Abia state seeks to produce NYSC kits for corps members

In a bid to boost its economy, Abia State on Tuesday, sought the partnership of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to allow it produce camp kits and other materials for corps members during orientation exercises.

Governor of the State, Okezie Ikpeazu, made the request when he paid a visit to the Director General of the NYSC, Brig-General Suleiman Kazaure, at the NYSC headquarters in Abuja.

He said the partnership would boost the economy of the state while empowering the young Nigerians.

Ikpeazu, noted that there is a huge opportunity waiting to be tapped in the state even as he added that over one million pairs of shoe were being exported from Abia state on weekly basis.

The Governor, further pointed out that the scheme is not just a tool for unity and integration, but an economic tool that could turn the fortune of the country around for good if properly harnessed.

He assured that the State will establish a platform where serving corps members would be trained in the production of NYSC kits, and also empower those with good business proposals.

In his response, NYSC DG told the governor that Abia producers are welcome to NYSC bidding/procurement process to avoid going contrary to legal rules.

Kazaure maintained that the scheme is widely respected for its law abiding principle, even as he expressed belief that the governor and the Abians, procurement rules would be strictly followed.

“Once Abia people meet our standard, they will have our support,” he said NYSC was not in doubt about what is happening in Abia state,” he said.

Man bags life imprisonment for raping ‘girlfriend’

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti on Monday sentenced a 35-year-old man, Tope Odeyemi, to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of rape.

Justice Adekanye Ogunmoye convicted him after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting a 27-year-old woman and inflicting grievous bodily harm on her which led to her admission in a hospital.

The prosecution, led by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, told the court that the father of two committed the offence on September 4, 2014 in Iyin Ekiti.

According to him, the offence contravened Section 358 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ekiti State 2012.

The prosecution called five witnesses to prove his case while the defence counsel, Mr. Taiwo Adeloye, called two witnesses.

The state counsel also urged the court to convict Odeyemi based on the evidence laid before the court.

Adeloye urged the court to dismiss all the evidence of the prosecution against his client, describing them as weak.

The trial judge in his judgment pronounced the accused guilty based on his confessional statement and other corroborative evidence.

Court rules on suit to unseat Tambuwal on March 10

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday adjourned ruling in an application seeking to amend an originating summon pleading for the removal of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State from office.

The application filed by Sen. Umaru Dahiru was on accounts that the primary election of the All Progressives Congress that produced Tambuwal for the 2015 governorship election was not validly conducted.

Counsel to Dahiru, Mr Ikoro I. Ikoro, argued and sought to amend the originating summon filed against the APC, Tambuwal and the Independent National Electoral Commission before the April 11, 2015, governorship election.

In the amendment, Dahiru is now praying the court to remove Tambuwal from office and declare him as the winner of the December 2014 APC Primary Election.

He also asked the court for an order compelling INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to the governor present it to him on the grounds that he was the lawfully elected candidate of the APC at the primary election.

The senator also sought an order nullifying the nomination of Tambuwal by APC for the 2015 governorship election and replaced him as the properly nominated APC candidate to INEC for the 2015 governorship election.

However, in his objection to the application, Counsel to APC, Mr Jubrin Okutepa (SAN), asked the court to dismiss the request for the amendment.

He said his objection was on grounds that it is not in compliance with the Supreme Court Judgment of Dec. 9, 2016, which ordered a retrial of the plaintiff’s case.

Okutepa argued that the applicant (Dahiru) had changed the character and direction of his earlier originating summon.

He also said that the applicant sought to amend the originating summon because of his sudden discovery that event had overtaken the initial originating summon.

The counsel added that any attempt to allow the amendment will amount to an affront to the Supreme Court Judgment of December last year.

Okutepa further argued that the applicant was not consistent in the reliefs been sought in the proposed amendment as in the originating summon, the applicant had asked the court to nullify the APC primary election.

He said this was on grounds that it was unlawfully conducted and that the same applicant cannot seek to be declared the winner of the said unlawfully conducted primary election.

The counsel, therefore, urged the court to refuse the amendment and allow the hearing in the initial originating summon as directed by the Supreme Court.

Counsel to Tambuwal Sunday Ameh (SAN) aligned himself with the submission of the APC and urged the court to hold that the amendment been sought by the governorship aspirant is unmeritorious.

The counsel insisted that it is too late in the day for the applicant to seek the relief after the governorship election had been conducted, adding that the proper place for the applicant to ventilate his anger is the election petition tribunal.

Ameh also submitted that the applicant cannot even go to any election petition tribunal because the 21 days required by law under which a petition can be filed to challenge the election of any declared winner had lapsed since 2015.

He also prayed the court to refuse the temptation of turning itself to an election petition tribunal as there is no law for such an action.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole after taken arguments from both parties fixed March 10 to give ruling on whether to allow or refuse the proposed amendment sought by the former governorship aspirant.

Igbo will never be President of Nigeria – MASSOB

The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, on Tuesdaydeclared that an Igbo man would never become Nigeria’s President.

In a statement signed by MASSOB leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, entitled ‘We insist on Biafra through non-violence, not Igbo presidency’, the secessionist group berated Igbo leaders, describing them as ‘political slaves’ who have no chance of ruling the country.

