The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), on Wednesday, distributed relief materials to victims of flood in Yangoji community, Kwali Area Council, Abuja.

The items distributed included food and nonfood items, such as rice, maize, spaghetti, macaroni and cooking oil.Others are mattresses, mosquito nets, plastic buckets, soap, cups, cooking stuff, pots, wrappers and building materials – cement, zink, nails and ceilings.

The agency’s director-general, Abass Idriss, said during the event at the palace of the village head that the gesture was to cushion the effects of the flood on the victims.

Mr Idriss said the flood, which occurred in the early hours of July 4, destroyed 70 houses, washed away several farmlands and properties and affected more than 180 people.

He advised community residents, particularly those living on flood plains, to relocate to higher ground to avoid reoccurrence.

Olusade Adesola, the permanent secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said while handing over the items to some of the victims that the gesture was to help the victims to recover from the shocks.

Mr Adesola added that the support would assist the victims to rebuild their lives while finding a lasting solution to the recurring flood in the area.

He expressed President Bola Tinubu’s sympathy, adding that the relief materials were his way of saying, “I feel your pain and agony”.

He commended the chairman of Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya, for the support and urged him to establish a Local Emergency Management Committee in the area.Earlier, Mr Chiya thanked the FCTA and FEMA for the support, which he described as “very timely”, to ease the pains of the victims.

Also, the Village Head of the community, Dantani Chindawa, said that apart from the flood, the community was equally faced with security challenges.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has embarked on an indefinite strike.

NARD’s national president Innocent Orji disclosed this via a WhatsApp message late Tuesday.

According to him, the major demands of the resident doctors are immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement and payment of skipping arrears.

Others are an upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS and payment of arrears of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to omitted doctors.

The resident doctors are also demanding the reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

In a communique on July 5 after its virtual Extraordinary National Executive Council Meeting (E-NEC), the resident doctors issued a fresh notice to the federal government to meet its demands within two weeks or risk industrial disharmony in the health sector.

The communique was signed jointly by NARD’s president, secretary general, Chikezie Kelechi and the publicity and social secretary, Umar Musa.

The resident doctors embarked on a five-day warning strike on May 17, urging the government to address its concerns before May 29 to avoid industrial disharmony.

The industrial action was embarked upon after the two-week ultimatum issued on April 29 expired on May 13.

The resident doctors suspended the strike on May 21.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, had on Monday urged the resident doctors to suspend the impending strike during a meeting between the leadership of the House and NARD in Abuja.

A traditional ruler in Ogun, Abraham Bankole, was crushed to death by a truck on Tuesday.

Mr Bankole was the Olu of Onibuku in Ado-Odo-Ota LGA.

The truck, with registration number EPE 252 XF, hit the traditional ruler while he was alighting from a tricycle, popularly known as Keke Napep, along the Ota-Idiroko Expressway, close to Winners Chapel.

He was said to have died on the spot.Adekunle Ajibade, the Sango-Ota area commander of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), confirmed the incident in a telephone interview.

Mr Ajibade blamed the incident on “dangerous and reckless driving” by the truck driver.

He explained that the corpse of the late traditional ruler had been deposited at the state hospital, Ota.

The TRACE commander, who described the accident as avoidable, cautioned motorists against reckless driving.

Sidie Mohammed Tunis, speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament, says the inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable groups in governance is key to mitigating the crisis in the sub-region.

Mr Tunis said this on Tuesday at the opening of the delocalized meeting of the Joint Committees of the ECOWAS Parliament on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and the African Peer Review Mechanism, Judicial Affairs and Human Rights, Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment in Monrovia, Liberia.

According to him, inequality has been identified as one of the major factors leading to military coups and insecurity in West Africa.

He, however, noted that supporting the participation of people from vulnerable and marginalised groups in the decision-making and democratic processes of societies is key to continued peace, security and sustainable development.

Mr Tunis acknowledged that every meeting of the parliament is an opportunity to analyze and make proposals to understand better and control political, economic, and social developments in West Africa.

“As we all know, inequality has been one of the bases or causes of subversive acts in our region. The marginalisation of vulnerable groups from important decision-making processes, particularly ethnic or religious minorities, women and young people, provides fertile ground for conflict of violent extremism,” stated the ECOWAS speaker.

He added,

“We must convince ourselves that supporting the participation of people from vulnerable and marginalised groups in the decision-making and democratic processes of our societies is imperative for peace, security and sustainable development.”

Mr Tunis noted that political inclusivity “has the advantage of enabling all points of view to be expressed and taken into consideration and of enhancing the representation of every segment of the population, including women and young people.”

The Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has earned N502 billion in revenue from January to date.

