Tragedy: Ten Burnt to Death in a Lagos Ghastly Accident

At least, 10 passengers were burnt to death
in a ghastly motor accident in Badagry area
of Lagos last night.
Two vehicles, a commercial bus conveying
passengers and another vehicle were said to
have collided as the commercial bus burst
into flame and consume its occupants. The
tragedy took place around 11.00 pm last
night.
Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasak
Fadipe told source  that the gahastly motor
accident resulted into flame in Badagry with
fatalities recorded.
He said there was head-on collision between
two vehicles, leading to the commercial bus
with passengers bursting into flame. He did
not tell the make of the other vehicles.
When pressed to disclose the number of
people burnt to death, Fadipe said he could
not ascertain that now.
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO,
Dolapo Badmus confirmed that 10 people
were burnt to death in the accident while
seven others sustained serious burns and
had been rushed to the Badagry General
Hospital for treatment.
A top officer of the Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency (LASEMA), who craved
anonymity said the agency was not at the
scene because it was at Seme Border, which
he said was outside Nigeria.
The source said he got a call from
somebody at the scene saying that 10
people were burnt to death, but said it was
unconfirmed.

Politics: TUC to Buhari,Resign as Petroleum Minister

President Buhari has been asked to resign
from the position of the minister of
petroleum and mineral resources.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called
on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign
from the position of the minister of
petroleum and mineral resources.
According to the congress, the office is too
critical to Nigeria’s economy, therefore, it
should not be combined with the office of
the president and commander-in-chief.
The Nation reports that Bobboi Bala
Kaigama, the president of the TUC, made
the call at the “Save Nigeria Oil and Gas
Industry Round Table Conference” held on
Tuesday, April 19, in Abuja.
The TUC boss noted that there was cogent
need for appointment of a substantive
minister of petroleum and mineral resources.
“The ideal candidate for this should be
someone who has the necessary knowledge,
experience and competence, and who would
directly oversee the affairs of the ministry and
report regularly to the president.
“That position is too critically important to the
economy to be subsumed as one of the many
offices or portfolios of the president and
commander-in-chief. Of course the position of
Minister of State for Petroleum and Mineral
Resources should continue to exist as a junior
minister in the ministry. A separate group
managing director of Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should also be
appointed to directly supervise the affairs of
the NNPC,” he said.
According to Kaigama, all the appointees
must have bold, incorruptible and sound
principles. He added that the cabals in the
oil sector emerged due to corruption in the
corporation.
“It is high time we halt the ugly trend whereby
members of the cabal are paid billions of naira
for ‘fuel imports’ that never reach our shores,”
he stressed.
Meanwhile, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the
president of Nigeria Labour Congress, noted
that Nigeria was the worst case scenario in
the management of oil and gas wealth in the
world.
He said that the main problem in the oil and
gas industry is not lack of law but
adherence to the laws.
Wabba advised Nigerians to oppose anyone
who flout the law. He recalled that two
weeks ago he refused to pay N200 per liter
for the petrol he bought in a station in
Kaduna state because the pump price was
N86 per liter.
A few weeks ago, youths under the auspices
of Northern Youth Council of Nigeria also
demanded the immediate resignation of
Buhari as petroleum minister.
The group advised the president to hire a
competent hand to handle the ministry and
appoint a new managing director for NNPC
to improve effectiveness and productivity in
the ministry and agency.

We Didn't Stomp on a 20-Month-Old Baby - Army

THE 4th Brigade of the Nigerian
Army, Benin-City, Tuesday, dismissed as
false, reports that soldiers attached to the
brigade stomped on a 20-month-old baby at
Eku, Delta State during attempts to arrest
the baby’s father.
The baby, David Atori, was said to have died
on March 6, after he was alleged to have
been stomped upon by a team of security
operatives while attempting to arrest his
father, Mr. Collins Atori for allegedly burning
down an excavator belonging to Presco Oil
Plc.
    The 4th Brigade
Public Relations Officer, Eromosele J.
Unuakhalu stated that investigation into the
matter has since being carried out, adding
that nothing of such happened in the area.
Describing the allegation by the mother of
the baby, Mrs. Maureen Atori, as a cheap
blackmail, the brigade's image commander
said: "To the best of my knowledge, nothing
like that happened.
"From what I have gathered on ground, there
is nothing like soldiers from our brigade
stomping on a 20-month-old baby to death
as was reported."
In a swift reaction while countering the
claims of the army, the member
representing Ethiope East in the Delta State
House of Assembly, Hon. Evance Ivwurie
described the brigade's PRO as "a very
wicked army officer who is not speaking the
truth."
Denying attempts to blackmail the army,
Hon. Ivwurie said: "We have the utmost
respect for the Nigerian Army and Mr.
Unuakhalu should know that nobody is trying
to blackmail the army.
"This is because they (army) are adorned in
the Nigerian uniform with the sole duty to
protect the territorial integrity of the federal
republic of Nigeria."
Meanwhile findings have revealed that the
remains of the late baby David Atori has
since been deposited at the morgue of the
Eku Baptist Government Hospital by police
officers from the Eku police post pending
further investigation by the police.

