buried and they found the body which was already decomposing.
The Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has said the days of President Muhammadu Buhari are numbered in Nigeria.
Oyedepo, lamenting the state of the nation, described Buhari as a bad leader, adding that his government is the worst in the history of Nigeria.
He made the statement on Sunday while delivering a sermon during the second service of the church at the Faith Tabernacle, Ota, Ogun State.
According to him, Buhari’s government had no direction and is like a curse on Nigeria.
“In my view you are bad and you shouldn’t be a leader. I have the right to say so. As far as I am concerned, I am a true born and thoroughly-bred Nigerian, an intelligent one.
“In my view, this is the worst thing that has happened to Nigeria, this government. It is the worst and in fact, it is like a curse.
“I led the first prayer and fasting for Nigeria in 1979, that tells you I am not a baby in the affairs of Nigeria.
“This is the worst government, a government with no direction. Their days are numbered. I can tell you as a prophet that their days are numbered.”
Oyedepo also made reference to the hate speech bill being sponsored by Senator Sabi Abdullahi
He went further to describe the bill as the most ridiculous and stupid bill anyone could think of.
The cleric queried the strategy of the government to criminalise hate speech while giving freedom to those who kill others
Oyedepo added, “The government in this country is making a draconian law – hate speech. They said if you speak hatefully, you have committed murder. Out of someone who says I will kill you and the one who kills, who has committed a crime? I don’t understand which kind of animal farm we live in.
“I said stop stepping on my toes and you said that is hate speech but somebody kills and he is walking free on the streets.
“This is the most stupid and nonsensical ideal anybody can think of.”
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has said 2.2 improperly-registered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards across Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have been completely deactivated.
Danbatta, at the weekend in Abuja, said the action was sequel to a ministerial directive that the NCC should compel service providers to block all improperly-registered SIM cards, pending when their owners regularise their registration.
The EVC recalled that prior to the directive, NCC Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Team, had reduced the number of questionable SIM cards in the country to 9.2 million.
He stated that the deactivation was contrary to reports by a section of the media “suggesting that nothing has been done with respect to the issue of improperly-registered SIM cards”.
Danbatta assured that the NCC will continue to aggressively pursue the national objectives of delivering an accurate database of telephone subscribers in Nigeria.
He stated that the SIM data submitted to the Commission is constantly being validated for higher efficiency to support the national security objectives of the SIM registration exercise through NCC’s zero tolerance for deviations from the proper registration process.
Danbatta restated NCC’s commitment to the periodic SIM data audit, continuous compliance monitoring exercise on the MNOs, as well as constant consumer education and engagement against using improperly-registered SIM cards.
The EVC restated its resolve to partner with stakeholders to address national security concerns, especially kidnappings, banditry, armed robberies, cattle rustling and other crimes associated with SIM cards across and to ensure that same are traceable to their real owners.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday disclosed that 23 suspected cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been identified in some states.
They are Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Kano and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NCDC said one was confirmed positive “index case” with no death.
The Director General of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, gave the update in a chat with NAN on Sunday in Abuja.
Ihekweazu said that a total of 219 contacts were identified, including contacts from hotel, workplace and healthcare workers.
“No new contacts have been reported in Lagos and Ogun states,” Ihekweazu stressed.
He added that the confirmed case was clinically stable at the designated treatment facility for COVID-19 at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) Yaba, Lagos.
Nigeria’s first case was reported in Lagos.
Coronavirus originated from Wuhan, China in December 2019.
It has spread to 88 countries and killed over 3,500 people.
Female lead vocalist of popular singing group, Veentage band, Ejiro Emokinovo, has died.
Ejiro passed away in Dubai after an unsuccessful surgery on Thursday March 5th.
Ejiro who runs the band with her hubby, Desmond, was in Dubai to perform at the 90th birthday party of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamilia.
After the party, she went in for a surgery where she sadly passed away.
Her devasted husband, Desmond, took to Instagram to mourn her death. Sharing photo of a burning candle and a video of one of her performances, he wrote
The Director of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Imo State, Mr. Ikenna Unegbu has been arraigned in court for allegedly defiling a 2-year-old girl, The Nation reports.
