Edo Police boss blows hot over arrest, transfer of Chief Priest to Benin city

NEWS

Edo Police boss blows hot over arrest, transfer of Chief Priest to Benin city

 

Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Mr. DanMallam Mohammed, has assured that disciplinary action will be taken against the policemen who whisked away the Chief Priest of Okhuaihe shrine at Evbokhoi, Uhunmwode Local Government Area the State, Chief Osarodion Usuanlele, to the Police headquarters in Benin city for questioning.

Dan Mallam, who confirmed Usuanlele’s arrest, however, insisted that the arrest and transfer of the high chief, who holds the title of Ohen N’ Ukoni Neyedo, by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit to Benin was based on a petition by an indigene of the area.

Speaking to Tribune, the Police boss said based on the allegation by the local, whom he emphasised ought to know better, the policemen invited him to Benin for interrogation.

The commissioner, however, blamed the policemen for insisting on transferring the suspect to Benin despite his strident protest that moving him to the Edo State capital will amount to a desecration of Bini culture.

DanMallam said: “The issue could have been resolved over there at the local police station without moving him to Benin.

“The police must respect the culture and tradition of the people in areas where they operate.

“We are not taking the matter lightly and will deal with our men who are involved in the incident.

“They ought to have listened to the complaint of the chief and deal with the matter at the nearest police station, instead of bringing him to Benin.”

He denied receiving a list of items from the chief priest to cleanse the land, noting that the locals bought the items and did the sacrifice themselves.

The items reportedly included 14 native cows, tortoise, sheep, goats, cocks, among others.

We had earlier reported that going by an age-long tradition of the Binis which has been on since the times of Oba Ewuare the Great in the 15th century, the Ohen N’ UKoni is forbidden from setting his feet in Benin, the abode of the Oba as it is said to amount to a desecration. 

As part of coronation rites of the Benin monarch, the chief priest engages in a symbolic wrestle with the prince of Benin, after which both men go opposite ways, never to see each other again, once the prince becomes the Oba.

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INEC issues Ned Nwoko Certificate of Return as Senator-elect for Delta North

POLITICS

INEC issues Ned Nwoko Certificate of Return as Senator-elect for Delta North

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has issued certificate of return to Prince Ned Nwoko, as the senator-elect.

Prince Nwoko, a billionaire politician, is to represent Delta north in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly.

He received the certificate of return from INEC amidst jubilation by hundreds of his supporters who thronged the INEC premises.

The ceremony was in line with an Abuja Federal High Court judgement which nullified the election of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and declared Prince Ned Nwoko winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Delta North senatorial primary.

It would be recalled that in his judgement of April 3, 2019, the Presiding Judge, Justice A. R. Mohammed, had ruled that from all available evidence before the court, Prince Nwoko convincingly won the Delta North PDP senatorial primary election held on 2nd October, 2018.

By implication of the judgement and the INEC Certificate of Return, Ned Nwoko stands as Senator-elect for Delta North senatorial district.

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Imo Speaker clears air on reported sack of 27 LG chairmen

POLITICS

Imo Speaker clears air on reported sack of 27 LG chairmen

 

Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Acho Ihim, has clarified that the 27-member legislature did not sack any local council chairman as reported in some sectoon of the media.

He said the House merely suspended them last Thursday for their alleged failure to honour the summons served on them by the state lawmakers to answer questions bordering on allegations of financial gross misconduct leveled against them.

The Imo Speaker, in a statement yesterday, by his Chief Press Secretary, Marcel Ekwezuo, maintained that the suspended chairmen were not placed on suspension as a result of their “apparent recalcitrance and disobedience to the constitutional authority of the House.”

The statement added, “Sequel to series of petitions bothering on unsatisfactory conducts against the chairmen written by their constituents, the House invited them for an interface, but they flagrantly refused to honour the invitation or to give reasons for their absence.

“It was based on the chairmen’s disobedience to honour the House’s invitation to have an interface that they have been suspended and they will remain suspended until otherwise stated by the House.”

