Terrorists on Wednesday released the 23 remaining victims of the Kaduna train attack.
The hostages were freed at about 4 pm on Wednesday.
ABN TV reports that the terrorists attacked the AK-9 Abuja-Kaduna train passengers on March 28, 2022.
The terrorists planted explosive devices along the rail track and when the Abuja-Kaduna bound AK-9 passenger train approached the point, the device exploded, causing the train to derail, leading to the death of eight passengers.
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor, confirmed that the Nigerian military secured the release of the remaining 23 victims.
Announcing the development in a document acquired by The PUNCH, the CDS said the nation owes the Nigerian military a debt of gratitude for achieving the feat.
The document signed by Secretary, Chief of Defense Staff Action Committee, Prof. Usman Yusuf, reads, “I am pleased to announce to the nation and the world that at 4:00 pm today, Wednesday, October 5, 2022, the seven-man Presidential Committee assembled by the Chief of Defense Staff General Irabor, secured the release and took custody of all the 23 remaining passengers held hostage by Boko Haram terrorists following the attack on the Abuja to Kaduna train on March 28, 2022.
“The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Nigerian Military under the leadership of the CDS who conceived and guided the operation from start to finish. All sister Security Agencies and the Federal Ministry of Transportation contributed immensely to this Operation.”
He added that the President’s support made it possible to secure the release of the victims.
“The unwavering support of the President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR is what made it all possible.
“Members of this Committee are grateful for the rare honour and privilege to be part of this Humanitarian Operation. May God Almighty Heal Our Wounds and Bring Peace to Our Land.” Yusuf said.
The Director ABN TV, Mr Ifeanyi Okali on Tuesday visited a final year student of Micheal Okpara University Of Agriculture MOUAU, Oluomachi Lynda Nwojo who gave birth to Quintuplets, a set of five babies at Federal Medical Center Umuahia Abia State.
Mr Ifeanyi Okali questioning the nurses on duty at FMC Umuahia
He had gone to identify with the family at their happy moment and exchange handshake with the new babies.
At the visit, he also also identified with other nursing mothers at the facility, including two ladies who gave birth to twins within last week and yesterday.
Those he visited include, Mrs Mercy Benjamin from Ihite Uboma Imo state who gave birth to twin baby boys and Mrs Nnenne Orieji from Uturu Abia state who gave birth to twin baby girls.
Oluomachi, a 24-year-old native of Amamba Abriba in ohafia LGA Abia State gave birth to 3 girls and 2 boys. Both mother and babies are in good health condition.
Mr. Okali was accompanied by his team of staff to the visit.
Okali, On his official Facebook page shared;
“Today, I visited 24-year-old final year student of Micheal Okpara University Of Agriculture, MOUAU, Oluomachi Lynda Nwojo who gave birth to quintuplets and two other women that gave birth to twins respectively between last week and yesterday.
“They are, Mrs Mercy Benjamin from Ihite Uboma in Imo state who gave birth to 2 boys and Mrs Nnenne Orieji from Uturu in Abia state who gave birth to 2 girls at Federal Medical Center Umuahia Abia State.
“I made some cash donations to support the families.
“HEAR ME; God is God and not a man, He is the all and all, when He says yes is yes, No is No, He is supernatural, He is Alpha and Omega, the author and finisher of our faith, He’s the 🦁 Lion of tribe of Judea, He’s the miracle always working God, Ikuku ama nonya, Eze Ndi Eze, Odogwu Na’Aha.
“On behalf of my family, I say this gift of quintuplets, twin babies are testimonies of answered prayers and I pray to God to extend the same blessings to every couple desiring the fruits of the womb.
✅I tap the blessing🙏” he wrote.
A nurse on duty told ABN TVthat the female babies came first, and that Oluomachi is the first to give birth to quintuplets in the facility in a long time.
Oluomachi’s mother, Mrs Priscilla Nwojo while expressing gratitude to God for the safe delivery said the babies and their mother are in sound health condition.
She therefore appealed for assistance of well-meaning Nigerians to support in nursing the babies.
She called on wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs. Okezie Ikpeazu to come to the aid of the family.
Members of APC in Abia State are currently engrossed in tension as the Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, has reserved judgement for Friday, October 7 on the suit seeking the nullification of the party’s governorship primaries.
Two chieftains of the party, High Chief Ikechi Emenike and former minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Ogah are laying claims to the party’s governorship candidate in the state.
High Chief Ikechi EmenikeDr Uche Sampson Ogah
While High Chief Emenike emerged through an indirect primary election, Ogah who was the governorship candidate of the party in 2019 was elected in a direct primary.
