At least five people including two personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)  have been killed by suspected herdsmen, while others were injured in separate attacks on two local government areas of Benue State on Thursday and Friday last week.

It was gathered that two NSCDC personnel and a driver with the Benue Livestock Guards, were killed while they were on an official duty at Adaka community of Makurdi on Friday.

It was further gathered that two people were killed on Thursday evening at Tse-Tume in Turan council ward of Logo Local Government Area of the state.

According to a community leader from Logo LGA who did not want to be named for security reasons, the locals were killed while they were working on their farm.

The community leader who identified the deceased as Terkende Injarwua, and Mfaiga Ukor, said their remains had been recovered and buried on Friday.

Speaking on the attack, Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Anthony Dyegeh, confirmed the killing of two NSCDC personnel and a driver to the Livestock Guards commander.

“The Civil Defense personnel were members of Agro Rangers who worked hand-in-hand with the Livestock Guards to enforce the state’s anti-open grazing law.

“So on Friday, they went to Adaka to arrest the herdsmen who were grazing their cattle; they went with their with livestock guards. Unfortunately, the herders engaged them and killed several people.

“The deceased have been taken to the mortuary while the injured ones were receiving treatment at Federal Medical Center, Apir, and teaching hospital in Makurdi.

When contacted, NSCDC’s Public Relations Officer, Michael Ejelikwu, promised to give a detailed account of the incident, but was yet to do so at the time of filing this report.

But when she was contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Catherine Anene, said: “That was not reported to me.”

Popular Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has formed an advocacy group aimed at championing the rights of Fulani herders.

Gumi announced the creation of the group known as Nomadic Rights Concern (NORIC) during his Ramadan sermon at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna.

He said it will bring attention to the abuses and violations of rights of Fulani herders.

“We found it worthwhile to establish Nomadic Rights Concern (NORIC) to be headed by Umar Labbo. NORIC is supposed to be a channel whereby Nomads will have their complaints and agitation addressed to the right authorities.

“So many have complaints about the loss of family members. Others are in the prisons of security apparatus for many years without offence and trial in a competent court of justice.

“The organisation was established to address these fallouts, hopefully, nomads will follow the civil ways in addressing their grievances away from violence, it’s said that violence is the language of the unheard, Gumi said.

He said the nomads will channel their grievances to the NORIC, which will help them take legal means of getting redress.

A wanted notorious and murderous cultist terrorising Abeokuta and Ifo environs has been arrested by officers of the Ogun State Police Command. 

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi disclosed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Sunday.

“The suspect, Rotimi Adebiyi a.k.a Paracetamol, who has been on wanted list of the command over his role in several cult clashes in the state which has led to the death of some members of another cult group was arrested by CSP Olanrewaju Kalejaye led SWAT operatives in his hideout at Ifo area of the state.

“The suspect, a leader of Eiye cult group used to come into Abeokuta metropolis to strike and always run back to his hideout in Ifo.

"The police operatives acting on credible intelligence stormed his place at about 1:30 am of Saturday 30th of April 2022, where he was apprehended.

“Recovered from him are; one cut to size locally made pistol, one live cartridge, assorted criminal charms, weed suspected to be Indian hemp and a cutlass,” he said.

Meanwhile, the commissioner of police, CP Lanre Bankole, has ordered a full scale investigation into the past activities of the suspect with the view of arraigning him in court as soon as possible.

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to embark on a three-day nationwide warning strike, in solidarity with affiliate unions in the universities and Nigerian students.

The union’s threat is contained in a communique jointly signed by its President, Ayuba Wabba, and its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, and issued to journalists Thursday in Abuja.

The communiqué was issued at the end of the Congress’ Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

NLC had on April 13, given the Federal Government 21 days within which to set up a ‘High-Powered Panel’ to resolve the issues that were causing incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and others.

According to the CWC, NLC has threatened to hold protests against the lingering ASUU strike within the subsisting 21days ultimatum.

“This is also occasioned by government’s failure to honour agreements reached with trade unions in our universities.

“If at the end of the national protest and the 21 days ultimatum, the Federal Government fails to resolve the industrial crises in Nigeria’s universities, the Congress would be left with no other option than to embark on three days nationwide warning strike.

“This is in solidarity with our affiliates in the universities and with Nigerian students, whose future and wellbeing are being jeopardised,’’ it stated.

The CWC said the protest was to draw the attention of the government to the inherent catastrophe in the emerging culture of social apartheid in the society, by prolonged lockout for academics of students from poor homes.

It also said affiliates of the NLC were to issue public statements condemning the intermittent strikes in Nigeria’s universities.