The Customs area controller of the command (CAC), Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr Mohammed added that the service made 16 seizures worth N1.4 billion.He described the revenue collection and seizures as fallouts of increased compliance.

Mr Mohammed urged officers to redouble their efforts in revenue collection, trade facilitation, and strict enforcement of anti-smuggling activities.

“The command made a collection of N9.2 billion on July 20. This feat is the highest daily collection it has ever achieved in its existence since the port was established,” he said.

He said that on anti-smuggling, the seizures made within the period comprised prohibited drugs, used tyres, rice, vegetable oil, and other items.

“It is noteworthy that the command made a seizure of two pistols inside one groupage cargo. One suspect was arrested, and the matter is undergoing investigation,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said the command had achieved an increased level of compliance by importers, exporters, and their agents through deliberate system profiling and manifest tracking.

“Under the CAC’s direct supervision, dedicated officers of the command are using the system profiling yardstick to gauge the integrity levels of importers and consignees.

“This has helped in treating traders in line with their previous transaction records, which is reassuring that compliance pays through time-saving and cost efficiency,” he said.

He urged all port users to be compliant and advised that compliant traders are shielded from the risk of getting their consignments seized, imposition of penalties after Demand Notices (DN), and possible arrests for prosecution, as the case may require.

According to him, non-compliant traders spend more time and money paying for terminal space due to demurrage and higher costs due to DNs and penalties.

Mr Mohammed noted that he had raised the level of electronic manifest tracking to accelerate trade facilitation by leveraging available technology.

He described this feat as a masterstroke in the journey towards trade facilitation and ease of doing business.

Mr Mohammed charged officers at a recent monthly meeting of terminal/unit heads to sustain and improve upon the level of discipline the command had been noted for under his watch.

He characterised discipline as the foundation of good work etiquette, such as punctuality, diligent application of the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023, and other noble virtues that align with the law.

He stressed that Nigeria had high expectations of the NCS and that the service was looking up to Apapa Command for its highest collection.

Mr Mohammed urged officers/men of the command to use their knowledge of the job and the rules guiding the service to facilitate legitimate trade.

“As we facilitate trade for compliant traders, let’s be wary of the possibility of releasing uncustomed goods in error or in the guise of facilitating trade.

“I hereby charge you to do better in the second half of 2023, as the glory for the successes recorded in the first half belongs to all of us,” he said.

Some discontented youths recently engaged in an act of protest by setting fire to a banner of Nigerian artiste, Davido.

The incident stemmed from the artist’s failure to issue an apology for a controversial video he had shared on Twitter.

In the video circulated on Tuesday, the agitated group was seen igniting Davido’s banner while a commentator vehemently cursed the singer for allegedly ridiculing Islam.

The individual expressed their strong disapproval by saying in Hausa, “Davido, may God curse your blessings. Davido, we hold prayer in the highest regard. The way you mocked prayer, may Allah also mock you.”

In response to the growing uproar, $ULTAN (@Sarki_sultan) posted on Tuesday, suggesting that an apology from Davido would be a significant step in resolving the current situation. “Davido should apologize [let’s] end this. It takes nothing to say ‘I am sorry,’” the tweet read.

Davido’s tweet triggered widespread reactions online. Prominent figures who criticised the Afrobeats singer included former media aide to Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, and Kannywood actor, Ali Nuhu.Bashir Ahmad reproached Davido for treating Islam with disrespect, stating,

“I assume you all know that we Muslims don’t mix our religion with jokes in any way, especially Salah (prayer), which is sacred and one of the five pillars of Islam. In Salah, Muslims remember our Lord, Allah, express our love and respect for Him, and invoke and strive to express our gratitude towards Him.”

After facing pressure, Davido eventually deleted the video titled “Jaye Lo” by his signee, Logos Olori, and received praise from Bashir Ahmad, Ali Nuhu, and others.

Despite the deletion of the video, angry Muslim faithful have called for a complete ban on Davido’s music in all 19 northern states of the country.

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) also weighed in, urging the State Security Service (SSS) to invite the singer for questioning regarding the video, which they described as “capable of igniting anarchy in Nigeria.”

In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, Ishaq Akintola, the spokesperson for MURIC, emphasised the seriousness of the matter and the need for accountability.

The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Nonye Soludo, has urged Nigerians to embrace walking and cycling to reduce vehicular air pollution and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Mrs Soludo made the call during a media chat on Tuesday in Awka to promote her project – Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo Campaign.

She said that Nigeria needed to do more in the area of vehicular pollution, which was one of the primary causes of air pollution driving climate change in society.

“The emissions from our vehicles are polluting the air and environment, and this is hazardous to human health.

“We need to introduce and embrace cycling to reduce carbon emissions and exposure. It is a clean mode of transport and a fitness choice with health benefits.