He added that investigations into the allegations of unsatisfactory conducts against the chairmen would continue and any chairman found to have refused to submit his/her self to the House Committee on Local Government would be sacked.

The Speake4r further said: “All deputy chairmen in the 27 councils are henceforth acting chairmen.

“Treasurers of LGAs were instructed to henceforth work with the deputy chairmen, while the commissioner of Police and all law enforcement agencies in the state are to receive letters from the Clerk of the House to effect the transfer of authority to the deputy council chairmen.”

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JAMB: How to check 2019 UTME via TXT/SMS

EDUCATION

JAMB: How to check 2019 UTME via TXT/SMS

 

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has started releasing results for the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME.

The board released the result of 1,792,719 candidates and withheld the results of 34,120 others for various infractions.

NAIJA VOTM helps you with some of the procedures you may require to check your result.

For people who are yet to see their results, JAMB usually releases results in batches.

INSTRUCTIONS:

All candidates can simply send RESULT, via SMS, to 55019 using the same number that was used for registration.

After entering the information correctly, the result, would be replied as an SMS shortly after.

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EPL: What Hazard said about signing new Chelsea contract at club’s awards night

SPORTS

EPL: What Hazard said about signing new Chelsea contract at club’s awards night

 

Chelsea star, Eden Hazard, jokingly replied “where’s the pen?” when asked by a fan to sign a new contract, at the club’s end-of-season awards night on Friday.

It was a clean sweep for Hazard, as he won Chelsea’s Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Goal of the Season.

No player in Chelsea’s history has ever won all three awards in a single season.

It could be a fitting end to Hazard’s time at Stamford Bridge, with a potential move to Real Madrid on the horizon.

Chelsea fans are desperate for the Belgian to stay and one supporter made his opinion heard at the club’s awards ceremony.

After collecting his Player of the Year award, Hazard gave a brief interview on stage but before he could speak, one fan shouted out: “sign the contract”.

Hazard smiled and replied: “where’s the pen?”.

His current deal expires at the end of next season.

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President Buhari sends message to ex-President Sam Nujoma of Namibia

NEWS

President Buhari sends message to ex-President Sam Nujoma of Namibia

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former President of Namibia, Dr Sam Nujoma, who turns 90 on May 12th, 2019.

He commended him “for an exemplary life devoted to service of humanity and the noble cause of freedom.’’

A letter signed by the President on Saturday, said: “On the auspicious occasion of your ninetieth birthday on 12thMay 2019, I have the pleasure on behalf of myself, the government and people of Nigeria, to extend to you, Excellency, our hearty congratulation.

“Nigeria joins your family, friends and well-wishers all over the world as well as the people of Namibia in celebrating a pan-African hero for an exemplary life devoted to service of humanity and the noble cause of freedom. I also pay tribute to your indelible contributions as an accomplished statesman and pioneer leader of your country to the development of the Namibian nation.’’

The President prayed that the almighty God will continue to sustain the former Namibian President with longer life and good health.

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Europa League final: Sarri reveals advantage Arsenal have over Chelsea

SPORTS

Europa League final: Sarri reveals advantage Arsenal have over Chelsea

 

Chelsea manager, Maurizio Sarri, has admitted he is not completely happy with their preparations ahead of the Europa League final against Arsenal, due to their post-season friendly in the United States before they travel to Baku.

Sarri’s men end their Premier League season with a trip to Leicester City on Sunday and will then travel to the United States for a post-season friendly against New England Revolution in Massachusetts on May 16.

The Blues will then return to prepare for their Europa League final against Arsenal on May 29, but Sarri admits he is concerned about his players suffering from fatigue.

“A problem? We go there for a good reason I think, so as a man I am very happy to go there.

“But as a coach, of course, I am a little bit worried because I know very well that the team now needs rest. So it is not the best way to prepare the final, I think.

“I have to look to my players, so I know very well that my players need to rest, and after four or five days they need to work for three or four days and then they need to prepare for the match. The match will be interesting and difficult.

