Southampton’s players and coaching staff are to donate their wages from last Friday to the Saints Foundation in a first step towards redeeming themselves following the 9-0 thrashing by Leicester City.
Friday’s rout equalled Manchester United’s 9-0 demolition of Ipswich at Old Trafford in March 1995 for the biggest win in Premier League history.
Saints manager Ralph Hassenhuttl — who accepted the blame for the humiliation — has the daunting task of rebuilding his players morale ahead of two trips to Manchester City this week.
Southampton play League Cup holders City in the fourth round of the competition on Tuesday and are back there on Saturday for a Premier League clash.
“Southampton Football Club’s first-team players and coaching staff have announced they will be donating their wages from last Friday to Saints Foundation,” the club said in a statement.
“The squad has been in at Staplewood Campus throughout the weekend, working on putting things right for the club’s supporters.
“As the first step towards that, the group has decided that they wish to donate their wages from the day of the Leicester game to Saints Foundation, in order to help the vital work that is conducted by the charity.”
The foundation helps children, young people and troubled adults in the Southampton area.
A file photo of late Lady Deborah Jibowu.
Nigeria’s first female science graduate, Lady Deborah Jibowu, is dead.
She was aged 95 years.
The Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, confirmed this in a statement on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode.
According to him, Lady Jibowu was reputed for being the first Nigerian female science graduate, having graduated from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom in 1947.
She was also a recipient of Member of the British Empire (MBE) honour in 1962 and Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) in 1965.
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Late Jibowu was also a member of the Local Government Service Commission, Western Region (1959-1971), Commissioner at the National Population Commission (NPC) (1981-1983), and Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Calabar (1993-1997).
In the statement, Governor Fayemi commiserated with members of her immediate family and the Fasanmade family of Ido-Ile Ekiti on the passing of their matriarch.
He described Lady Jibowu as an illustrious daughter of the Land of Honour and a patriot who served her fatherland diligently and made Ekiti proud through numerous achievements.
The governor said the late nonagenarian as a frontline educationist, seasoned administrator and impactful community leader who lived a life of service to God and humanity.
He noted that as National Commissioner, Girls’ Guide (1960-1980) and later Chief Commissioner ((1991-1997), the deceased invested her time and resources in moulding the lives of many young females across the country.
This, according to Fayemi, is in addition to coordinating many professional and civil society groups, including the Red Cross Society, National Council of Women Secretaries, National Youth Council and Education for All NGO Network, among others.
He said, “Despite her royal and privileged background, mama Jibowu invested her time, energy and resources on many laudable initiatives that impacted positively on the people, especially the girl child.
“For us in Ekiti, this is a huge loss. Mama Jibowu was an exemplar. She made a great impact in almost every aspect of life after setting the record as the first Nigerian female University graduate in the sciences in 1947. She remained a source of pride and inspiration to generations after her.”
“Though we shall miss her wise counsel and positive disposition, we are comforted by the fact this great nationalist lived a good life and left behind a legacy of honour.
“She remains our pride in Ekiti. Our prayer is that God will grant her eternal rest and comfort the family,” the governor added.
Meanwhile, the state government has opened a condolence register for the deceased at the Jibowu Hall of the Government House in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje (file)
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has set up a commission of inquiry into the cases of missing persons in the state.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, announced this in a statement forwarded to Channels Television, following the rescue of nine children kidnapped in Kano but later found in Anambra State.
“The Governor of Kano State, do hereby, notify the general public of the appointment of the persons named in the schedule hereto as commissioners with authority to hold a Commission of Inquiry into cases of missing persons in Kano State, from the year 2010 to 2019 with effect from 30th October, 2019 to 30th November 2019,” the statement read.
READ ALSO: Nigeria’s First Female Science Graduate, Deborah Jibowu Dies At 95
Part of the terms of reference given to the commission is to conduct an inquiry into cases of missing persons in Kano from 2010 to date and to procure all such evidence, written or oral.
It also has a duty to examine all such persons as witnesses as the commissioners may deem it necessary or desirable to procure or examine.
According to the statement, the panel is asked to summon any person in the country to attend any meeting of the commissioners to give evidence or produce any document or other things in his possession and to require the evidence (whether written or oral) of any witness to be made on oath or declaration.