“Sometimes we need to park our cars and walk more, especially if we are not going a long distance,” she said.

She said that the healthy living campaign was aimed at promoting good nutrition, environmental cleanliness, basic life skills, and sound morals in society.

Mrs Soludo said she had started taking the campaign to primary and secondary schools to help children imbibe the culture of healthy living.

“I started championing Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo 10 years ago. I give talks on healthy lifestyles and good diets with our local foods.

“I want to bring the message home to our people because we need to be healthy to achieve a liveable and prosperous homeland.

“I have started forming Healthy Living Clubs in our schools to inculcate the culture of healthy lifestyles and catch them young so that they can grow into responsible adults.

“Our children need to get addicted to eating healthy, doing physical exercises, and practicing environmental hygiene to stay healthy, rather than getting addicted to their phones and social media,” she said.

She urged Nigerians to cut down on processed foods and embrace backyard farming to harvest and eat natural foods.

“Our local foods are readily available and cheap. They are also energy-giving, healing, and medicinal to our body systems, organs, and general health.

“We need to say no to processed foods, make conscious efforts to eat well with more grams of fiber, and do 30 minutes of exercise daily.

“We are partnering with religious and community leaders to drive this message home within Anambra and beyond,” Mrs Soludo said.

A High Court in Lagos State on Tuesday fixed Friday for ruling in a bail application filed by the “Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate”, Frederick Nwajagu.

Mr Nwajagu had, on Tuesday, prayed the court to admit him to bail on liberal terms.

Justice Yetunde Adesanya, after listening to arguments from both counsels, adjourned the case until Friday for a ruling on the bail application.

Mr Nwajagu was arraigned on May 9 on a nine-count charge, including an attempt to commit acts of terrorism, financing terrorism, participating in terrorism, and meeting to support a proscribed entity.

The prosecution counsel, Jonathan Ogunsakin, the Lagos state counsel, informed the court that the case was for argument on a bail application.

However, counsel to the defendant, E. C. Obiagu, SAN, told the court that the defendant’s bail application was based on two relieves.

According to him, the defendant is seeking an order from the court admitting him to bail and an order restraining the respondent from re-arresting him if granted bail.

Mr Obiagu said that the bail application was supported by a seven-paragraph affidavit attached to the defendant’s medical report and a written address.

He said he relied on all the paragraphs of the affidavit and a written address, and he had responded to the counter-affidavit filed by the prosecution by filing a further and better affidavit.

Mr Obiagu said that he has also responded on points of law to the counter-affidavit.

He said, “Your Lordship has the discretion to grant bail on liberal terms or on self-recognizance. The defendant is not a flight risk. He does not even have an international passport.

“The defendant submitted himself to the SSS when invited. He is a widower with six children; therefore, he cannot abandon his children.”

The senior advocate also said that the defendant was granted bail at the lower court but was not able to perfect it due to its stringent conditions.

He, therefore, urged the court to grant bail to the defendant.

Responding, the prosecution counsel, Mr Ogunsakin, however, urged the court to refuse the defendant’s bail and instead order an accelerated hearing.

He said that the circumstances under which the defendant was granted bail at the lower court were different from the information filed against him at the high court.

“The charges brought against the defendant by the Police are materially different from the charges brought against the defendant by the Attorney-General,” Mr Ogunsakin said.

The Lagos State Government had, in a suit marked LD/21505C/2023, alleged that the defendant had contravened the provisions of Section 403(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The state stated that the offences also contravened Sections 12(a)(c), 18, 21, and 29 of the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Martha Paul, a 60-year-old resident of the Tudun Wada community in Jos North LGA of Plateau, has decried the rising intake of dry gin, popularly known as ‘goskolo’.

Ms Paul disclosed on Tuesday in Jos that ‘goskolo’ had claimed the life of her only son.“I lost my son to goskolo. He was hooked on it, and it killed him,” she said.

‘Goskolo’, also known as ‘ogogoro, dry gin or ‘kai kai’, is far stronger than the average alcohol.

Ms Paul said her 25-year-old son, who died in 2022, was a 300-level student at the University of Jos. She explained that he developed complications that later affected his internal organs due to high consumption of the illicit drink.”

As we speak, my heart is heavy because last year I lost my son and only child due to high consumption of ‘goskolo” and other illicit substances. My son died after he developed health challenges due to the illicit substances he consumed over time,” the distraught woman explained.

She added, “I will never wish any mother to experience my pains, and this is why parents must play a serious role in the upbringing of their wards.”

Ms Paul called on the government to ban the production and consumption of ‘goskolo’ in Plateau.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kano says it arrested two suspected drug traffickers and seized 1,553.1KG of cannabis sativa in the Wudil LGA.

This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA spokesman in Kano, Sadiq Maigatari, on Tuesday.

