Four dead in Delta robbery attack

Four persons were killed when policemen engaged a 25-man robbery gang in a shootout in Delta State.

Eight others were injured in the attack, which took place in Kwale, Ndokwa–West Local Government on Wednesday.

Commissioner of Police Mamman Tsafe said two of the victims were members of the gang. The others were bystanders.

At a briefing in Asaba, yesterday, Tsafe said the bystanders died as a result of the robbers’ indiscriminate shooting.

He said the robbers besieged the Kwale branches of some banks simultaneously, carting away N84 million.

Tsafe said his men confronted them on the Amai-Nsukwaa road, where a robber was killed.

He said the fleeing robbers abandoned a Toyota Camry and a Sports Utility Van (SUV).

The commissioner said policemen confronted the robbers at Nsukwa community, where another robber was killed. The others fled with bullet wounds.

Items recovered include: AK 47 rifles; 20 live ammunition; 38 empty magazines; dynamite; N4.65million cash; two wrist watches; 2000 expended ammunition, expended explosives and dynamites

Other items are a Black Toyota Camry; Toyota 4Runner; Toyota Sienna Space Bus and a Delta Line Bus.

In a related development, the police rescued a kidnap victim after he was abducted at Okpara Waterside on Benin-Abraka road.

The victim, Lawrence Iriogbe, is a manager of a new generation bank in Abraka.

Tsafe said his men, acting on a tip-off, stormed an uncompleted building at Ugolo and rescued the banker.

He said his men foiled a robbery on Onitsha/Asaba Road.

According to him, Special Anti-Robbery (SARS) operatives responded to a distress call and accosted two hoodlums robbing Amibede Emeka.

He said one of the robbers, Emmanuel Obi, was arrested.

CNPP warns Jega against planned deregistration of parties

THE Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) in the Southeast has warned the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, against the planned deregistration of parties.

At its zonal meeting in Awka, Anambra State, yesterday,CNPP described the move as unconstitutional.

It congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan on his victory in the April 16 election.

The meeting was attended by its Chairmen from Anambra, Isaac Onuka; Enugu, Chris Asadu; Imo, Mrs. Ada Mere; and Abia, Henry Atulomah.

Others are Ukadike Chinedu and Prof. Chinedum Adiele,its Secretary.

CNPP said in a communique after the meeting that Jega’s plan would lead to the disenfranchisement of some Nigerians.

The communiqué reads in part: "We want to use this opportunity to appeal to our brothers and sisters to realise that the country belongs to all of us. Let us avoid anything capable of inciting violence and look for peace which is the only condition for prosperity and social development.

"Therefore, let us support our president to make our nation the pride of Africa."

CNPP assured Jonathan of its support and reminded him of the deplorable condition of Southeast roads.

NDLEA to destroy cannabis

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will tomorrow destroy 79,700kg of cannabis in Benin, Edo State.

This followed a court order obtained by the agency from Justice Adamu Hobon of the Federal High Court, Benin City.

Justice Hobon noted that the forfeited drug exhibits, seized in the state since March 1999, must be publicly destroyed.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole has accepted to be the special guest at the occasion.

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Ahmadu Giade, who will supervise the exercise, described the court order as timely.

He said the destruction is a positive step towards effective drug control in the country.

Edo is the fourth state where exhibits destruction was carried out by the agency this year.

The event will bring the total quantity of drugs destroyed since January to 134,412.598kg.

The agency had destroyed drugs in Lokoja, Kogi State (10,001.26kg); Akure, Ondo State (36,740.52kg) and Badagry, Lagos State (7,970.8182kg).

Kano PDP accuses ANPP of tampering with polls materials

Kano State Governor-elect Rabiu Kwankwaso has alleged that the incumbent All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) administration had tampered with ballot papers used in last month’s governorship election in the state before they are tendered at the governorship election petitions tribunal.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate was declared winner of the April 26 poll over the ANPP candidate.

A statement yesterday by the governor-elect’s spokesman, Mallam Jaafar Jaafar, alleged that ANPP had hired some American forensic experts to examine the ballot papers, after seeking a court order to have access to the election materials by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Kwankwaso said: "Both the court order and the forensic analysis were carried out secretly without the knowledge of the press, representatives of other political parties that contested the election and other stakeholders.

