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Insecurity: Zamfara gov meets Niger president, promises five patrol vehicles
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State says the state government will donate five brand new Toyota Hilux vehicles to the Government of Niger Republic to provide special border patrol at Maradi and other areas sharing border with Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states.
He also said the recently installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the state capital were yielding positive results as part of measures to expose those involved in criminal activities.
The governor stated these during a meeting with the President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, over the spate of banditry in the North and Niger.
The two leaders met at the Presidential Palace in Niamey, the Republic of Niger, according to a statement from Jamilu Iliyasu Birnin Magaji, the Press Secretary to the Governor of Zamfara State.
The meeting was on the issue of insecurity especially in North West Nigeria and Niger Republic and explore more areas of support and cooperation between Niger Republic and Zamfara State in particular.
The governor said the five vehicles would be handed over to the governor of Maradi in a ceremony to hold later with the approval of the President Bazoum.
He thanked President Bazoum for the opportunity given to him and Zamfara State Government to discuss issues of security, especially kidnapping, cattle rustling and banditry in the Maradi region and parts of Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states.
He said, “Apart from peace initiatives and reconciliation process he initiated, this administration has provided intelligence to security agents on how best to trace informants who provide information to the armed bandits and their collaborators.
“My administration has placed CCTV cameras that will monitor all the activities and movements of people in the state capital, aimed at tracking and tracing criminal hideout and their nefarious activities.”
He called for a regular meeting on security with the Nigerien Minister of Defence, the governor of Maradi and governor of Zamfara State as well as those of Katsina and Sokoto states to end to the security challenges facing the two countries.
President Bazoum thanked Governor Matawalle for the visit and all efforts taken to end the problems of insecurity.
He said the Government of Niger Republic was ever ready to support the Government of Zamfara State in the fight against insecurity.
He also requested governors of Nigeria to implement total ban on importation of motorcycles into Nigeria.
The president noted that the problem of banditry across Niger Republic is coming from Madawa and Bayan Dutsi and escalated to Nigeria through the Region of Maradi, but hoped that with the meeting and support provided to the Nigerien Government by Governor Matawalle, the issue would be fully addressed.
The meeting was attended by the Ministers of Defence and Internal Affairs of Niger Republic, the Chief of Staff to President Mohamed Bazoum, and all the service chiefs of the Republic of Niger and the country’s Inspector General of Police.
Governor Matawalle was accompanied by Senator Sahabi Yau Kaura, representing Zamfara North Senatorial District, Hon member Representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Suleiman Abubakar Mahmoud Gummi, Principal Private Secretary to the Governor, Lawal Umar Maradun and some principal officers to the Governor.
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Labour shuts NSITF head office over staff salary cut
Labour shuts NSITF head office over staff salary cut
Members of the organised labour, on Friday, protested and shut down the headquarters of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) over alleged cut of workers’ salaries in the agency by the management of the fund.
The aggrieved protesters, led by the President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo and executive members of the Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFE), started their demonstrations at about 11:00am.
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Armed with placards with various inscriptions, the protesters alleged that the management led by Mrs Maureen Allagoa, the Managing Director of the Fund, had made deductions of consequential taxes from their salaries to the tune of N2.1bn which were not remitted.
Addressing the protesters, Osifo said the protest and subsequent shutdown of the Fund became imperative after efforts made by the leadership of ASSBIFE to resolve the issue amicably with the management failed.
The protesters urged President Bola Tinubu to sack the MD of the agency with immediate effect to avert “looming crises” in the Fund and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe their claims.
Both the MD of the Fund, Mrs Allagoa and spokesman of the Fund, Mr Godson Nwachukwu could not be reached for comments at the time of filing this report.
Labour shuts NSITF head office over staff salary cut
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How ex-Head of Service Oyo-Ita diverted N3bn public funds to private firms
How ex-Head of Service Oyo-Ita diverted N3bn public funds to private firms
Hamma Bello, the eighth prosecution witness in the trial of Winifred Oyo-Ita, a former Head of Service of the Federation, has narrated how N3 billion was diverted to private companies.
The witness stated this while testifying before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday about how the defendant and her subordinates diverted public funds into their private companies.
Oyo-Ita, the first defendant, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, along with her special assistants; Ugbong Effiok (seventh defendant) and Garba Umar (fourth defendant).
Others are six companies: Frontline Ace Global Services Limited, Asanaya Projects Limited, Slopes International Limited, U and U Global Services Ltd, Prince Mega Logistics Ltd, and Good Deal Investments, on 18 counts bordering on misappropriation, official corruption, money laundering, and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of over N3 billion.
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The witness, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Faruk Abdullahi, and H.M. Mohammed, told the court that Oyo-Ita used Slopes International Limited and Good Deal Investments Limited – fifth and sixth defendants respectively, to fraudulently award government contracts to herself through the fourth defendant, Umar.
The first entry transaction of Good Deal Investment Limited. in February 2019 showed that N42,748,201.47 was paid into its Zenith Bank account.
Umar, the witness said, incorporated the company with Oyo-Ita’s full knowledge.
“We called for the account statements of these two companies, and upon analysing them, we realised he (Umar) was paid several sums of money from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, where he is an employee.
“And upon interviewing the fourth defendant, he admitted that he was also a contractor. He also admitted to have paid the first defendant on several occasions from the proceeds of the transaction,” the witness said.
On April 27, 2019, the witness disclosed that a transfer of N20, 2027, 142 was made in the name of Ibrahim Madu to the Zenith Bank account of Asanaya Projects Limited.
The mandate card of the account bears the signature and photo of the seventh defendant, Effiok.
Investigation, according to the witness, also revealed that the seventh defendant incorporated Asanaya Projects Limited in his name with the knowledge of the first defendant and that approvals were granted and payments made to the seventh defendant either through his personal account or to the account of the company.
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The witness said, “The seventh defendant, upon interview, confirmed he had never travelled for most of the funds he received and that the first defendant was aware of and benefitted on several occasions from the funds. The account of U and U Global Services Limited was also opened by the seventh defendant.
“In summary, from 2015 to 2018, U and U Global Limited received several payments in the form of Duty Tour Allowances and estacodes. Sometimes, payments from the federal government were made directly to the account, for instance, on March 24, 2016, he received N40, 313, 453. 58. This particular payment was from the federal government.”
Further in his testimony, the witness stated that, “Exhibit O is the Fidelity Bank account of Prince Mega Logistics Ltd. On March 27, 2018, and April 6, 2018, there were four entries, N4, 950 000; N3,946,000, N4,676,000 and N1,478,000, from Thomson Titus Okure, who used to be a colleague of the seventh defendant in the Account Department.
“There were also outward payments to Ignom, Minaro Blessing, Winifred Oyo-Ita, Olarenwaju Godman Olushola and the seventh defendant is the sole signatory of this account.”
Speaking further, he said, “I also want to add that we invited the first, second and seventh defendant at different times to our office and interviewed them. In the case of the first defendant, we printed chats from her phone and saw conversations she had with contractors, subordinates, and permanent secretaries. She also voluntarily made a statement to the EFCC.”
The matter was adjourned till April 30, 2024.
(SAHARAREPORTERS)
How ex-Head of Service Oyo-Ita diverted N3bn public funds to private firms
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Why we made emergency landing at Lagos airport – Air Peace
A statement by Stanley Olisa, the airline’s Corporate Communications Lead, explained that some minutes before landing, the Captain noticed a fire warning indicator in the cockpit.
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