“I want to speak to the physical staff, to the doctor and then we need to prepare the program. I think that they need three or four days completely in rest.

“I am not worried about the physical side, I think it is more difficult to recover mentally.

“Because in a match like this one you spend, usually, a lot of energy and then of course you have to go down and then it is not easy to go up again,” Sarri told a press conference.

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Ghanaian actor, Chris Attoh’s wife shot dead in America

ENTERTAINMENT

Ghanaian actor, Chris Attoh’s wife shot dead in America

 

Bettie Jennifer, the wife of Ghanaian actor, Chris Attoh has been shot dead while leaving her office in Maryland in the United States of America.

Washington DC-based TV network, NBC reports that she was shot in the head by a gunman on Friday evening around 5pm and was pronounced dead when police arrived at the scene of the crime.

According to the report, Bettie left the office in the 6300 block of Ivy Lane and was walking to her car when a man armed with a handgun approached her.

When she tried to run away, the man followed her and fired at her multiple times, with at least one shot hitting her.

The gunman then fled in a vehicle and is still wanted by the Maryland Police.

Police described the suspect as “a black male with a thick build and black hair, wearing a dark shirt and pants.”

Chris Attoh and Bettie Jenifer married at a ceremony in Accra October 2018. This was shortly after divorcing his first wife, Nigerian actor DamiloIa Adegbite, with whom he has a son.

Last week, Chris Attoh sparked speculation on social media that all was not well with his second marriage after he deleted all of Bettie’s pictures from his social media pages.

It was alleged that they had broken up but neither of the two has publicly confirmed or denied the story.

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Imo guber: PDP chieftain reveals plot by Okorocha to derail Ihedioha’s inauguration

POLITICS

Imo guber: PDP chieftain reveals plot by Okorocha to derail Ihedioha’s inauguration

 

Kingsley Onwubiko, Secretary, Committee on Volunteer Support Group (VSG) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says alleged plot to derail the inauguration of Imo Governor-elect Mr Emeka Ihedioha is an affront on the sensibility of people of the state.

Onwubiko told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday that the plot is a grand design to scuttle the wish and joy of the people.

“No amount of disingenuous decoys of enemies of Imo would derail a constitutional process of power transition,” he said.

He explained that the people would not allow themselves to be subjected to another round of exploitation and oppression.

Describing Ihedioha as the people’s choice, Onwubiko said that the governor-elect is the only hope for the people after eight years of economic and political oppression of Gov. Rochas Okorocha.

The PDP chieftain queried the rationale behind Okorocha’s prayers to court, saying he had been notorious for disobeying court orders.

“For eight years, Okorocha could not obey countless court orders, what is he asking for from the court now,” he said.

Onwubiko, however, expressed confidence in the court as avenue for justice, saying that it would not support any plot to truncate a constitutional process.

NAN reports that some persons have gone to court to stop the inauguration of the Governor-elect.

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Ferry Gberegbe: SARS Commander denys police involvement in the death of PDP agent in Rivers

NEWS

Ferry Gberegbe: SARS Commander denys police involvement in the death of PDP agent in Rivers

 

The Rivers State Commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Akin Fakorede, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), has maintained that policemen did not kill an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ferry Gberegbe, during the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.

He declared that the late Gberegbe, who until his death was a lecturer with the Rivers State government-owned Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori-Ogoni, was a cult leader and was eliminated by cultists.

The SARS commander, while testifying before the investigating members of the Joint House of Representatives’ Committees on Army, Police, Human Rights and Justice, at a sitting in Port Harcourt, had stated that Gberegbe died of food poisoning.

However, the Rivers Chairman of PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, faulted Fakorede’s testimony before the committee members and expressed shock that the SARS commander could deny his involvement and responsibility for the barbaric act, which he claimed Fakorede personally masterminded.

Speaking in an interview with The Nation, Fakorede expressed surprise that Obuah could accuse him and some SARS operatives of killing the party’s agent.

He said: “I represented the police at the public hearing. We only called for an autopsy to be conducted to determine the death of Dr. Gberegbe.