Herdsmen Terrorism: We Must Rescue Enugu Auditor,Abducted by Fulani Herdsmen

The Enugu State Police Command
has vowed to rescue Stephen Ogbobe, who
hails from Ukpabi, Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani
Local Government Area of Enugu State,
abducted along Nsukka-Adani expressway,
by suspected Fulani herdsmen last
Saturday.
The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of
N5 million for his release.
Palpable tension had engulfed natives and
residents of communities living along the
Nsukka-Adani expressway in the council
area, where dare-devil Fulani herdsmen have
turned the area into a breeding ground even
though the area boasts of a Senator
representing the entire Enugu-North
senatorial district.
The victim, had gone to his home town, in
Ukpabi, in company of six others for a town
hall meeting of the community, only to be
kidnapped by herdsmen on his way back to
Nsukka after the meeting.
Investigations revealed that the herdsmen
around 4pm blocked the busy Nsukka- Adani
road at Ukpabi junction, waiting for
unsuspecting victims to abduct. Reports
showed that the kidnappers flagged down
the car conveying the six men, ordered
them to lie face down, tied three out of the
six, hands and legs for about 45 minutes,
before untying two and then dragged the
victims into the bush.
Our source gathered that the police and local
vigilante group have been patrolling the road
at intervals but the herdsmen defied the
security network along the road to abduct
unsuspecting victims without arrest nor
molestation.
When contacted, Police Public Relations
Officer, PPRO,nEbere Amaraizu,nrevealed
that police has gotten credible intelligence
on the suspects geared towards arresting
them.
"We are on their trail and I can assure you
that very soon, we shall apprehend them."

Breaking!!! People Protest in Delta State,Over Fulani Herdsmen Terrorism

   Due to the increasing terror being unleashed on people by Fulani Herdsmen, some residents in delta state have vowed to protest peacefully and contineously until their government heed to their prayer.
Presently the major highway from Delta to
Anambra has been blocked by peaceful
demonstrators who are vexed by the incessant
maiming and incursion of Fulani herdsmen into
their environment.
According to the protesters, almost on a daily
basis are farmers and other locals killed by
herdsmen and are prevented from going their
normal businesses. Despite the intervention of
members of the Nigerian police force the
protesters have promised not to flinch unless the
Delta state governor visits the scenario and
attends to their plight.

BREAKING!!!: Fear,as Buhari Merge Christian Religious Knowledge With Islamic Studies

       President Muhammadu Buhari through the
Federal Ministry of Education has announced
that in order to reduce the workload of primary
and junior secondary pupils, they will be cutting
down subjects from 20 to a maximum of ten
subjects under the nine-year basic educational
curriculum in order to align with International
standards.
To achieve this, the ministry of Education will be
partnering with the Nigerian Educational
Research and Development Council (NERDC).
However, subjects like Christian Religious
Studies (CRS) and Islamic Religious Studies
(IRS), which are separately taught, will now be
merged under a compulsory subject known as
Religion and National Values (RNV). Other
subjects brought under the RNV include Civic
Education, Social Studies, and Security
Education.
A few Nigerians have reacted to the
announcement 