It added that the commission has the mandate to admit or exclude the public, including the press from any of its hearing and prepare comprehensive data of missing persons in Kano State within the period and circumstances in which they disappeared.
The committee was also directed to find out the immediate and remote causes of such cases as well as prepare and submit a written report, including findings and recommendations to the state government.
The panel is chaired by Retired Justice Wada Rano and would be inaugurated on Thursday next week.
Abortion doctor Ulrich Klopfer kept thousands of foetal remains at his home in Chicago
A doctor who “hoarded” 2,400 foetal remains used to compete with another surgeon to see how many abortions he could carry out in a day.
The US Mid-West is in shock after thousands of foetuses were found vacuum-packed in the Chicago home of Dr Ulrich Klopfer after his death last month aged 79.
Questions are now being asked as to why the German-born physician, who performed 50,000 abortions over 40 years, would hoard so many dead babies.
He was a target of weekly protests at his primary clinics in Gary, South Bend and Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Last month, 2,246 sets of preserved foetal remains were discovered stacked floor to ceiling in a garage at his suburban Chicago home.
Weeks later, 165 more sets were found in the trunk of a Mercedes-Benz at a business where Klopfer kept several cars.
One Indiana lawmaker pronounced Klopfer a “monster.”
MONSTER DOC
There is no indication that the doctor told others about his grim collection, including his wife.
Was a hoarding disorder behind the sinister collection of foetal remains?
Some who knew him recall the German-born Klopfer as a lonely, enigmatic figure.
Unprompted, he would often tell how he took shelter as a four-year-old when Allied planes bombed his hometown of Dresden during World War II.
He would describe emerging three days later with buildings smouldering around him, bodies in the rubble.
News reports about Klopfer going back decades portray him as combative, quick to give the finger to protesters.
For long stretches, Klopfer was the only abortion doctor in the Indiana cities where he had clinics.
Klopfer began performing abortions months after the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalising abortion in 1973.
He was doing 3,500 annually by 1993, he told the Chicago Tribune that year.
Allen County Right to Life went so far as to move its headquarters next door to Klopfer’s clinic in Fort Wayne to turn up the pressure on him.
It was a 1978 Chicago Sun-Times story that first raised questions publicly about Klopfer, recounting the competition between him and another doctor.
A nurse told the newspaper that the other doctor tallied each abortion in pencil on his pant leg.
WAS HE A HOARDER?
If Klopfer saw lots of marks, he would go “like wildfire to catch up,” she said.
Klopfer’s career started unravelling in the 2000s with a flurry of complaints, including that he performed an abortion on a 10-year-old raped by her uncle and did not notify law enforcement.
He complained that conservative state officials were in cahoots with anti-abortion groups to close him down.
But citing shoddy record-keeping and substandard patient monitoring, Indiana regulators took away his license in 2016.
Klopfer had been displaying signs of being a hoarder for years by then.
Kevin Bolger, his widow’s lawyer, went to the Klopfer home after the discovery of the foetuses and said it was impossible to enter some rooms because he had packed them wall to wall with newspapers, old TVs and other appliances.
But Bolger wasn’t convinced hoarding accounted for the collection of foetal remains.
“What kind of a hoarder collects body parts?” he said.
Most of the remains were from abortions Klopfer did in the early 2000s. They were in airtight plastic bags, inside scores of cardboard boxes.
Each bag was labelled with some information, such as the year of the abortion, but officials would not say whether other detail was included, such as the name of the woman.
DID HE BREAK THE LAW?
At the time Klopfer was practising, in Indiana, as in most states still, clinics routinely sent foetal remains to processors that incinerated them along with medical waste.
And because disposing of a foetus in the early 2000s would have cost around $10, maybe he was trying to save on costs.
The following 10 tips will help you save some money on fuel and you’ll be able to free up cash for other things. These tips work if your car also runs on diesel:
Don’t drive in the rush hour
Getting stuck in a traffic jam is not only energy-zapping, it is also cash-zapping. It is a very expensive way of travelling. Every time you stop and start in traffic, your car needs first gear and a huge amount of fuel to get moving again. Second gear is not much better. The best solution is to not travel during the rush hour. You can also save some fuel by trying to understand what the traffic is doing in front of you, and travelling steadily at a slow speed, rather than accelerating and braking. In a busy city like Lagos, there are now some mobile traffic information apps and radio stations which update you of traffic in almost every area in the city. You could also call a friend who plies same route like you if they have some information about traffic on the route.