Although Emenike’s name was shortlisted in the final list published Tuesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the authentic flag bearer will on Friday be decided by the High Court.
ABN TV reports that while the national leadership of APC has recognised Chief Emenike as its authentic flag bearer but Ogah and Eke are kicking against the action.
Eke had approached the court to seek nullification of the primaries which he said did not comply with the party directives, INEC guidelines, and the new Electoral Act.
His lawyer, Obinna Nkume who dismissed “the purported primaries as a charade and a sham”, urged the court to annul both primaries.
”My client is saying that the APC governorship primaries in Abia were not conducted in line with the party guidelines, so everything they did was invalid.”
He argued that both “Emenike who claimed he emerged through indirect primaries and Ogah claiming to have been produced via directed primary, “cannot sustain their claims”.
The plaintiff’s lawyer argued that whereas the APC had directed for direct primary for Abia, Chief Emenike “purportedly emerged through indirect primary in clear violation of the directive; while Ogah’s purported primary was not supervised by the party’s electoral committee”.
”The Electoral Act is clear: if you opt for direct primary, you do direct primary. The party opted for a direct primary for Abia but the committee did indirect primary where Emenike claims to have emerged.
“For Ogah, the position of the Electoral Act is that if the party’s electoral committee does not participate in your primary even if INEC supervises it, such a primary is a sham.”
But counsel to APC urged the court to dismiss the suit arguing that the plaintiff is not a registered member of the party in his Igbere Ward.
He further argued that the plaintiff had by his own written evidence, admitted that he did not participate in the primaries, hence, he had no locus to challenge the outcome of the exercise.
Chief Emenike’s lawyer, H. O Afolabi, SAN, allied himself with the submissions and arguments canvassed by APC’s lawyer, adding that the plaintiff must first prove that he participated in the primaries before challenging the outcome.
Ogah who sought to be joined in the suit through his Counsel, Oliver Amuzie, urged the court to void only the result of the indirect primary that “purportedly produced the 2nd defendant (Emenike), arguing that it was in clear violation of the party directives.
Ogah’s lawyer further urged the court to disregard the argument that the plaintiff had no locus in the matter on the basis of non-participation whereas his name was on the result sheet.
Ogah’s lawyer, however, said his client’s candidacy should be affirmed haven emerged from direct mode of primary as directed by the party leadership and supervised by INEC.
Meanwhile, INEC counsel, D. I Amadi, said that the commission was not an interested party in the matter, but urged that the suit be dismissed in its entirety.
After listening to the arguments of all the parties, the presiding Judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, reserved judgement for Friday, October 7.
Latter in an interview, Chief Eke who was present at the court expressed satisfaction with the proceedings so far.
He also expressed optimism that he would get justice, vowing to fight illegality and impunity in the party.
Eke said he was in the court to challenge injustice, arguing that parties should not be allowed to collect money from aspirants through sale of forms, and fail to conduct fair primaries for them.
Chief Eke said that APC stood the risk of not fielding any candidate in the governorship poll because of impunity.
Two vigilante personnel in Anambra State have been arrested for an attempted rape of a 12-year-old girl.
It was gathered that the incident happened at Nkutaku area of Okpoko in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects, whose identities were not disclosed, are currently at the Okpoko Police Division, within the same local government.
It was gathered that the the victim hails from the Guyuk Local Government Area of Adamawa State, but lives on Obodoukwu Road near Atani Road.
The victim was said to have been dragged to an abandoned structure by the suspects, while she was going with a neighbour, a male of the same age, at about 10pm on Tuesday, to lock-up her mother’s shop which is also located in the same area.
A police source at the Okpoko Police Division told our correspondent that, while the two minors were walking along the street going to lock-up the shop, the two vigilante operatives, fully armed with machetes and pump action guns accosted them, intimidating and subjecting them to instant fear.
It was, however, gathered that after taking the minors to an abandoned structure on Obodoukwu Road, the suspects told the little boy to go home and bring N1,000 to bail themselves for wandering at that time of the night.
The source said the purpose of asking the little boy to go home to bring the money was to leave them alone with the helpless girl in order to accomplish their mission.
However, luck was said to have run out on the suspects when the boy returned to their residence and narrated how they were hurriedly taken away by the security operatives, which prompted the girl’s father, identified as Mr Lee Bibamde, a trader, to immediately call for a rescue team in search of the missing girl.
Bibamde, with the assistance of another vigilante operative and some elders were taken to the scene where they met the victim fully naked.
According to the victim’s father, “My daughter was pantless (without panties). They had also succeeded in removing her tight. In fact, she was fully naked. The other operative was somewhere keeping watch for his colleague so that he could take his own turn of my daughter from the confession made by them.”