Boko Haram Ambush: GOC Escapes Death on His Way to Bama

GOC escapes death as Boko Hara ambush him,on his way to Bama Camp.
  The General Officer Commanding
the 7 Division of the Nigerian
Army, Brig. Gen. Victor Ezugwu,
has escaped an assassination
attempt in an ambush by the
members of the Boko Haram at the
Bama axis of Borno.
The Acting Director, Army Public
Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in
a statement on Tuesday that the
Acting GOC was on his way to visit
troops in Bama when he ran into
the Boko Haram members by
8.30am on Tuesday.
Usman said that while the GOC
escaped unhurt, a soldier was killed
and two others were injured in the
attack.
He added that the troops were able
to repel the attack, killing some of
the terrorists and recovering some
items from them.
According to him, the troops
recovered ‘a Toyota Hilux vehicle,
two AK-47 rifles and several
ammunition’ from the insurgents.
He said the Acting GOC had
continued his operational visit to
Bama while the body of the
deceased soldier and the injured
two were evacuated to Maiduguri
for medical attention.
He added that the Chief of Army
Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, had
spoken to the Acting GOC.
He said, “The leading elements of
the Acting General Officer
Commanding, 7 Division, Nigerian
Army, Brigadier General Victor
Ezugwu’s leading convoy was
about 8.30am this ambushed by
suspected Boko Haram terrorists
enroute to visit troops in Bama.
“Although one soldier loss his life
and two others were injured, they
were able to clear the ambush,
killing some of the terrorists and
recovered vehicle and weapons
from them. The recovered items
include a Toyota Hilux vehicle, two
AK-47 rifles and several
ammunition.
“The Acting GOC has continued his
operational visit to Bama, while the
body of the late soldier and the
wounded have been evacuated to
Maiduguri. The Chief of Army Staff,
Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf
Buratai has also spoken with the
GOC.”
Usman restated the determination
of the Army to ensure that the
remnants of the Boko Haram were
cleared from the area.

TERRORISM: 21 Wounded as Bomb Blast Rock a Jerusalem Bus

   
 The rate of terrorism is increasing in all part of the world,and most especially in the Middle East.
A bomb blast ripped through a bus
in Jerusalem on Monday and
sparked a fire, wounding at least 21
people, Israeli police said, in an
apparent escalation in a wave of
violence.
Details were still emerging, but
police said a bomb had exploded on
one bus in a relatively isolated area
of Jerusalem, sparking a fire that
spread to another one as well as a
car.
Israeli domestic security agency
Shin Bet referred to the explosion
as a “terror attack”.
The bombing was expected to lead
to a sharp increase in security
ahead of Jewish Passover
celebrations beginning Friday
night.
If confirmed as a Palestinian
bombing, it would both reverse a
decline in a wave of violence that
erupted in October and mark an
escalation, with most of the attacks
having been stabbings.
“A professional examination of
police sappers has proven that a
bomb exploded on the back part of
the bus, resulting in the wounding
of passengers and the burning of
the bus,” a police statement.
“In addition, another bus and car
were damaged.”
An AFP journalist at the scene said
one bus was completely burnt out
while another was partially burned,
with a large contingent of
firefighters battling to extinguish
the blaze.
Police said 21 people were injured in the Jerusalem bus bomb,
with medics reporting at least two
hurt seriously. Police were
investigating whether any of the
wounded were behind the bombing of the Jerusalem bus.
Authorities initially said most of the
wounded were passengers on the
second bus, though conflicting
information later emerged.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said “we’ll find whoever
prepared this explosive device.”
“We’ll reach the dispatchers and
those behind them. We’ll settle the
score with these terrorists. We’re in
an ongoing struggle against terror,
knife terror, shooting terror,
bombs, rockets and tunnel terror.”
The Palestinian Islamist group
Hamas, which rules the Israeli-
blockaded Gaza Strip, welcomed the
attack as “a natural response to
Zionist crimes”, but there was no
claim of responsibility for the
bombing of the Jerusalem bus.
– Security implications –
The blast struck in an area of the
city without any major buildings or
homes and which is not heavily
used by pedestrians.
The location was on Moshe Baram
Street close to the so-called Green
Line dividing mainly Jewish west
Jerusalem from mainly Palestinian
east Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called
on residents to be vigilant, “but
continue with your plans”.
“It’s part of the deep understanding
that if it’s a terror attack, they want
to deter us from our normal life,
and what we must do… is go back to
normal life as fast as possible,” he
said.
The explosion comes with tensions
high following a wave of violence
that began in October that has
killed 201 Palestinians and 28
Israelis.
Most of the Palestinians killed were
carrying out knife, gun or car-
ramming attacks, according to
Israeli authorities.
The last bomb targeting a bus in
Jerusalem dates back to 2011, when
a British tourist was killed.
In Tel Aviv, a bomb exploded on an
empty bus in 2013 in what Israeli
authorities called a “terrorist”
attack.
Suicide bombings were frequent
during the second Palestinian
intifada between 2000-2005.
Daniel Katzenstein, a first
responder with the United Hatzalah
medical service, said when he
arrived on the scene “we saw a pile
of smoke that was reminiscent of
the bus bombings in the early
2000s.”
“There were many people far too
dangerously close to the bus when it
was burning. Our first task was to
get them to a safe place and to
begin to treat them,” he said.
Speaking before the bomb was
confirmed, police spokesman Micky
Rosenfeld said “if it was a terrorist
attack, the implications are very
great in terms of security on the
ground”.
Attacks have steadily declined in
recent weeks, though there have
been concerns the Passover holiday
could lead to a new surge in
violence.
Many analysts say Palestinian
frustration with Israeli occupation
and settlement building in the West
Bank, the complete lack of progress
in peace efforts and their own
fractured leadership have fed the
recent unrest.
Israel blames incitement by
Palestinian leaders and media as a
main cause of the violence.