Make fewer trips
Did you know that when you drive a car that has been parked for a few hours, the engine is cold and it uses much more fuel for the first five miles or so? Ideally, you should combine all your daily errands into one big trip. However, this may not be possible all the time, especially if you have to pop out during the day to take your kids from school, but you could try do shopping while bringing them from school rather than going to the store at a different time.
Close the windows and/or sunroof
It’s not so much of a problem when you’re driving in town, but when you’re out of town or on the expressway and moving more quickly, the shape of your car is very important. Car designers call it aerodynamics and make lots of effort to reduce the ‘drag’ and make the car as sleek as possible. Anything that makes wind noise as your car goes along is actually making your car more expensive to run. You can’t do much about the design of your car, but you can avoid making it worse by not leaving the windows and sunroof open. It’s better to use the air vents for most of the year and the air conditioner when it gets too hot.
Remove the roof rack or ski box
This is just like leaving the windows open, but worse. Even if the roof rack is empty, it increases drag and makes your car use more fuel, while a big ski box is like having another car strapped to your roof. The latest roof racks and ski boxes are quick and easy to fit and remove, so make the effort to stow them away when you’re not using them.
Don’t carry unnecessary weight
Your car is just like your body; it needs more fuel to move around more weight. So, just as you won’t wear a heavy rucksack unless you have to, don’t cart stuff around in the boot of your car unless you need it. Ironically, the heavier the item (the usual culprits are golf clubs and trolleys), the less likely you are to bother taking it out of the boot and the greater the effect it will have on your fuel consumption.
Accelerate smoothly
The perfect way to travel is at a constant speed (ideally around 50 miles per hour), and in the highest gear (five or six). So if you’re a patient driver, you’ll have lower fuel bills — it is as simple as that. It’s unrealistic to avoid overtaking, but there’s little point accelerating past a car to simply be in front of it and then finding yourself at the next set of traffic lights. Any instant gratification will appear on your fuel bill the next time you fill up.
Don’t push the accelerator down too far
This one always surprises people. It’s not just to do with what gear you’re in. You may be in a high gear and travelling at a sensible speed, but if you’re pushing the accelerator down a long way to avoid changing into a lower gear (into third from fourth, for example), then you’re actually using more fuel not less. Obviously, if your car has an automatic gearbox (you’ll know if it does), then it will probably do a better
Lightyear solar car Dutch car maker Lightyear has unveiled the first ‘long-range’ solar car that’s claimed to provide customers with around 12,400 miles of motoring a year using free energy captured from the sun, according to Dailymail. The Lightyear One was unveiled on Tuesday priced at €149,000 – around £134,000. Customers who want to secure one of the first 500 ‘pioneer’ examples with need to pay a reservation fee of €119,000 (£106,166). The car, which has five square metres of solar panels on the roof and bonnet, is claimed to have a range of 725 kilometres (450 miles) from a full charge of the relatively small battery powering the vehicle. With Department for Transport calculating that the average motorist covers 7,134 miles annually, it means Britons could drive all-year-round for free – granted the sun comes out for long enough to charge the One’s battery. At the launch event in Katwijk, Holland, bosses revealed key pieces of information about the solar car that’s due to be delivered to owners in 2021. They said it can be charged directly from the sun, which can generate a maximum of 20,000km worth of free energy per year. But it can also be charged from existing electric vehicle plug-in points while it’s also boosting the batteries using its solar panels, effectively charging much faster than traditional EVs already on the market.
An overnight charge from a 230-volt socket will provide customers with 400km of range, around 250 miles. Lex Hoefsloot, ceo and co-founder of Lightyear said the car ‘represents a new era of driving’. ‘Two years of dreaming, thinking and working hard have led to this milestone, which is a giant leap towards achieving our mission of making clean mobility available to everyone.’
Lightyear was founded in 2016 by the Solar Team Eindhoven, which won the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Development of the long-range solar One has received several awards, grants and support from key investors. Just 500 first-run ‘pioneer’ models will be made, though 100 of them have already been claimed by customers.