Mr Maigatari said the suspects Jonathan Nuhu, 45, from Plateau and Muhammad Abubakar,18, from Kano, were arrested on July 19 following a well-coordinated surveillance operation by men of the agency.

“The officers, who had been on the case for two months, were able to track and intercept the drugs, which were loaded from Lokoja and en route to Jigawa,” stated the NDLEA official.

“The suspects are believed to be part of a larger drug syndicate that specialises in transporting cannabis to Northern Nigeria and distributing it to various dealers.”

Mr Maigatari said investigation was ongoing on the matter and that a manhunt had been launched to arrest two other suspects, now at large.

He restated the commitment of the agency to rid the state of illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse.

The NDLEA spokesman added that the agency, under Abubakar Idris-Ahmad in Kano, would remain vigilant and dedicated to its mission of upholding the law and protecting people.

The Kaduna government says it recorded 68 suspected cases and eight deaths from diphtheria.

Diphtheria is a severe bacterial infection that usually affects the nose and throat mucous membranes.

Hamza Ibrahim-Ikara, the director of public health at the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Agency, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview in Kaduna.

Mr Ibrahim-Ikara said the suspected cases were from four local government areas: Makarfi, Kubau, Jema’a (Kafanchan) and Kaduna North.He added that five fatalities were from Jema’a and three from Makarfi.

“We still have one suspected case in Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital now,” revealing that 28 samples were taken to the laboratory. “For now, they are all suspected cases, no confirmation yet until the results are out.”

According to him, contact tracing and active search are also ongoing to curb transmission.He also said the Rapid Response Team was carrying out media and door-to-door sensitisation campaigns in communities.

Mr Ibrahim-Ikara urged residents to report suspected cases to the nearest health facilities across Kaduna.

He said the state government prioritised routine immunisation to ensure all children were fully vaccinated against the disease.

Eleven people were killed when the roof of a school gym collapsed in northeast China, local media reported on Monday.

All 15 people who were known to be inside the building had been accounted for.

The accident occurred on Sunday in the city of Qiqihar in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province.Rescue work is still underway.

According to the report, initial investigations revealed that workers had illegally stored perlite rock on the roof of the sports hall.

When it rained, the material became saturated with water and gained weight, which probably led to the collapse of the roof.

The police command in Anambra has confirmed the kidnap of a popular native doctor and the killing of two other persons suspected to be his aides in the state.

The police public relations officer in the state, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident to journalists on Monday in Onitsha.

Mr Ikenga said the incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday in Oba in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The native doctor, Chukwudozie Nwangwu, popularly known as “Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki”, is a popular native doctor in Anambra.

A source who pleaded anonymity said the native doctor known for exhibiting his affluence and power in social media was said to have been kidnapped from his hotel at Oba community on Sunday night.

The Osun State Police Command has banned hoods and face masks by commercial motorcyclists in the state.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, who revealed this in a statement on Monday in Oshogbo, said the measure was to curb crime involving motorcycles in the state.

“The Osun State Police Command is using this medium to warn motorcyclists who use hood/face masks to cover their heads, faces and nose, especially commercial motorcyclists popularly known as “Okada”, while riding their motorcycle to stop, forthwith,” she said.

Ms Opalola said the command had received a series of complaints about motorcyclists using hoods and face masks to commit crimes.

“The command enjoined the leadership of Okada Riders Association in the state to warn their members against covering of their heads and faces in any form while riding their motorcycles.

“The command has mapped-out strategies to arrest and prosecute anyone found wanting in this regard,” Ms Opalola said.

The spokesperson also called on members of the public not to board or engage the service of any commercial motorcyclist with hood and facemasks.

A 39-year-old petrol attendant, Waliu Olamilekan, was docked on Monday at the Badagry Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing N3,464,000 at the BFO filling station in Badagry.

The defendant of an unknown address is standing trial on a three-count charge of unlawful entry, malicious damage, and stealing, for which he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Insp. Ayodele Adeosun told the court that the defendant committed the offences on July 9 at about 11:30 a.m. at Pipeline, Araromi-Ale, Badagry Expressway, Lagos.

Mr Adeosun said the defendant allegedly broke into the office of the manager of the station, Titilope Falola, the complainant, and made away with the money.

“He damaged the burglary window valued at N45,000, the bulk room, and the drawer of the Manager’s office.

“The defendant also stole the sum of N3,464,000 million, property of BFO Filling Station,” he said.

Mr Adeosun added that the police recovered the money from the defendant.

The magistrate, T.A. Popoola, granted the defendant N1,000,000 bail with two sureties in like sum.

Ms Popoola said one of the sureties should produce evidence of a statement of account worth N1 million and three years of tax address verification.

She adjourned the case until August 21 for mention.