Meanwhile, a top management and commander of the security outfit where the suspects were working, while reacting, said the two vigilante men have since been sacked.
The police source said, “The commander of the vigilante outfit did a wonderful job by arresting the suspects and subsequently handing them over to the police for prompt action. The matter is being investigated and may be charged to court on Thursday this week.”
While confirming the incident, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the two suspects are in the police custody and will be charged to court at the end of investigation.
“The two suspects are in custody and at the conclusion of the investigation, they shall be charged to court,” Ikenga added.
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has denied reports that it was recruiting staff and warned members of the public to be wary of fraudsters.
The commission said a recruitment portal opened with the name and logo of the interventionist agency was the handiwork of dubious characters to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
A statement signed by the NDDC’s Director, Corporate Affairs, Ibitoye Abosede, further said the impersonators claimed that the commission had launched a recruitment portal for 2022, urging members of the public to disregard the report.
The statement read, “The attention of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has been drawn to fake social media accounts being used to deceive members of the public, claiming that the NDDC is recruiting staff.
“One of such accounts currently trending online is inviting ‘interested and eligible applicants who are willing to apply for the recruitment to visit the application form portal 2022: https://nddc.govservice.site/’.
“We wish to alert public members to this fraudulent activity by some dubious individuals who impersonate the Commission’s Social Media Accounts.
“Those behind this criminal activity claim that ‘the NDDC has launched its recruitment portal and is calling on Suitably Qualified Candidates to Apply for the 2022 Recruitment Exercise’.
“It is obvious that the scammers are using the name and logo of the NDDC to defraud members of the public.”
Continuing, Ibitoye said, “Clearly, the online accounts were created for the purpose of duping unsuspecting members of the public and in the process, bringing the NDDC and its Management to disrepute.
“The security agencies have been alerted to investigate and bring the criminals to justice.
“We advise those who have genuine businesses with the NDDC to always cross-check facts at the Commission’s official website and other social media handles.
“Anyone claiming to represent the NDDC or its Management in fraudulent recruitment announcements must be treated as a criminal and reported to security agencies for appropriate sanctions.”
The APC candidate for Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia State, High Chief Dan Okeke has felicitated with teachers globally, particularly in Nigeria, extolling their contributions in building the society.
He noted that education is a fundamental obligation of everyone which requires the support of the Government, parents, teachers, students, and all stakeholders in the state.
In a statement on Wednesday, the special assistant to High Chief Okeke on media and publicity, Oti maduabuchi Orieji while urging for more investment in education to enhance the welfare of teachers, he said the day is a reminder that we need to promote the teaching profession among our young people.
“Hence, our investment in the future and in teachers must focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. Within my capacity, I will continue to provide the teachers with the necessary support required of me,” he said.
“I sincerely believe that teachers hold the key to the great future that we envisage for our people and for our beloved nation”, he added.
He further stressed that “Teachers, also need to invest in themselves. They have a responsibility to keep abreast with educational innovations by reading and researching and applying new strategies and modalities in classrooms that are constantly changing.”
The statement read in part, “Teachers’ Day also provides an opportunity to revitalise the image of the teaching profession as a vocation and to honour the women and men who inspire, challenge and nurture our youth on a daily basis. The country expects a lot from teachers – they, in turn, also expect a lot from us all, the government, civil society organizations, religious institution, parents and students.
“On this International Teachers’ Day 2022, on behalf of the good people of Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency and Abia State at large, I extend my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all the teachers in the world. We highly value your contributions in making a difference in the lives of young people(our children)”.
A 32-year-old man identified as Toheeb Salau aka Gentee was stabbed to death at a club by suspected cultist in Malaysia.
According to HGS Media Plus, the incident happened on Sunday, October 2 in Jalan Razak area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
It was gathered that the deceased confronted one Goru Emerald Edirin, a suspected cultist and leader of Aiye confraternity in Malaysia for allegedly slapping his pregnant wife, one Mrs Toyin on her butt.
An eyewitness said the deceased and the suspect almost fought each other but they were stopped through the timely intervention of other clubbers.
It was gathered that the deceased and his wife later left the club to another club and the suspect and his gang followed him to the new club where he was subsequently stabbed to death alongside two of his friends who were injuried.
It was gathered that the deceased died due to severe injuries sustained from the stab while two of his friend are battling for their lives.
The Wangsa Maju district police chief, Supt Ashari Abu Samah, confirmed the incident, on Sunday morning.
“Investigations revealed that the victims were involved in a fight with a group of Africans. One of the victims, a 32-year-old man died of severe injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital. He is believed to have been slashed at the back of his neck,” he said in a statement.