According to the union, this current one which has gone on for about two months is worrisome.

The CWC also described the current insecurity as totally unacceptable and called on the government to rein in the monstrous cancer before it consumes the entire country.

It called for the declaration of an all-out war against terrorists and their sponsors, including those who diverted funds meant to fight insurgency.

It further called on the government to focus on the immediate release from captivity, of all abducted citizens, while also calling on them to nip in the bud current intelligence on the threat by terrorists to resort to mass bombings.

The CWC, however, called on the governments of Taraba, Cross River and Zamfara states, to immediately commence payment of the arrears of the national minimum wage owed their workers.

It also called on the Abia government to immediately clear the backlog of pension arrears owed retirees in the state.

The CWC, therefore, called on all employers of labour to respect the sanctity of work by ensuring prompt payment of workers’ salaries and entitlements.

The CWC also reiterated the readiness of Nigerian workers to use their Permanent Voter Cards to vote only for candidates and political parties that subscribe to the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands.

It further called on major political parties selling forms for political offices to the highest bidder, to rescind such decisions immediately

The CWC also felicitated workers on the commemoration of the 2022 International Workers Day, with a promise to communicate to workers if there were any changes to the date of celebration of the 2022 May Day.

Walter Orthmann, a 100-year-old man from Brazil has been working for the same company since 1938, which officially makes his career worthy of the Guinness Book of Records, reports the BBC.

Orthman began working for Industrias Renaux S.A., a textile company in Brusque, on January 17, 1938, when he was only 15-years-old.

He began as an assistant in the shipping department, but over the years, he was promoted to administrative assistant and, eventually, sales manager.

During his 84-year-long career, Walter went on sales trips all over the world, received his paycheck in nine different currency denominations, and used nearly every commercial airline in the history of Brazilian aviation.

“You have to like to work. I started to work with that willingness and fighting spirit,” Walter Orthmann said, when asked what kept him going for over eight decades.

“You can’t just do any job to say that you are working. That doesn’t work. You’re not going to be able to stand it.”

In February of 2022, Walter Orthmann was officially inducted into the Guinness Book of Records for having the longest career in the same company (84 years and 9 days).

On April 19, he turned 100, but he doesn’t plan to retire from the only company he has ever worked for.

Reminiscing about his beginnings with Industrias Renaux S.A. (nowRenauxView), Orthmann said that there were no computers, phones weren’t used at the company, and texts had to be typed on a typewriter and mailed. There was no public lighting, the streets were just dirt, which became muddy when it rained. There was no running water, and each house had its own well.

Everything is much easier today, Orthmann admits. All you need is a mobile phone and an internet connection, and you can coordinate a business from anywhere in the world. It’s thanks to technology that he is able to continue working, as he no longer travels like he used to.

Asked what advice he would give people dreaming of staying active and working late into their lives, Orthman told Brazilian news site Globo: “Don’t be angry, do everything laughing. Just do what you like to do. I like working here at the company. Don’t have enemies. Apologize. Live calmly. Life is just a passage here on Earth, enjoy it, do what you want.”

The federation account allocation committee (FAAC) says it shared N725.57 billion with the federal, states and local governments for March 2022.

The figure represents an increase of 23 per cent or N135 billion compared to the February allocation.

For February, the three tiers had shared N590.546 billion.

The details are contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a virtual meeting of FAAC for March 2022.

The communiqué noted that petroleum profit tax, oil and gas royalties, import and excise duties, companies income tax and value-added tax recorded tremendous increases.

According to the statement, the total revenue of N725.57 billion, distributable for the current month, was drawn from statutory revenue of N521.16 billion and value-added tax (VAT) of N204.40 billion.

The federal government received N277.10 billion, states received N227.2 billion, while local government areas received N167.91 billion.

On the total VAT distribution, federal government got N30.66 billion, states received N102.20 billion, while the local government got N71.54 billion.

The statement also highlighted the breakdown of the statutory revenue allocation as follows: federal government received N246.44 billion, states N125 billion, and local governments received N96.36 billion, while oil-producing states received N53.35 billion.

Additionally, oil-producing states received N53.35 billion as derivation or 13 per cent of mineral revenue.

It added that the balance in the excess crude account (ECA) as of April 27, 2022, was $35.37 million.

Africa Finance Corporation/Mota Engel Consortium, Africa Plus Partners Consortium, Dafac Consortium and Enyimba Economic City Development Company Consortium, among others, are the shortlisted preferred bidders for the 12 federal highways put up for concession by the Federal Government.

It would be recalled that Federal Government had identified preferred/reserved bidders for the highways under the Highway Development and Management Initiative. The government was, however, silent on the identities of the preferred bidders.