Each one will cost €149,000 – so around £134,000 – or motorists can lease one for €1,879 (£1,677) a month. ‘This allowed us to develop a working prototype for the first long-range solar car in just two years,’ Hoefsloot added.
‘We have already sold over a hundred vehicles. With Lightyear One, we want to show that our technology enabled us to build one of the most sustainable cars on the market that also offers great convenience.’
A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC, name withheld) allegedly beat a young Almajiri to death in Bebeji village in Bebeji Council of Kano State.
A source in the village, Shehu Sulaiman, told The Guardian that the incident occurred on Thursday at the NYSC Lodge when the suspect gathered some Almajiris for his usual distribution of charity.
According to the source: “The victim rushed into the corps member’s lodge to collect fruits from residents who were in the habit of giving out fruits to children in the area. While in haste to get his own share of the fruits, the boy collided with the corps member, who got provoked and started beating the boy until he could not talk again.”
It was gathered the boy was confirmed dead at the primary healthcare centre where he was rushed.
The state NYSC Coordinator, Alhaji Ladan Baba, confirmed that the incident, but asked for time to enable him to get more information on the matter.
State Police Command spokesperson, Abdullahi Haruna, also confirmed the development, adding, he, however, that he was yet to receive details of what happened as at the time of going to press.
The Supreme Court on Friday delivered judgment in the appeals filed by governor of RIvers State, Nyesom Wike over his position as helmsman of the oil-rich state.
The apex court upheld two appeals filed by Wike against the decisions of the Court of Appeal, which had upturned the dismissal of a petition filed by the African Action Congress (AAC) and its candidate in the last governorship election, Awara Biokpomabo Festus at the tribunal.
More details coming….
The National Judicial Council, NJC, has recommended the appointment of four Supreme Court Justices, four Heads of Court, thirteen Judicial Officers for Federal and State High Courts and one Kadi for Sharia Court of Appeal.
It also set up Committees to investigate eight Judges for alleged various judicial misconduct.
At its meeting held in Abuja, the council asked President Muhammadu Buhari to give approval for the appointment of the apex court Justices and some state governors for the Judges of the state high courts.
Those recommended for the Supreme Court seat are Justices Adamu Jay Rock from North East, Emmanuel Agim, C Oseji both from South-South and Helleen Morenikeji Ogunwumiju from South West.
They are being elevated from the Court of Appeal to the apex court.
The meeting presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammad Tanko Ibrahim also asked Buhari to appoint Justice John Terhemba Tsoho as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and Justice B. B Kanyip as President of the National Industrial Court.
The Governors of Edo, Ondo, Akwa-Ibom, Kogi, Anambra, Taraba, Abia, Osun, Nasarawa and Jigawa States are to give approval for appointments of 22 successful candidates for appointment as Judicial Officers.
Justice Esther Amenaghawon Edigin was recommended for appointment as Chief Judge of Edo state.
Not all heroes wear capes. Captain Simisola Ajibola is one of such. She is the Female pilot who averted the near tragedy on Air Peace aircraft that happened at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos yesterday July 23rd. The Air Peace Boeing 737 plane lost its tyres after crash-landing at the Airport facility. According to eyewitness accounts, the incident was brought under control, thanks to the expertise of Captain Simi who handled the near-fatal incident professionally.
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Egyptian archeologist open a wooden coffin belonging to a man in front Hatshepsut Temple at Valley of the Kings in Luxor on October 19, 2019. Egypt revealed on Saturday a rare trove of 30 ancient wooden coffins that have been well-preserved over millennia in the archaeologically rich Valley of the Kings in Luxor.
Khaled DESOUKI / AFP
Egypt revealed on Saturday a rare trove of 30 ancient wooden coffins that have been well-preserved over millennia in the archaeologically rich Valley of the Kings in Luxor.
The antiquities ministry officially unveiled the discovery made at Asasif, a necropolis on the west bank of the Nile River, at a press conference against the backdrop of the Hatshepsut Temple.
“This is the first discovery in Asasif by dedicated Egyptian hands, comprised of archaeologists, conservationists and workers,” head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa al-Waziri, told reporters.
