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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Former FBI director James Comey accused Donald Trump’s administration of defaming him after the president abruptly fired him amid tensions over the agency’s Russia probe. “The administration then chose to defame me and more importantly the FBI by saying that the organisation was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader,” Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Those were lies plain and simple.” Comey, who was fired May 9, told the senators that Trump had consistently praised his performance, but he felt the need to document his interactions with the president in detail. “I was honestly concerned he might lie about the nature of our meeting, so I thought it really important to document,” he said. Vía Nigeria News, Headlines and Opinions – The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper http://ift.tt/2r9QkEw

http://ift.tt/2qrk7sl The US embassy in Nigeria, on Friday concluded training for 60 Nigerian anti-bomb policemen in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the one-month training included four sessions of 15 participants who will become Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) mentors. In his remarks, Mr Scoitie Blancett, the Regional Security Officer in the US Embassy, said they were happy to share their expertise with the officers. He expressed optimism that the effects of the training would bring about safety for people in the country. The police officers, drawn from different commands were trained in The training was facilitated by the American Embassy in Nigeria through the Office of Anti-Terrorism Assistant (ATA) in conjunction with the NPF. In his closing remarks, Mr Ibrahim Idris, the Inspector-General of Police (I-G) said the officers would serve as trainers to other officers in their various commands. “The beneficiaries are expected to impart the knowled...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A motorcycle and generator mechanic, Mr Fatai Ganiyu, 35,on Tuesday approached an Ado-Ekiti Customary Court in Ekiti to dissolve his 16-year-old marriage to his wife, Modupe. The petitioner is seeking the dissolution of the marriage blessed with three children on the grounds of adultery, lack of care for him and the children, threat to life and lack of respect for him. Ganniyu cited instances where he caught the respondent in hotels and beer parlours with men. The father of three told the court that he contacted gonorrhoea from the respondent as a result of her wayward lifestyle. He said that whenever the respondent leaves the house, she abandons her children without preparing food for them. He told the court that the respondent does not respect his mother, adding that whenever he queries her for her bad attitude, she threatens him with a knife. He prayed the court to dissolve the marriage saying he longer love his wife. Ganiyu, however, appealed to the cou...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A bill for an Act for the establishment of the Institute of Transport Management and Administration in Nigeria, on Tuesday passed second reading at the House of Representatives. The bill which was sponsored by Rep. Oghene Egoh (Lagos-PDP), sought to improve the transport sector in the country to meet International best practices. Leading the debate earlier, Egoh said the transport sector in the country lacked complete regulation and control. He said transport management has not been accorded any form of recognition as others such as the law, education, engineering and the medical sectors. The lawmaker said when established, it would be dedicated to ensuring the proper management of road, air, water and rail transportation. Egoh said it would be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring advancement of study, training and practice of transport management in the country. The legislator said a structure already exists in the country saying that a legal backing...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A man, Mohammed Luqman, 31, was on Monday brought before the Grade 1 Area Court at Karu in Abuja for allegedly beating up his parents. The Prosecutor, Mr Vincent Osuji, told court that the parents, Musa and Amina Mohammed had reported the accused to the Karu Police Station on May 21 for allegedly assaulting them. He explained that the defendant had after an outing asked his mother for food and got enraged when she told him there was no food. Osuji said that Luqman later locked up his parents’ apartment and beat up his father and mother for not giving him food. He said that the offences were punishable under Sections 265, 254, 152 and 397(b) of the Penal Code. Luqman, however, pleaded not guilty to the offences. The Judge, Mr Hassan Ishaq, granted him bail in the sum of N50, 000. He said that the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and must also deposit his driving licence with the court. Ishaq adjourned hearing on the matter until July ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Lagos State Government says more than N1 billion has been raised to fund the various activities that are lined-up to commemorate the Lagos@50 celebrations. The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde, said this in a statement in Lagos on Friday. He expressed the government’s appreciation to the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and corporate sponsors operating in the state for their generous donations and support for making the golden jubilee anniversary a huge success. According to the commissioner, Lagos state appreciates the sponsors’ gesture as a way of giving back to a state that has provided them with friendship and conducive environment for their businesses to thrive. Ayorinde reiterated government’s determination to continue to collaborate with the OPS and corporate organisations for the social and economic development of the state. “Lagos State is grateful for the kind support that the Lagos@50 celebration has enjoye...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, has asked the Department of State Services, DSS, to tender an unreserved apology to Mr Tareri Avwomakpa whom it arrested in February for calling on Christians to support and accompany the General-Overseer, Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman to its office when the Apostle was invited for interrogation over alleged hate preaching. In a suit, FHC/ASB/CS/14/2017  against the Director-General, Department of State Services and the Delta State Director, DSS, filed by Tareri, a Warri-based legal practitioner and the son of the South-South Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria,CAN,  Justice Adegoke who, while delivering his ruling on the case, held that Archbishop God-do-well Avwomakpa’s son’s arrest was unlawful and unconstitutional. He therefore awarded N250,000 damages against the DSS director-general and the Delta state director of the organisation. The court also ordered the DSS aut...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Federal Government is making efforts to address the challenges confronting the operations of the Nigeria Police Force, acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, has pledged. Osinbajo made the pledge on Thursday in Abuja at a two-day national security summit. The summit was organised by the office of the Inspector-General of Police in conjunction with Leadership group and the Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria. The theme of the summit is: “Forging Partnership for Effective Strategies to Curb the Menace of Kidnapping, Recurring Farmers-Herders Clashes and Criminality in Nigeria.’’ The acting President, who was the special guest of honour, was represented at the occasion by the Minister of Interior, Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau. Osinbajo said: “I want to assure the NPF of my administration’s support in carrying out institutional reforms and restructuring geared towards reviving the police in line with global best practices. “We are keenly aware of the enormity...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J More than 1,000 people have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Nigeria, the Centre for Disease Control said Thursday, but added that the spread of the disease is slowing. The outbreak has mostly affected children in Africa’s most populous country. As of May 9, a total of 13,420 suspected cases had been reported in 23 states with 1,069 deaths, giving a fatality ratio of eight per cent, the CDC said in a statement. The northern states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi, which were the worst affected, have all seen a drop in the number of cases. Two others which were also badly hit — Kebbi and Niger — recorded no deaths, the CDC said. A new strain of meningitis C was first reported in Zamfara last November and spread to 22 other states in northern Nigeria. A mass vaccination programme was started to limit its spread. The CDC said a new batch of vaccines was expected to arrive in the next few days. Meningitis is caused by different types of bacteria, six o...