Herdsmen Terrorism: About 92 Armed Fulani Herdsmen Were Arrested in Abuja - Army

Illegal possession of arms is prohibited by Nigerian government, but some group of people have vowed to die perpetrating and defying laws.About 92 Fulani Herdsmen were arrested in Abuja,the capital of Nigeria for illegal possession of arms.
         The soldiers of the Guards Brigade
of the Nigeria Army have arrested
92 Fulani herdsmen in Abuja.
The Assistant Director, Army Public
Relations of the Guards Brigade,
Capt. Bashir Jajira, said that 36 of
the suspects were arrested by the
troops at a military checkpoint
between the Federal Capital
Territory and Nasarawa State.
The suspected herdsmen were said
to have told the soldiers that they
were on a mission to recover their
stolen cows.
He said that 56 others who were
also armed were arrested by the
soldiers at a military checkpoint at
Dantata, along the Abuja Airport
Road.
He said that the troops recovered
‘one pump action gun, 19 cartridge
dane guns, 118 cartridge ammo, 28
cutlasses, 3 jack knives, 14 sticks, 7
torch lights, certificate of
occupancy, assorted charms and
hard drugs.’
He said, “A group of 36 herdsmen
in Diana Truck and Toyota Camry
car with registration number Abu
Kuje 994 FX and Niger SUL 541 XA
were intercepted and arrested at
177 Guards Battalion location by
Keffi checkpoint.
“During the interrogation by troops
at the checkpoint, they claimed to
be going to Nasarawa Local
Government in Nasarawa State.”
He said that the arrested herdsmen
would be handed over to the police
for prosecution.
This came just as President
Muhammadu Buhari has ordered
the deployment of military to all
parts of the country currently
witnessing bloody clashes between
herdsmen and farmers.
The Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu, disclosed this.
Shehu said there was no truth in
the claim that Buhari had been
largely silent on the issue of the
clashes.
He recalled that the President had
taken the issue before the National
Council of State with a view to
getting state governors’ inputs to
the solutions.
In the meantime, he said the
government was contemplating
carving out of grazing reserves for
cattle rearers.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 23,000
Internally Displaced Persons in the
Agatu Local Government Area of
Benue State are battling with the
problem of shelter as the rains set
in.
The Chairman, Caretaker
Committee, Agatu Local
Government Area, Mr. Joseph
Ngbede, stated this on Monday
when Governor Samuel Ortom
visited Ugbokpo, Ojantele and
Ataganyi communities of the Apa
Local Government Area, where the
camps of the IDPs are located.
The IDPs are Benue indigenes
displaced during the clashes
involving Fulani herdsmen and
Agatu people.
Ngbede said that only the LGEA
Primary School at Ayila was
standing in the over 20 villages
destroyed in Agatu by herdsmen,
maintaining that some of the
displaced persons insisted on going
to their farms to see what was left
of their crops.
On the feeding of the displaced
persons, the chairman said the
items donated by individuals,
government and non-governmental
organisations as well as emergency
management agencies at the state
and at federal levels were being
distributed to them on a daily basis.
He said those not displaced were
also contributing towards the
upkeep of the IDPs.
He explained that the three villages
of Ocholonya, Abugbe and
Odugbeho that were occupied by
herdsmen had been secured by
soldiers.
 Meanwhile, the state’s deputy
governor, Benson Abounu, has said
that Agatu people have been
rescued by soldiers.