The 30 ornately decorated coffins of men, women and children were found only a metre (three feet) underground, stacked in two rows. They are believed to belong to family members of high priests.
Waziri explained that excavations of the site in the 19th century had revealed royal tombs, but this latest discovery had yielded a collection of priests’ burials.
The sarcophagi date back to the 22nd Dynasty, founded around 3,000 years ago in the 10th century BC.
Despite their age, black, green, red and yellow paintings of snakes, birds, lotus flowers and hieroglyphics that cover the coffins are still clearly visible.
“We only did remedial first-aid on these well-preserved coffins. They are considered to be in great condition because there were hardly any settlements” around the site, local antiquities ministry restorer Saleh Abdel-Gelil told AFP.
According to Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany, discoveries of ancient Egyptian relics had slowed after the 2011 Arab Spring revolution that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak and plunged the country in political turmoil.
But several high-level officials, including President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, have in recent weeks affirmed Egypt’s stability following rare, small-scale protests in September that drew a heavy-handed response from security forces.
“Some people, we don’t have to mention names, don’t want us to have these discoveries… that impress the world,” said Enany before throngs of tourists, referring to Egypt’s detractors.
“These discoveries are priceless for Egypt’s reputation,” he added.
Enany said the “important” Asasif collection will be moved to the recently opened Grand Egyptian Museum next year.
Egypt has sought to promote its archaeological heritage and recent finds in a bid to revive its vital tourism sector, which has suffered due to political insecurity and terror attacks.
However, critics point to archaeological sites and museums suffering from negligence and poor management.
Ashley Cole has revealed that he wants to take aspects of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Arsene Wenger’s management styles, after starting his coaching career with Chelsea.
The 38-year-old has returned to Stamford Bridge to help assist the club’s U15 side, after announcing his retirement from playing in August.
Speaking about the managers who inspired him during his career, Cole said: “Everyone has their own philosophy but you also have to take ideas that you like from different coaches.
“The first thing I learned on my coaching badges was that every coach is a thief!
“I want to take parts of Jose Mourinho in terms of how organised he was, Carlo Ancelotti for his man-management and how he would give players faith to go out and express themselves within his system and Arsene Wenger, who was definitely a great man-manager and put a lot of trust in young players to find things out for themselves and learn quickly from mistakes. It’s about being adaptable.”
A 30-year-old man, Mohammed Babangida, has been arrested for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl. The man, a resident of Damare, a community in Yola Town of metropolitan Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State, was picked up for the offence by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The NSCDC, in a statement handed to journalists on Friday, said Mohammed Babangida committed the act on the 10th of this month in Damare where he and the girl live. The state Commander of the NSCDC, Nurudeen Abdulahi, said the suspect was identified and arrested following intelligence report from Damare residents.
“The suspect will be charged to court through the intervention and advice by Director of Prosecution (DPP), state Ministry of Justice, which we always partner with on capital offence that amounts to prosecution,” the NSCDC Commander said.
The suspect, who responded to questions from newsmen, said he had given the girl N50 and N20 on two respective occasions, that it was on the third occasion when he gave her N50 that he ‘attempted to’ rape her.
“I started but I did not finish,” he said, adding that someone knocked on the door and that was how it ended.
He asked for leniency, saying, “I have not done it before and I will not try it again. I have wife and children. Government should pity me and not ruin my family.”