http://ift.tt/2qW7tCa (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)<br /> The Grammys will move next year from Los Angeles to New York to mark the 60th edition of the music industry’s premier awards, the Recording Academy announced Tuesday. The Grammys will take place on January 28 at the iconic Madison Square Garden after 14 years at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The move follows a concerted campaign by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who estimated that the awards — typically accompanied by days of concerts and parties with the music world’s elite — would bring $200 million to the Big Apple’s economy. “Playing host to the music industry’s marquee awards show is a unique creative, artistic and economic boon to the rich cultural fabric of our city,” de Blasio said in a statement. The Recording Academy, the body of music professionals that administers the awards, announced the news on social media with a short video by New York director Spike Lee. The film goes on...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Borussia Dortmund’s CEO admits his relationship with coach Thomas Tuchel is strained over the decision to play their Champions League quarter-final a day after a bomb attack on their team bus. The squad was left shaken and defender Marc Barta needed a wrist operation after three bomb blasts hit the Dortmund bus on the way to their first leg at home to Monaco on April 11. UEFA, in agreement with the two clubs, postponed the game to the day after and Dortmund lost 3-2, eventually bowing out 6-3 on aggregate. After the defeat Tuchel complained that he had not been involved in the decision “at all” while many players said they had not wanted to play barely 24 hours after the attack. Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Funke Media Group on Saturday that nobody in the Dortmund squad had made it clear that they did not want to play. Asked if there was a clear difference in his and Tuchel’s version of events, Watzke said: “Yes, there is. It was too seri...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J SIMON EBEGBULEM BENIN CITY-GOVERNOR Godwin Obaseki of Edo state Saturday received the report of the screening committee for political appointees, disclosing that Commissioners and other political appointees will emerge before the end of the month. The Professor Dennis Agbonlahor-led screening committee on Political Appointments, had screened Special Advisers (SA) and Senior Special Assistants (SSA) nominated by leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from wards and Local Government Areas of the state. While presenting the report to the governor, Prof.Agbonlahor who disclosed that the committee had three weeks ago submitted the report on the recommendation for the appointment of Commissioners, explained that “We received 11 applications for the positions of Special Advisers, we recommended 6 nominees; two each from the three senatorial districts in the state. Out of the six, two are female; which represents 33% of the nominees. “We used the same criteria...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Lagos State Police Command  on Friday said it had discovered  a new kidnappers’  hideout where arms as well as  police and military life jackets were recovered. The Commissioner of  Police in Lagos, Mr Fatai Owoseni,  who confirmed the discovery to newsmen, said that it was made during raids of creeks at Isawo in  Ikorodu area of Lagos. Owoseni said  that the hideout was discovered on Thursday by a team of  Ikorodu Special Anti-Robbery  Squad (SARS) and Volunteer Police led by Superintendent Godfrey Soriweiu. He noted that the success came two weeks after the discovery of a similar hideout in  Isawo. “In continuation of its onslaught on militants operating from the creeks, Lagos State Police Command early Thursday morning raided and recovered seven army and police bullet-proof vests. “The teams also recovered eight ballistic helmets and nine life jackets from a new kidnapper’s hideout in Lagos. “ Othe...

http://ift.tt/2pOqk4R Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun is to take questions from varied audience for seven hours from late night Friday May 5, 2017 into the early hours of Saturday May 6 2017 as he holds a repackaged public engagement forum, Ogbeni Till Day Break on Friday. The programme which commences by 11pm on Friday holds at the WOCDIF Event Centre, Ring Road Osogbo. The event will afford the people of the state and others outside the state opportunities to interact with the Governor ‘live’ on the activities of the administration. Those who are in attendance will ask the Governor face-to -face questions while others at home across the state can phone in or send their questions through the various social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook Whatsapp and others. It will be recalled that the programme was one of the prominent interactive sessions with which the governor gave stewardship of his administration before the end of his first...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it was committed to ensuring the control of malaria, as it was endemic in the state and affected human development. The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, who made the assertion at the 5th “Doctors Discuss Malaria’’ Progamme, in Lagos, said the state recorded 1, 199, 002 cases in 2016. According to Idris, represented by Dr Rebecca Ayorinde, Assistant Programme Coordinator, Lagos State Malaria Elimination Prevention, the cases of malaria were documented through routine data collection processes. The event, which has the theme, “Maternal Health and Malaria Priority Access for Women’’, was to commemorate the 2017 World Malaria Day 2017. Idris said: “Malaria is endemic in Lagos State. “It poses major challenges to the state as it impedes human development. “It is both a cause and consequence of under-development and remains one of the leading causes of morbidity in the...