Eight foreigners, six men and two women between the ages of 26 and 40 has been arrested and taken to the Wangsa Maju District police in connection with the murder of the deceased.
The case is currently Investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has hinted on plans to deploy undercover agents to polling units for the 2023 general elections, in a bid to cut down on the menace of vote buying.
The INEC Chairman on Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, stated this in Abuja during a citizens’ election dialogue themed, “What makes a good election in Nigeria.”
According to Okoye, the commission will deploy undercover security personnel on election day.
He said, “We have also made sure that people do not enter the voting compartments with their mobile phones that can take pictures and we’re also collaborating with the different security agencies under the auspices of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security to make sure that plain cloth security personnel is deployed to some polling units on election day to stem the issue of vote buying and vote selling.
“This commission is focused and determined to give Nigerians a good election. In terms of the issue of vote buying, the commission has reconfigured the various polling units toguarantee the secrecy of the votes.
“It’s fashionable to grandstand relating to the commitment of the INEC to free, fair and transparent elections. But you should also flip back and look at some of the party primaries that some of the political parties conducted and how well they conducted them.”
Okoye reiterated the commission’s commitment to delivering free, fair and credible elections for all Nigerians in collaboration with security agencies.
According to the INEC National Commissioner, the commision will continue to train its members of staff towards ensuring a hitch-free poll.
He said the training will ensure that election officials know how to configure and position the voting cubicle to guarantee the secrecy of the votes.
“INEC will make sure technology is deployed and we’re also going to make sure that we transmit polling unit results into our INEC viewing portal,” he added.
Political leaders contribute to violence recorded on election days, Adams Oshiomhole, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said.
The former Edo State governor spoke on Tuesday during the citizens elections dialogue hosted by YIAGA Africa and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Channels TV.
Oshiomhole said the weapons used by disruptors cannot be easily obtained.
He said, “When I was a governor and I mean this, you can ask [former] President Goodluck Jonathan, I did say at a meeting at the villa that sometimes governors contribute to election violence because AK-47 is not as cheap as buying akara.
“And when you see many young men who are unemployed wielding AK-47s, who is providing them? So the political leadership has a responsibility, we need to take that responsibility.
“If 500 voters choose to resort to violence, how many policemen do you want to deploy? Let us accept that as political parties, we agree that in the course of the campaigning, at every point, we must emphasise that this election is about freedom to choose and that what is more important is the process, not even the outcome.
“Let us resort to telling our leaders that they must preach violent free elections. I insist that all of us here have a duty. Nigeria is much more than the sub total of all the political parties.”
No fewer than six persons, including a toddler, have reportedly been killed by the massive flood that sacked the entire Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Two of the victims were brought ashore by divers following a boat that capsized on Tuesday while trying to ferry residents across to Ganaja village from Gadumo area in Lokoja.
The Kogi State Police Command confirmed this on Wednesday through its Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, in a telephone chat with our correspondent.
“Yes, I can confirm that two bodies were discovered by divers following a boat mishap on Tuesday when trying to ferry residents across the flooded parts of Ganaja-Lokoja road.”
Also, the Chairman of Ibaji Local Government Council, Williams Iko-Ojo, while speaking with journalists said four persons, including a toddler, have been killed in addition to the destruction of the entire farmland in the local government
According to him, “As I’m speaking with you right now, there is no single habitable land in Ibaji, everywhere has been submerged and people are in a devastating condition.
“To be honest, the humanitarian crisis is beyond what the local government can tackle and we are calling on the National Emergency Management Agency, the State Emergency Management Agency and all relevant authorities to come to the aid of my people.”
Speaking in the same vein, the Ejeh of Ibaji and Chairman of Ibaji Traditional Council, Ajofe John Egwemi, called on the Federal Government to complete the dredging of the River Niger and also embark on building dams as a long-term solution to the flooding.
“I feel very devastated with the magnitude and the destructions that have come from the flood disaster. Usually, we do experience flooding of farmlands between August and October but not of this magnitude,” he added.
Ibaji Local Government Area is an agrarian settlement with the reputation for agricultural produce, but sadly, that has been submerged by the flood.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy, Kingsley Fanwo, in an interview with our correspondent said the state government was working tirelessly to address the problems being faced by the people as a result of the ravaging flood.
“We are deploying safety and health experts to cater for the needs of the displaced people. They are our responsibility and we will not spare any resources to protect them. The reason we have government is to provide for the needs of the citizens. We will never shirk our responsibility to our people,” he said.
The Member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, has extended warm birthday wishes to his elder brother,...