Aisha Buhari Ordinarily, we have no business poking our noses in the family affairs of our president. It is quite distressing that we have digressed to a point where the banters, tantrums and vituperations of the President’s wife, Aisha Buhari should occupy our space and interest so much that people who have more drama and dysfunctionalities in their homes now sit in magisterial judgement over what happened, what could have happened, or what shouldn’t have happened. How is the tension within extended families of our number one citizen, or the matrimonial upheavals of Aisha translate to a national concern so widely, frantically and so passionately comparable to some entertainment reality TV shows!? It ought to be a private matter! Not a political capital. Without dignifying the current fiasco by narrating the trysts and turns of the tale; apportioning blames or reprimands like an “Olori-Ebi’ (head of the lineage); it is important to point out that the reason entertainment and ribaldry have been upgraded to the cornerstone of what is essentially a minor family dispute is because, as the sensational press will remind us, this is the First Family we are talking about! Like it or not, the Aisha-Daura imbroglio reveals certain clear features that highlight the fault-lines of the Muhammadu Buhari administration. One, the image is slowly being imprinted in the hearts of Nigerians that perhaps the man we have mandated to watch over the affairs of Nigeria until 2023 may not be up to the task, after all. As the ancient sage would say, if you cannot “rule” your own house such that skirmishes and tensions, which are common to all men, have now turned to some sort of public soap opera, featuring distinguished figures within your family to the benefit of interested Nigerians who relish the prospects of great entertainment and occasions for gossip – how then can you effectively manage a vigorously divisive and diverse country like Nigeria?! Secondly, leakages of sensitive audio and video recording materials from the recesses of the seat of power, making their ways into social media, becoming viral and trending all over the world…images that unflatteringly depict absolute lack of respect for the monuments, paraphernalia, and occupants of the highest offices in the land, leave discerning people shell-shocked with worry. That such sensitive and explosive information can freely stroll into the world wide web without serious sanctions and retribution does not cover this government and its guardians in glory. Another fallout of the Aisha-Daura debacle is what seems to have now reinforced the perception that certain shadowy figures are the real powers behind the throne… as the word on the streets now is something like this: if they can deal with the immensely popular Aisha Buhari, a vocal and visible wife and sometime critic of her husband’s policies…what will be the fate of less strategically positioned voices who have one axe or two to grind with the government? As we yet await the reaction of the Presidency on a matter that should ordinarily be laughed off the table if it wasn’t so embarrassingly distressing, it is nonetheless understandable when you consider that few days before this Aisha-Daura fiasco, we have had the unfortunate pleasure of reading a statement from same Presidency disparaging a wildly travelling burlesque story of our President secretly organising a wedding ceremony with one of his new ministers, who conveniently was far away in Geneva, on official assignment, same day of the wedding mirage. No head has rolled for that disparaging cancerous caricature. It is truly sad the sort of ridiculous and harebrained scenarios our friends in the Presidency are induced to respond to in order to set the records straight…and keep many Nigerians from falling off the wagon. Sometimes, one
THREE more dead bodies were recovered, yesterday, at the Ochanja Market in Onitsha, which got burnt when a tanker filled with fuel caught fire at the Upper Iweka area of the commercial city.
This came as Governor Willie Obiano invited the affected traders to assemble at the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka on Monday for documentation and possible assistance from the state government.
Two of the dead bodies were suspected to be salesgirls in one of the burnt shops, while the other male body was found in another shop close to the scene of the fire incident.
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Yesterday, the traders constituted themselves into rescue groups and were packing the debris, only to discover the three dead bodies.
Some of the traders almost threatened to cause riot when they were informed that Governor Obiano was coming to sympathize with them.
The governor, who visited the scene at about 9.20am for on the spot assessment of the disaster, could however not enter the burnt market.
Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Don Adinuba, in a statement said Governor Obiano and the entire people of Anambra State regret the unfortunate situation, adding that the state government had taken steps to address the concerns of those affected.
He said: “ Government therefore requests owners of properties affected by the tragic accident, shop owners and family members of deceased victims to assemble at Ekwueme Square, Awka on Monday October 21 2019 at 11am for documentation and to see how the Anambra State government can assist them.
“ A panel headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke has been set up by the governor to immediately determine the cause of the accident, why the firemen could not put out the fire and how the condition of the victims can be ameliorated.
“Governor Obiano and all citizens of Anambra State identify with victims of this unfortunate fire incident and the general inhabitants of Onitsha over this sad inferno. The Anambra State government will do it’s best to stand by those affected.
“Government therefore calls on all citizens to remain calm in the face of this disaster and be reassured of government’s commitment to the well- being of all and sundry.”
He explained that security agencies in the state had been directed to ensure that law and order were maintained within and around the affected areas.
Former member of House of Representatives, Dr. Tony Nwoye said it was a sad day for Anambra State, regretting the enormous loss of lives and property.