It had explained that this was following the conclusion of the evaluation of the proposals submitted for phase one of the value-added concession under the HDMI.

The HDMI is a PPP initiative of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing that seeks to attract sustainable investment and funding in the development of road infrastructure and maximise the use of assets along the right-of-way of federal highways across the country.

The first phase of the value-added concession under the HDMI seeks to concession 12 economically viable road corridors to technically and financially capable private sector firms/consortia.

The 12 highways represent 1,963km or 5.6 per cent of Nigeria’s 35,000km federal highways, which include Benin-Asaba, Abuja-Lokoja, Kano-Katsina, Onitsha-Owerri-Aba, Sagamu-Benin and Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga highways.

Others include Kano-Maiduguri (Kano-Shuarin), Kano-Maiduguri (Potiskum-Damaturu), Lokoja-Benin, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Ilorin-Jebba, Lagos-Otta-Abeokuta and Lagos-Badagry-Seme border.

Documents seen by our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday named some of the preferred bidders selected for the 12 roads including Africa Finance Corporation/Mota Engel Consortium to handle the Shagamu-Benin and Lagos-Badagry road.

Others include Africa Plus Partners Consortium to handle Benin-Asaba and Lagos-Abeokuta; CCCC-CGC-Hdwaks Joint Venture: Ilorin-Jebba; Dafac Consortium: Kano-Shuari; and Enyimba Economic City Development Company Consortium: Enugu-Port Harcourt and Onitsha-Aba.

This came as sources familiar with the HDMI concession programme process confirmed that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission had commenced notification of preferred bidders for the programme.

“The next phase of the programme is the negotiation stage, during which preferred bidders will be invited to negotiate financial terms,” an official with the FMWH stated.

The official added, “These terms shall then be used by the ministry and its advisers to develop and submit a full business case to the ICRC for compliance certification and onward transmission to the Federal Executive Council for final approval.”

In a previous engagement with the media, acting Director-General, ICRC, Mike Ohiani, said Nigeria’s new tolling policy was approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2021 and that the ICRC, in the exercise of its statutory mandate, reviewed and certified the 12 OBCs to enable the project move to the private sector procurement stage.

“In doing that, the commission provided PPP pre-contract regulatory guidance to the Federal Ministry of Works for the bid documents,” Ohiani had stated.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had also stated that the policy was developed after due consultations with various stakeholders in the transportation sector.

A total of 75 bidders had responded to the initial Request-For-Qualification, 12 bidders were shortlisted for the Request-For-Proposal.

It was learnt that companies/consortia participating in the process include Africa Finance Corporation/Mota Engil Consortium, Africa Plus Partners Nigeria Limited Consortium, Avia Infrastructure Services Limited and CCCC-CGC-Hdwaks Joint Venture.

Others include China Harbour Engineering Company, Craneberg Construction Company Limited, Dafac Consortium, Deanshanger Consortium, Enyimba Economic City Development Company Consortium, Julius Berger and Setraco.

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun says there was no place, he admitted to committing any crime in the letter written by Afe Babalola & Co. in response to a petition filed by one Ayodele Oludiran on behalf of Oluwatobi Sofela.

The governor speaking through his commissioner for information, Waheed Odusile in a press release said the story published by some media organisations was fallacious, warning that 'appropriate legal steps will be taken against the purveyors of the blatant falsehood'.

The statement reads "our attention has been drawn to a story with a misleading caption in some online newspapers. 

"To say this story is fallacious is to say the least. It is an admission to the fact that the journalism profession, which we still hold as noble has been thrown to the dogs. 

"Journalists are expected to fact check their information before going to the press.

"This particular story was purportedly from a letter written by Afe Babalola & Co, to the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a response to a petition written by a political mercenary. 

"Nowhere in the letter written by the Afe Babalola & Co. was there any admission by Prince Dapo Abiodun to have admitted to committing any crime.

"The letter written by the governor’s lawyers was twisted and presented to suit a particular purpose best known to those that authored / sponsored it.

"It should, however, be noted that their obvious game plan is to discredit the governor and get through the backdoor, what they could not get through the ballot.

"Prince Dapo Abiodun is unperturbed by this machination. Just like they failed in 2019, they will also fail this time around. 

"For the avoidance of doubt, let it be noted that Prince Dapo Abiodun did not admit ever being convicted of any crime.

"While we enjoined journalists to comply strictly to the ethics of their  profession, we shall however not hesitate to take appropriate legal step against the purveyors of this blatant falsehood, the statement warned.