“We also placed before the committee members, intelligence report at our disposal.

“We know for a fact that Dr. Gberegbe was not shot by the police. We have credible intelligence on the circumstances that led to his death and we simply put the intelligence in the public domain, through the committee, along with our findings.

“Why was the deceased taken to a hospital 60 kilometres away, when many well-equipped hospitals are closer to the scene of the incident?”

The SARS commander also revealed that the late lecturer died on March 16, 2019 at St. Patrick Hospital, Port Harcourt and not during the March 9 elections in BoriOgoni, as alleged.

He said: “Dr. Gberegbe was at all times a part of the plot that eventually took his life. He was killed by his friends and associates, and not by his foes. Most certainly not by SARS or any police unit or operative. He was shot at Elimgbu by pipeline, not too far from his residence along Court Road, Port Harcourt and not in Bori in Khana LGA, as alleged.

“The bullet that landed Dr. Gberegbe in the hospital was not fired from the barrel of a police riffle, but from the mouth of a locally fabricated pistol. He did not die from gunshot injury, but from cardiopulmonary arrest (heart attack) accentuated by food poisoning.

“He was a well and healthy man on the day he died. He died on March 16, 2019 at exactly 10:05 p.m., with a bowl of poisoned food in his hands. He shouted for help in the middle of a meal and gave up the ghost and that ended a long drama in which he had joined to write the script, intended by all the conspirators to cover up a huge fraud in which thieves without honour decided to outwit one another and enjoy a booty meant for many party faithful.

“Dr. Gberegbe was a leading member of Deywell cult gang. During the March 9, 2019 governorship election, his role was to coordinate and supervise the various cult groups in their assigned roles. The money for all the cult groups, running into several millions of naira, was handed over to him for disbursement to relevant actors. It was his attempt to outmaneuver members of his group that led to his death.”

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ACF speaks on splitting of Sokoto emirate

NEWS

ACF speaks on splitting of Sokoto emirate

 

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said it would not be surprised if the Sokoto State Government decides to split its emirates.

Anthony Sani, Secretary-General of ACF, expressed this fear in a chat with The Interview, a political magazine.

Recall that the Kano State government had created four new emirates as follows: Gaya, Bichi, Karaye and Rano; bringing the total number of Emirates in the state to five.

Asked if he thought Sokoto, the last emirate standing, would also be broken up, Sani said: “I cannot tell precisely because governance and traditions of society are dynamic and in a state of flux.

“If language, which is emblematic of culture, is dynamic, traditional institution is subject to change.

“There will be nothing exotic or quixotic if such changes take place in Sokoto State,” he said.

Sani said that breaking up spheres of traditional influence, even in Kano, was not new.

“Governor Abubakar Rimi (former Kano State governor) did it before

“It was President Buhari in his first coming as military head of state that reversed it,” he said.

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EPL: What Ander Herrera told Man United fans as he leaves Old Trafford

SPORTS

EPL: What Ander Herrera told Man United fans as he leaves Old Trafford

 

Manchester United midfielder, Ander Herrera has sent a message to the club’s fans as he confirms his departure from Old Trafford.

The club had earlier announced that the Spaniard will be leaving, amid reports he will join Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old, who was named the club’s Player of the Year by United fans in 2016-17, has made 132 Premier League appearances during five seasons at Old Trafford.

Herrera has started 16 of United’s league matches this season, struggling to hold down a regular place as he once did under Jose Mourinho.

In an emotional video message posted via the club’s official Twitter account, Herrera said:

“There is red in my heart. I knew it from the first time I played here and in the moment that I started to wear it.

“A club with thousands of fans that respect and remember all the players who give everything.

“I felt special when I heard my name chanted. I felt proud when the fans decided I was part of this incredible history.

“Every time I represented this club, in every game, in wins and losses, even when I couldn’t help from the grass I understood what this club means.

“I’m going to remember each of the almost 200 matches that I have played with this jersey because playing for the greatest club in England has been a true honour.

“Thanks for these five amazing years!”

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