He added: “I empathise with the families of the dead victims and those who lost properties to the inferno. I urge them to show courage and utmost faith in the Creator. The sun will still shine on them all
“This accident has become too recurring in Anambra and should worry everyone. The collaboration of the government, relevant stakeholders and the citizens, is needed to develop a proactive strategy that will forestall any further occurrence of this nature. Never again shall we witness anything such as this.
“This is a time for us to show faith in our state and rally around the victims of the carnage. I call on Anambra people to come to the aid of the victims and collectively give them support to rebuild their businesses and overcome their grief. It is indeed a troubling time and we must have to show that brotherly spirit and love that make us Ndi Anambra at this time.”
In his reaction, the Director General of Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, and a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief George Moghalu, called on the state government and other influential people in the state to come to the aid of the victims.
He added: ”I am saddened at the loss of lives and we never wish for incide
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Saturday killed 10 armed bandits at a forest near Birnin Gwari and Janko Hill in Kaduna State.
Nigerian Air Force Alpha jet The NAF said the attack followed a directive by its special operation in the state, codenamed: “Operation Hadarin Daji, OPHD, adding that the air component resumed kinetic operations against camps identified as harboring unrepentant armed bandits.
The Force in a statement issued on Sunday morning by its spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola,said: The decision was taken in the wake of the attack on troops’ location at Sunke in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State as well as the increased migration of bandits towards the Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State.”
“The Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji (OPHD) has neutralized no fewer than 10 armed bandits at forests near Birnin Gwari and Janko Hill in Kaduna State.
“The operation was conducted yesterday, 5 October 2019, following the directives by the OPHD Headquarters to resume kinetic operations against camps identified as harbouring unrepentant armed bandits. The decision was taken in the wake of the attack on troops’ location at Sunke in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State as well as the increased migration of bandits towards the Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State.
“The attack on the armed bandits was undertaken when a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter on an armed reconnaissance mission over the Birnin Gwari general area spotted several bandits at the location and engaged them with its guns killing some of them. Some bandits were similarly tracked to Janko Hill and equally neutralized.
” The objective of the renewed kinetic operations is to ramp up the pressure on the bandits with a view to ensuring the ongoing peace process is not scuttled.
“Accordingly, the Air Component OPHD will continue to dominate the general area through armed reconnaissance missions to facilitate a return to normalcy in the Northwest of the Country. All persons involved in armed banditry in the area are therefore strongly advised to renounce violence, surrender to security agencies and hand over their weapons. ”
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has described what it called trend by Federal and State Governments to use the court as a tool to suppress citizens’ human rights, as “dangerous manipulation of judicial authority and functions.”
SERAP, therefore, called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, National Judicial Council, NJC, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad on the need to ensure that the NJC and the judiciary consistently demonstrate their original and sacred functions of standing between the government and the governed.”
“We urge you to urgently develop measures and issue directives to all courts to ensure that they play a central role in enforcing fundamental rights, and ensuring that authorities do not use the courts as a tool to charge citizens with crimes, which are not constitutionally and internationally recognizable, simply for exercising their human rights,” it stated.
In a letter sent to Muhammad, dated October 4 2019, by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, stated: “These charges, refusal of bail and granting of bail on stringent conditions seem to be dangerous manipulation of judicial authority and functions by high-ranking politicians, something which the NJC and the judiciary under your watch should resist.”
SERAP maintained: “Across the country, state governors and federal government are charging citizens, mostly journalists, bloggers and activists, with serious crimes such as ‘treason’, ‘treasonable felony’ or bogus crime of ‘insulting public officials’, simply for exercising their human rights.”
It also stressed that in the wake of growing clampdown on human rights of journalists and activists by governments, the NJC ought to push back and act as protector of individuals’ rights against abuses by the authorities.
“We believe that the courts, not the state government or federal government, should have the final say in matters of citizens’ human rights,” SERAP stated.
According to the organization, “The NJC should ensure that when the authorities disobey court orders and suppress human rights, they are not allowed to come to the court and seek reliefs until they purge their contempt. Otherwise, the justice system and the Nigerian constitution become a solemn mockery.”
The letter, copied to Mr. Diego GARCÍA-SAYÁN, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, read in part: “If the practice by state governments and federal government is allowed to continue, the courts will be relegated to desuetude, and will lead to arbitrary and unrestricted power as well as further suppression of citizens’ human rights.”