Unegbu was accused of committing the said offence in his office on February 5, after taking the child from the mother on the guise of consoling her after being scolded for pouring water around the office.
Recounting how the incident occurred, the mother of the victim Chinonye Obioma said;
“My daughter went into the office twice with biscuits and groundnuts, only to come out from the director’s office the third time crying.”
Recalling her daughter’s abnormal movement and posture after she urinated on their way home, Obioma revealed that a medical test carried out at Federal Medical Center in Owerri and Police Hospital confirmed that her daughter’s hymen was broken.
She added;
“When I asked her what happened, she mentioned that Uncle Police (the suspect) removed her pant, and put his stick (penis) inside her bumbum. I went home in tears, seeing reddish, swollen vagina, remains of sperms, tissue paper gummed on her private parts.
“I called the Oga Ikenna (suspect) to enquire what he did with my daughter, and he harshly denied knowledge of the incident.”
The Nation reported that medical reports also showed that the baby sustained a serious injury after her abuser penetrated her.
The suspect who was granted bail by the magistrate of the family court he was arraigned in, is expected to be rearraigned on Thursday, March 19.
A “feared” Nigerian pastor who raped children in a bogus religious ceremony over a 20-year period was jailed on Friday in the United Kingdom.
Self-styled prophet Michael Oluronbi was found guilty in January of offences against six women and a man. Five of those attended his church.
He carried out his attacks by convincing his victims to take part in a “spiritual bathing” ritual which he told them would “cleanse” them of evil spirits.
Judge Sarah Buckingham, sentencing him to 34 years behind bars, said his case was “one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts” and described him as an “arrogant, selfish and vain man”.
She said the “spiritual baths” were actually designed to “fulfil his insatiable sexual appetite”.
“The children feared you and this enabled you to continue your grip,” she said, sentencing Oluronbi yesterday.
“Your offending has had an extreme and severe impact on all of your complainants.
“Any attempt to suggest otherwise would be without foundation.
“You abused your position of trust – they trusted you like God.”
In statements read to the court by the prosecution, one of the victims said Oluronbi’s actions made her “question if my life was worth living”.
Oluronbi, who had blamed the devil for his actions, was convicted of 15 counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault, at Birmingham Crown Court.
Oluronbi’s wife, Juliana, was also convicted of three counts of aiding and abetting rape and helping arrange some of the abortions of his victims, with some becoming pregnant multiple times. She was jailed for 11 years.
As a pharmacist, he would take them to clinics to end the pregnancies.
During the trial, the jury was told how Oluronbi was linked to a Christian church in Birmingham, where he formed a splinter group for about 40 adults and children, separate to the church and in another location.
In that group, he had the victims take part in “spiritual bathing”.
During the trial, Phil Bradley QC, prosecuting, told the jury: “The main tactic he employed was to claim that God had instructed him to administer ‘holy baths’ to some of his congregation in order to ‘cleanse’ them and protect them from evil influences.
“That activity began when his victims were children.
“There can be no doubt that its real purpose was to serve his sexual gratification.”
Some of the victims were raped repeatedly, leading to “unwanted pregnancies and terminations”, he told the court, and he was “revered and feared by his victims, kept a vice-like grip on many of them and continued to abuse them well into adulthood.”
West Midlands Police said he convinced children he could benefit them religiously, health-wise or educationally.
The force’s detective superintendent Nick Walton said: “They’d be taken upstairs to the bathroom, stripped naked, sometimes wearing a red girdle – like a sash – and he would wash them down.
“On occasion he would sexually assault them, but also take them to an adjacent bedroom and subject them to sexual assaults and rape.”
Offences took place in Birmingham and London over 20 years, dating back to the 1980s.
“Some of his victims described it as a cult,” added DS Walton.
“He has been confronted on occasions by relatives and parents. He never made admissions, and even blamed the devil for it on some occasions.”
Oluronbi would sometimes laugh in court while giving evidence, DS Walton said. He worked as a pastor until his arrest.
He was arrested at Birmingham Airport while trying to leave for Nigeria — with ceremonial belongings and a sum of cash.
He had recently been confronted by one of his victims. Police became aware of his crimes after a victim came forward to them.
Police believe there may be more victims and urged them to get in touch.
