metro
FEC approves N28bn to augment FCT road projects
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N28.1 billion for the augmentation of road and infrastructural projects in the Wasa District of the federal capital territory (FCT).
The council gave the approval on Wednesday in a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, said the augmentation was a ripple effect of inflation, which had overtaken the initial approval of N56 billion for the Wasa district projects.
“The initial contract for that project was awarded in 2014 at the sum of N56 billion but as time went by and due to inflation and some other factors, we had to vary the contract and the price to reflect current realities and that is the reason why the augmentation request was presented to council and council approved,” he said.
Bello said the total project sum was N85 billion with a completion period of 42 months.
The council also ordered the buyers of two seized properties in Lagos to pay the government the cost of the prevailing price in 2001 when they were purchased.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said N18 million and N20 million were to be paid for the Lagos-based properties earlier purchased for N5 million and N2 million, respectively.
He said the government was short-paid in the transaction.
“They were properties sold as a result of prosecution for narcotics by NDLEA. So, they were proceeds of drug crimes, but the valuation process followed the NDLEA Act instead of the Financial Regulations Act. So essentially, those policy proposals were approved by the government,” he said.
“The addresses of the properties, the first one is a four-bedroom bungalow with two room boys’ quarters at Adeniyi Jones in Ikeja Lagos, and the other one was a five-bedroom duplex with two room boys’ quarters at Amadasun street, GRA Ikoyi, so they were sold for N5m and N2m respectively in 2001.
“At that time, the valuation we got was that if they were properly valued, they should have been sold for N18m and N20m respectively.”
He noted that the NDLEA Act of the time gave precedence to the directives from the ministry of justice and regulations were made according to powers under the act.
He said, “But they did not take cognisance of the procurement law and the financial regulations of the time.
“So, we are now saying, going forward, the financial regulations must take precedence. So, those are all proposals that will come as a new law when the Ministry of Finance finishes with them so that you cannot have different regulations for the disposal of assets that have been forfeited to the government. They must be subject to one superior procedure.”
The minister also said the council approved a policy recommendation to extend the usage life of government assets such as plants, equipment, land, property and machinery.
“The purpose of the policy memorandum was to seek better enforcement of the financial regulations of the government, especially the revised 2009 regulations with regards to valuation process for plants, equipment, land, property and machinery, and also how they are disposed of when they reach the end of life,” Fashola said.
“This policy is premised on Executive Order 11 that enthrones maintenance as a conscious government policy. And we think that because of that, government assets should last longer than the life cycle usually prescribed in the existing financial regulations, such as four years and nine years for other classes of machinery.
“The other context behind the policy was also to help the government manage expenditure in the face of revenue challenges on certain items of governance. For example, if you slow down the depreciation policy on vehicles, your replacement rate slows down as well.”
He added that with the new approval, the depreciation threshold for vehicles would change from four to six years.
metro
Missing Delta varsity female student found dead, two suspects arrested
Missing Delta varsity female student found dead, two suspects arrested
Two suspects are in the custody of the Edo State Police Command in connection with the disappearance and death of a 200-level undergraduate of Delta State University of Science and Technology, Agbor, Miss Faith Omodon.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the inhabitants of Iru Egbede community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State had, on March 30, reported the sudden disappearance of their daughter who was studying Business Administration at DELSU.
The father of the missing girl, Edward Omodon, had told our correspondent that his daughter was last seen on March 30, after she left home for the farm on a motorcycle. He said the incident occurred when the community was holding their national conference.
“We usually have the Iru National Conference at this time of the year. We were seated inside the community hall when we heard loud wailing outside that my daughter was missing. She had left for the farm earlier that morning with a motorcycle, taking her breakfast in a flask with her,” he said.
However, our correspondent gathered on Sunday that the community’s vigilante group arrested and handed over two suspects in connection with the disappearance.
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Speaking with PUNCH Metro on the incident, on Sunday, the National Youth Chairman of Iru- Egbede, Donald Isioma, disclosed that the suspects were arrested on Saturday afternoon.
He said the two were arrested when the phone of the deceased was tracked and traced to the suspects.