“It is essential for the NJC to issue directives to all courts to promptly consider on the face of the papers filed by the authorities whether the charges brought against journalists, bloggers and activists are truly based on facts or fabricated to secure indefinite detention of citizens with judicial authority.”
“In several cases, journalists, bloggers and activists have either been denied bail, as it is the case with journalist Agba Jalingo, or granted bail with stringent conditions that implicitly violate human rights, as it is the case with journalist and activist Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare. In all of such cases, the alleged offences are not constitutionally and internationally recognizable.”
“It is important for the judiciary to exercise all the judicial power placed in its hands by the constitution with firm determination and to guard against encroachments on that power by either the state governments or the federal government.”
“Even during many years of military dictatorship when the constitution was suspended and with it, Nigerians’ fundamental rights, the judiciary was still able to play an important role in securing protection of individuals’ rights.”
A man who was a key witness in the murder trial of former Dallas, United States police officer Amber Guyger was fatally shot Friday in the parking lot of his apartment complex, according to attorney Lee Merritt.
Joshua Brown
Joshua Brown was a neighbour of shooting victim Botham Jean at the South Side Flats apartments. Jean was sitting in his unit in September 2018 when Guyger walked inside and shot him to death. Brown says he lived directly across the hall from Jean.
Merritt, attorney for Jean’s family, told CNN he spoke to Brown’s mother who confirmed the death. Kimberlee Leach, the spokesperson for Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, also confirmed late Saturday that Brown was the victim in the shooting.
Dallas police responded to a call for a shooting at the Atera Apartments complex around 10:30 p.m. Friday, police told CNN.
Officers were flagged down by witnesses who directed them to Brown, who was lying on the ground of the apartment parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. Brown was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to a statement from Dallas Police.
Witnesses told police they heard several gunshots and saw a silver four-door sedan speed out of the parking lot, police said.
There is no suspect information at this time, police said.
Merritt wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday night that the medical examiner told him Brown was shot in the mouth and chest.
“He was ambushed at his apartment complex as he got out of his car and shot at close range,” Merritt wrote, adding that Brown’s mother asked him to “do whatever it takes to get to the bottom” of her son’s murder.
“She suspects foul play and it is difficult to rule it out,” Merritt wrote. “He had no known enemies. He worked for a living. He was not in the streets. We need answers. Immediately.”
The founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, Dr Ola Brown, has called for investment from the private sector participants in funding the health sector to improve the economy and help the government in delivering quality health service to Nigerians.
Brown at an event organised by her firm to celebrate the unveiling of its new air ambulance interior in Lagos on Monday said Nigerians have a lot to gain if the private sector decides to contribute to the funding of the health sector.
She described the health care industry as a major sector that was capable of growing the economy of any nation, stating that citizens need to be healthy for them to work.
“Health care is not just investment in sick people, it is an investment in the economy because when people are ill, they can’t work. For every one dollar you invest in the health sector, you get two to ten dollars in terms of economic growth. And there is nothing we need more in Nigeria than economic growth. Our policymakers must start to see health care as an investment and not a cost.
“I believe air ambulance is even more important because we cannot continue to spend our entire health care budget on cement -building primary health care centres and more hospitals. Rather, we should invest in the people, doctors, their education and procuring of equipment. The idea behind this initiative is to help patients get timely interventions regardless of where they live,” Brown said.
She urged the Federal Government to invest and promote the idea of air ambulance noting that air ambulance provides answers to serious health issues.
“Air ambulances are used all over the world to transport patients from areas where they have overwhelmed the level of care to a more suitable level of care. The world’s first air ambulance was started in Australia in 1928, since then it has moved millions of patients from the Australian outback into urban centres. This has saved the government of Australia billions of dollars, as there has been no need to construct a major hospital in every single town/city.
“However, the sophisticated air ambulance system ensures that every patient can reach the correct specialist hospital within the right timeframe. The Flying Doctors Nigeria air ambulance services has been providing this essential service throughout West and Central Africa, moving patients within Nigeria, within the region and internationally,” she added.
She said the service being rendered by her firm makes it easy for patients in Western and Central Africa to access specialist care within minutes, regardless of where they live.
MEGA NEWS 