"If there is no any ulterior motive behind the analysis, these individuals should have been invited to monitor the examination."

He alleged that the foreign forensic experts may have programmed their machines to tamper with the thumb-prints of the votes cast in favour of the PDP so that they could tender the doctored results of the analysis before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

Kwankwaso said: "We are not apprehensive of forensic analysis because we are very much sure that the votes cast in our favour during the election were genuine. While we are confident that our votes are genuine, the clandestine nature of getting the court order and the analysis give us cause for alarm.

"Given the foregoing reasons, the Office of the Governor-elect hereby rejects the results of the analysis and urges INEC to devise ways of dousing the tension to restore confidence of all the parties involved."

But Governor Ibrahim Shekarau’s media aide, Sule Yau Sule, dismissed the allegation as diversionary.

He said if the PDP had not rigged the election, it would not have raised the alarm over any petition pending at the elections tribunal challenging the declaration of its candidate as winner.

The Administrative Secretary of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), Alhaji Moyi Kaura, denied the receipt of any court order, urging INEC to grant ANPP access to the election materials.

Again, rumpus in House over Petroleum Industry Bill

Reps bicker over alleged N200bn inserted into 2011 budget

There was rumpus in the House of Representatives yesterday as some members attempts to scuttle the consideration of the report of the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The parliamentarians almost succeeded but for the intervention of Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada which saved the day.

Trouble started when Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, prayed the House to postpone consideration of the report because of "obvious inconsistencies."

Enang said the report did not conform to the standard, processes and procedures of a bill.

He noted that the report failed to indicate the objective principles of the PIB.

But Chairman, House Committee on Gas, Igo Aguma, saw Enang’s comments as a calculated attempt to abort the consideration of the report.

Aguma urged members to discountenance Enang’s argument since Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution empowers the House power to regulate itself.

Enang, he said, had the report long enough to raise any objection.

Nafada , who presided, ruled that considering the time left in the life of the House, consideration of the report should continue.

Members considered up to clause eight before reverting to plenary.

Also, lawmakers bickered over an alleged N200 billion illegally inserted into the 2011 budget.

A source said: "What we discovered was that the budget has been tampered with illegally. The President, we hear has returned the Bill but the leadership has not made it public.

"A member particularly asked Speaker Dimeji Bankole to respond to these issues but he was not forthcoming with categorical statement

Ondo PDP faction forms parallel exco

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State assumed another dimension yesterday, with a faction naming former Nigeria Ambassador to Greece Prof. Olu Agbi as Chairman.

The faction, which had earlier announced the suspension of former Governor Olusegun Agagu and the executive, also named Prince Mike Omogbemi as Publicity Secretary.

The Publicity Director, Mr. Ayodele Fadaka, condemned the interim management committee by the faction.

Fadaka said: "The action of the group is illegal. We are all members of the PDP and we know that the process of constituting an exco has not been satisfied in this instance. We urge them to sheathe their sword and come back to the party to work for its progress."

He said some of the actors behind the crisis were not active members of the PDP.

Fadaka said: "How can Senator Hosea Ehinlanwo, who contested the last senatorial election on the platform of another party, suddenly come back and claim to be a stakeholder in the PDP?

"We know something is wrong somewhere. We urge true members to dissociate themselves from those who are irrevocably committed to destroying the party."

Boko Haram hits Borno again

The Boko Haram men made good their promise on Wednesday night as they stormed an Area Command office of the police in Maiduguri in a bloody shoot-out that lasted about an hour. One person was reported dead while many others were injured.

The sect members who were said to have fore-warned of their planned attack, stormed the Ibrahim Taiwo Area Command/Police Division along Baga Road in the metropolis on Wednesday night at about 8pm in a convoy of three Golf cars. Sources said they engaged the police in a shoot-out for about an hour, adding that a water hawker who lived around the area was hit by a stray bullet during the exchange of fire between the sect and the police.

Residents around Baga Road said the Wednesday shooting was deadlier, noting that the Boko Haram men might have attacked the police with sophisticated arms. “The way they arrived that place was baffling despite heavy presence of police and soldiers everywhere in the city. The manner by which they fired too was suprising. I believe the sect possesses sophisticated weapons because of the way they engaged the police for about one hour and then drove out of the area in confidence. I suspect we are in for a big problem again,” Annas who resides around the area told Daily Sun.