Isioma added, “The police have recovered the phone from the suspects and the motorbike Omodon rode to the farm on the day she went missing.
“One of the suspects who is a member of the community has confessed that they had killed the girl while being interrogated at the Okpaihe Police Station before the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Benin.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said information concerning the arrest had yet to reach him but promised to get back as soon as he contacted men of the SCID. He had yet to do that as of the time of filing this report on Sunday evening.
Missing Delta varsity female student found dead, two suspects arrested
metro
NAF airstrikes kill scores of terrorists in Borno, Niger enclaves
NAF airstrikes kill scores of terrorists in Borno, Niger enclaves
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Sunday said the air components of Operations Hadin Kai and Whirl Punch in the North East and North Central killed many terrorists in airstrikes in Borno and Niger.
The Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Edward Gabkwet, disclosed this in a statement.
Gabkwet said the air components had continued to obliterate terrorists and destroy their structures, equipment and mobility, thereby limiting their ability to attack ground troops and innocent Nigerians at will.
He said that in the North East, the air interdiction was on May 3 authorized and conducted over Chinene, a location tucked inside the Mandara Mountain.
He said terrorists had been observed to be emanating from various locations and assembling ostensibly for a meeting.
According to him, seven gun trucks were also observed parked under trees within the same location.
Gabkwet said the aircraft bombarded the assembly area and tree coverings and destroyed their weapons and mobility.
He said that the Battle Damage Assessment revealed that the strikes were successful as several terrorists were neutralised and logistics destroyed.
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He said similar airstrikes were conducted same day by the air component of Operation Whirl Punch in a pre-emptive air strikes over terrorists hibernating at Allawa village, near Shiroro town in Niger.
The NAF spokesman said the mission was conducted following credible intelligence which revealed the migration of terrorists into the village after the mass exit of locals for fear of their safety.
He said the terrorists had, on May 1, stormed the deserted Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area and torched the Central Primary School.
“In the evening of the same day, another group of terrorists also arrived at the location, wielding AK-47/49 rifles after invading Galapai village in Galadima Kogo District of Shiroro.
“Accordingly, to prevent further occupation as well as pursue the terrorists from the location, the air component scrambled a formation of its platforms to attack the location.
“On arrival at the location, several terrorists were sighted and engaged effectively.
“Furthermore, following credible intelligence as well as detailed aerial observation, which confirmed the presence of their cache of arms hidden inside Allawa Forest, the air component further carried out air strikes at the location,” he said.
Gabkwet also said that the NAF carried out air strikes North of Arugbana and Temakiri in the Niger Delta, where illegal refining sites were observed and destroyed.
He said through this action, the capabilities of oil thieves to continually sabotage and destroy oil pipelines were minimised.
NAF airstrikes kill scores of terrorists in Borno, Niger enclaves
(NAN)
metro
Why five Ondo kidnappers slept off after abducting pastor’s wife – Police
Why five Ondo kidnappers slept off after abducting pastor’s wife – Police
Akure —Police detectives have arrested five suspected kidnappers, who slept off after abducting a pastor’s wife and two other persons.
The suspects reportedly slept off after taking hard drugs. Vanguard gathered that the three victims escaped after their abductors slept off.
The suspects include Garuba Mumuni, 27; Yusuf Tale, 21; Kabiru Muhammed, 16, Shaibu Umar and Adamu Mohammed, 22.
Police source said the suspects were arrested by men of the Ofosu Division after the victims identified one of them.
According to the police, “A case of kidnapping was reported at Ofosu Division, that a pastor’s wife and a member were kidnapped in the church while the third victim was kidnapped while picking snails on the farm.
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“The victims, however, escaped from their assailants at different dates after they had taken hard drugs and slept off.
“Through intelligence, on May 1, 2024, five among the six kidnappers were arrested by men of Ofosu division and have been identified by the victims as part of the gang that abducted them.
The state Police Commissioner, Abayomi Oladipo, said the suspects would soon be charged to court.
Oladipo added that one Adetokunbo Adesina, who claimed to have been hired to kill over 500 persons, was also arrested after his last victim paid him N110,000.
Why five Ondo kidnappers slept off after abducting pastor’s wife – Police
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