Leading Igbo politicians are nursing strong hopes that the presidency would be zoned to the South-East in 2023, and a former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, recently suggested that that the Igbos should run for the office in 2019.

But MASSOB described expectations that an Igbo man would become the country’s President in 2019 or 2023 as mere wishful thinking.

“The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra has declared that an Igbo man may not be President of Nigeria again because Igbo leaders are political slaves in Nigeria.

“Even 2019 and 2023 will come and go, an Igbo man will not be President of Nigeria.

“We insist on Biafra actualization and restoration through non violence, not Igbo presidency,” the group said in the statement, which was made available to journalists in Enugu.

I’m an animal, a lion – Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said he “feels like a lion” after inspiring Manchester United to their EFL Cup final triumph over Southampton on Sunday, Soccernet reports.

Ibrahimovic, 35, scored twice, with the decisive goal coming three minutes from time, as Jose Mourinho’s men lifted the trophy at Wembley.

The Swede, United’s leading scorer with 26 goals this season, has made more appearances than any other member of Jose Mourinho’s squad, having played in 38 games so far.

And with United pursuing further silverware in the FA Cup and Europa League, as well as chasing a top-four Premier League finish, Ibrahimovic said,  “I feel fresh. I feel good. I feel like an animal.

“I’m an animal. I feel like a lion. The lion is born a lion.

“I feel in good shape. I train hard. People who know me from the locker room know that I train very hard.

“I have an objective every season I go into and to reach that objective I need to train hard and I need to suffer when I train. That is how I achieve what I achieve.

“I’m from the old school where they work hard and get what they get from doing the hard work — not like the new school, where it is easy to get what you want.”

Despite speculation that he could consider a move to China or United States once his career in Europe is over, Ibrahimovic said, “I will stop on top.

“I will not play one game by being Ibrahimovic and for what I did before. If I don’t perform, if I don’t bring results, I will not play.

“I will not be like other players, playing because they make a great career and name and they are still playing because they are who they are.

“I will play as long as I can bring results.”

Policemen flee as gunmen kill Delta bank customer

An unidentified man was on Monday shot dead by armed robbers in front of a commercial bank after making a withdrawal of an undisclosed amount in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

It was learnt that the victim, who had gone to the bank located on Nnembisi Road, near Ibusa junction, was waylaid as he was moving towards his car.

Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the hoodlums were about five.

They said armed mobile policemen attached to the bank took to their heels during the robbery, as the gunmen shot into the air before shooting the man.

It was learnt that the men later escaped with a bag containing the money.

Sources said the incident occurred at about 8.30am and created panic in the state capital as residents and traders around the bank scampered to safety.

Our correspondent gathered that the victim was trailed to the bank by the robbery gang in a blue Volkswagen Golf and had been monitoring the movement of the deceased.

An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Emeka, told PUNCH Metro that the victim was left in a pool of blood.

He said the gunmen left the scene unchallenged by the security operatives attached to the bank.

He added that after the robbers left, sympathisers, including some bank workers, came out of hiding and rushed him to the Federal Medical Centre in Asaba, where he was pronounced dead.

He said, “The gunmen have been moving around before they stuck, but nobody suspected they were robbers.  Three of them sat at a shop dressed in black, while two others sat inside a Volkswagen Golf. Immediately the man came out of the banking hall, they went to block him and we heard them arguing until they shot into the air.

“The deceased was carrying the money in a black bag. They struggled with him for some minutes before he was shot. He was later rushed to a hospital after the hoodlums left.”

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Command, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the incident.

He stated that one person was killed in the robbery.

Barca’s reliance on Messi is normal – Enrique

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique insists his side’s reliance on Lionel Messi is perfectly normal when you have “the best player in the world” on your side.

Messi has kept Barca’s La Liga title challenge alive with late winners in 2-1 wins over Leganes and Atletico Madrid in their last two outings to take his tally for the season to 35 goals in as many games.

However, Barca have still to tie down Messi’s long-term future at the Camp Nou. The five-time World Player of the Year has just over a year to run on his contract with talks over a new deal ongoing.

“It would be naive to think we wouldn’t depend on the best player in the world,” said Enrique on Tuesday.

“Hopefully we can depend on him for many years to come.”

Victory at Atletico eased somewhat the mounting pressure on Enrique after a 4-0 thrashing at Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago left the Catalans on the verge of bowing out at the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in 10 years.

In particular, his tactical shift from Barca’s traditional possession based game to a more direct style designed to get the best out of a superstar front three of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar has been criticised.

However, Enrique insisted ahead of Sporting Gijon’s visit to the Camp Nou on Wednesday, that possession is only a means to an end.

“The key to having possession is not just to have it for the sake of it, but to have possession as a means of reaching a goal, and the goal is winning games,” he added.

“If the opponent sits back and allows long passages of play in possession they don’t leave you spaces to find gaps.

“If they decide to press high and leave space then it doesn’t make sense too not take advantage of that and in two touches overcome the press to score a goal.”

Enrique hopes to have Javier Mascherano and Arda Turan back from injury for the visit of struggling Sporting, who sit two points off safety in 18th.

And with tougher tests against Celta Vigo and the return leg with PSG to come in the next week, Enrique is expected to make sweeping changes from the side that started against Atletico with the likes of Jordi Alba, Ivan Rakitic and Andre Gomes also set to return.