Eyewitnesses said about seven people hit by stray bullets might have died in the attack while many were injured but the police said only one person died. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Zakari Adamu, confirmed that the sect stormed the police station in three Golf cars, adding that “they were overpowered by the superior fire-power of the police, which made them flee.” He disclosed that the police pursued the attackers and succeeded in arresting four suspects.

While residents were still recovering from the panic created by the Wednesday night shooting, a bomb exploded along the popular Lagos Street, few metres to the NUJ Press Centre. Two soldiers and three policemen were injured. A Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) of the Joint Task Force team with soldiers and policemen was said to be heading towards Lagos Street when the bomb exploded. Police said they had every reason to believe the bomb was planted on the road by the Boko Haram men knowing full well the patrol team would ply the road that morning to their duty post.

The city was again thrown into panic as residents living in the area were barred from coming out of their houses. The road was also sealed off to disallow motorists and motorcyclists from moving to the area. Motorists were subjected to thorough search by the police and soldiers on the highways in other parts of the city, causing traffic jams.

Jonathan drops Akala, Oni, Daniel, Agagu

THE President may have dropped most of the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and outgoing ones jostling for ministerial jobs, The Nation learnt yesterday.

Some of those affected are Segun Oni, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Ikedi Ohakim, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Olusegun Agagu, Gbenga Daniel and Akwe Doma.

Senate President David Mark and some principal officers of the National Assembly are said to be pushing for Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the former Kaduna Governor who lost his bid to return to the Senate.

But a Deputy Governor seems lucky; she is already slated for a ministerial job because of what sources described as her "loyalty to the PDP" despite being dropped by her boss for a second term ticket.

Some of these ex-governors, who were nominated by some state chapters of the PDP, are banking on "sympathy ministerial concession" from President Goodluck Jonathan.

It was also gathered that the Presidency was displeased with the nomination of some of the former governors as the party structure was "virtually hijacked" to put their names on the list.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the President made up his mind on all the former governors because "security reports" on them were unfavourable.

A top government source, who pleaded not to be named because of what he described as the sensitivity of the matter, said: "The security checks are certainly ongoing, but one thing is clear: the President is not disposed to making these ex-governors ministers.

"The security reports against some of them are unfavourable and the President does not want to start on a controversial note.

"Some of the ex-governors nominated have been investigated by anti-graft agencies and they need to face trial. The President does not want to have ministers who will be distracted by corruption trial.

"Some of the ex-governors and outgoing ones have also attracted controversy, such that they need a well-deserved rest."

Six-lane Ikorodu Road expansion to cost N15b

The planned six-lane expansion of the Ikorodu Expressway will cost about N15 billion ($100 million), the Lagos State Government has said.

Commissioner for Finance Rotimi Oyekan disclosed this yesterday during a media briefing on the activities of his ministry in the last one year.

Oyekan said the fund for the project had been provided by the French Development Agency and work would begin shortly.

He said the project would be executed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

Oyekan said: "The expansion is to ease traffic from Ikorodu to Mile 12, as well as bring the BRT scheme closer to Ikorodu residents

He said the government has been paying salaries and pensions promptly, adding that the average monthly wage bill is N5.4 billion while pension is N251 million.

Oyekan said the government has mapped out strategies to sustain the implementation of the new minimum wage.

On the delay in the take-off of the Housing Mortgage Scheme, he said the government was putting finishing touches to a stress-free mode of payment, including a single digit interest rate.

Oyekan said: "The interest rate has now moved from single digit to double digits. It’s an inflation signal and government had to return to the drawing board to map out a mortgage plan that would sustain the scheme."

"The other objective is to create, in partnership with the private sector, a long term fund that will give employed citizens access to credit to own their homes."

ACN alleges tampering of election materials in Benue

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday alleged that materials used in last month’s elections in Benue State are being tampered with in the rural areas and asked the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

In a statement in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said those who rigged the polls were carrying out an illegal accreditation and other activities to justify the results they concocted.

The statement said: "These election riggers are now working from the answer to the question, and it is necessary for the REC in Benue to move quickly to retrieve the electoral materials and ensure their safe-keeping. If this is not done, it will amount to double jeopardy for those who were robbed of their votes."

ACN said it was monitoring the situation, adding that it would not hesitate to seek legal redress if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to act with the urgency the issue deserved.