The petitioner, Ayodele Oludiran had alleged that Abiodun was convicted over a credit card fraud in the US, with jail number 8600B9436, and later filed an application for a redaction of his criminal records in Miami Dade, Florida and it was granted in 2015. 

He cautioned that the discrepancies in the governor’s educational qualifications and the alleged criminal status might cause opposition parties to question the eligibility of Mr Abiodun’s re-election bid, swaying the electorates to their side.

“If action is not taken, the chances of our great party, the APC, retaining the governorship seat in Ogun State shall be in jeopardy as previously seen in Bayelsa and Zamfara States,” wrote Mr Oludiran in a statement.

Meanwhile, Afe Babalola and Co, representing Abiodun’s legal team argued that the governor’s probable arrest was not a conviction and hence was not answerable to the laws that applied to criminals.

“An aspirant or candidate will only be disqualified by the court if the false information he gives relates to a constitutional requirement of eligibility. APC is not a court of law. Accordingly, it cannot disqualify our client,” the governor’s lawyer wrote Abdulahi Adamu, APC chairman, citing section 29(6) of the Electoral Act 2022

Even if he was convicted in 1986, the governor’s legal counsel asserted the Nigerian constitution only disqualifies ex-felons from contesting political offices if their sentence was less than 10 years before the election date.

“In any event, assuming but not conceding that our client was even convicted in 1986, he would still not be affected or caught by Section 182 (1) (e) of the CFRN because the CFRN requires that the conviction which would disqualify a person from the position of the governor must have occurred ten years before the date of election to the office,” wrote Abiodun’s lawyer.

A mortuary attendant identified as Lukman Kushimo who allegedly severed the head of a minor in Oke-Yidi Cemetery area of Abeokuta in Ogun State, has confessed that he carried out the operation on request by ‘yahoo boys’, for ritual purposes

The suspect made the confession on Wednesday when he was paraded at the Ogun State Police Command, Eleweran, alongside other suspects for various crimes.

The suspect popularly called ‘Werepe’ disclosed that the job to look for a fresh head was given to him by one Awurela Ifakorede, having offered him the sum of N15, 000, while the severed head was to be used for ritual.

In his words, he said  “the reason I cut the child’s head is that  Awurela Ifa korede said they need biscuit (human head),  that he wants to use it to do a job for yahoo boys. They brought the child to me from FMC to cemetery at Oke Yidi where I buried the child. The following morning I went to dig the child and cut the head” he said.

The suspect confessed that  the corpse of the 6 year old boy  was brought to him from Federal Medical Centre (FMC)Idi-Aba to the cemetery for burial, while he returned the following day to cut-off the head of the boy.

House of Representatives member and Rivers state 2023 governorship aspirant, Farah Dagogo, declared wanted Wednesday by Governor Nyesom Wike was on Thursday arrested by armed security operatives at Port Harcourt, Vanguard has reported.

Dagogo was arrested at the South South Zonal Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he appeared among other South South governorship aspirants for screening ahead of the party primaries.

Dagogo, member representing Degema-Bonny Federal Constituency had showed up past 6pm at the hall where the Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri chaired Screening Committee was on duty when armed men swooped on him.

Moments later, the lawmaker, the most voiceful of Rivers 2023 governorship aspirants so far was escorted out by heavily armed security operatives who whisked him off in a patrol van labeled, ‘Operation C4i-027’.

Governor Wike had in a statement by his Media Aide, Kelvin Ebiri, accused Dagogo of masterminding cultists disturbance at the screening of Rivers State National and State Assembly aspirants Wednesday in Port Harcourt.

The embattled lawmaker had in a swift response denied the accusation, counter accusing Wike of deliberately giving him a bad name to deny him Thursday’s screening for the state governorship where he was arrested.

Relatedly a Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt same Thursday remanded 15 persons to a correctional center for unlawful gathering connected with the alleged disturbance at the Rivers PDP Secretariat over which Dagogo has also been arrested.

Meanwhile, the South South governorship aspirants screening opened in Port Harcourt under tight security with Committee Chairman and Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri assuring of a transparent process.

Though aspirants started arriving the South South PDP Zonal Office venue as early as about 9am, screening didn’t start with Cross Rivers state aspirants till about 2pm.

Some of the aspirants who arrived early include Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, Sen Lee Maeba, Hon Onofiok Luke, long serving Delta Senator, James Manager and late arrival Reps member Dagogo who was arrested as well as Umo Eno amongst others.

Diri on a note of caution told the aspirants that as senior citizens of the party, state and country at large, they were expected to comport selves during the screening.

Diri further advised the aspirants to do all they could and stay away from any act capable of bringing the name of the PDP into disrepute.