Niger Delta Avengers Claim Attack On Nembe Pipeline

Niger Delta Avengers 9NDA) have claimed an attack on Nembe Creek Trunk Line pipeline in Bayelsa State. The pipeline is operated by Agip, Oando and Shell.

The militant group said on Tuesday that the attack was carried out as a response to ‘Operation Sharkbite’ recently launched by the Nigerian Navy in the Niger Delta to curb piracy and enhance the security of critical oil facilities in the region.

“At about 11.45pm November 15, 2016, our Elite Strike Team 03 struck Nembe 1, 2 and 3 truck line operated by Agip, Oando and Shell with supply capacity of 300,000 barrel per day to Bonny export terminal in Bayelsa State,” Niger Delta Avengers’ spokesman Mudoch Agbinibo said in a statement.
Agbinibo insisted that ‘Operation Sharkbite’ was an affront to the people of the region, claiming the operation was instigated by a few politicians who wanted to undermine the effort of “the Nigerian state to addressing the legitimate demands of the people of the Niger Delta.”

According to Agbinibo, ‘Operation Sharkbite’ “a conspiracy to bloat the accounts of some security contractors and conflict merchants within the party structure of the APC.”

The group, which in August said it would halt hostilities to pursue talks with the government, said on Sunday it had resumed attacks because of the continued presence of the army in the region. Earlier this month, the president met local community leader to hear their grievances.

The NDA, which wants more energy wealth to go to the swampland region which is the source of most of Nigeria’s oil, said on its website its strike team attacked the Nembe 1, 2 and 3 branches of the pipeline.

But Agbinibo said his group was interested in a genuine peace deal. “We want the peace with honour,” he said. “We don’t want the Peace of Our Time.”

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/niger-delta-avengers-claim-attack-on-nembe-pipeline/

More Women Claim Trump Touched Them Inappropriately

US presidential nominee Donald Trump has again come under pressure as more women claim to have been sexually abused by the billionaire businessman from New York.

The allegations were reported on Wednesday by The New York Times, The Palm Beach Post and Yahoo News.

This comes after the release of a 2005 tape in which Trump is heard making vulgar comments about women and having a conversation about trying to have sex with a married woman.

One woman told the Times she was seated next to the Republican nominee during a flight to New York some three decades ago, and Trump started groping her suddenly.

“He was like an octopus,” Jessica Leeds, now 74, told the paper. “His hands were everywhere. It was an assault.”

Another woman, Rachel Crooks, also told the Times that he kissed her without her permission. “I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that,” she said.

The Trump campaign has denied many of the allegations made against him, and called the Times article “a completely false, coordinated character assassination.”

“It is absurd to think that one of the most recognizable business leaders on the planet with a strong record of empowering women in his companies would do the things alleged in this story, and for this to only become public decades later in the final month of a campaign for president should say it all,” Trump spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement.

“To reach back decades in an attempt to smear Mr. Trump trivializes sexual assault, and it sets a new low for where the media is willing to go in its efforts to determine this election,” the statement added.

“None of this ever took place,” Trump told the Times on Tuesday night, and threatened to sue the publication if the paper went ahead to run the story.

“You are a disgusting human being,” he told the reporter, who contacted him before publishing the story. “I don’t do it. I don’t do it,” he said.

Read More: presstv

Avengers Claim 20 Soldiers Murdered During Military Operations In Niger Delta

Militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), have claimed that around 20 Nigerian soldiers were murdered during the first four days of the ongoing military operation exercise code-named “Operation Crocodile Smiles” in the Niger Delta.

Spokesperson for the group, Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, in a statement on its website claimed that the soldiers’ death which has been concealed by top brass of the military was due to negligence, administrative greed and corruption within the military.

“Mr. President from available facts, the untimely deaths of these four (4) fine soldiers in the creeks of Bayelsa and another sixteen (16) that was recorded during the first four days of the exercise along the River Ethiope, in Delta state but was earlier covered up is nothing more than act of murder. Their death is due to negligence, administrative greed and a corruption within the military,” it said.

The statement by the Niger Delta Avengers, which has accepted responsibility for a series of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the last few months, comes just over a week after the militant group said it was ready for a ceasefire, talks with the government and that it had halted hostilities.

It wondered the objectives behind the deployment of military hardwares to the Niger Delta suddenly when there was cessation of hostilities for peace talks to commence.

Read More: dailytrust

Herdsmen Attacks Claim 1,269 Lives In Benue- Report

Attacks by Fulani herdsmen in the North-central Nigerian state of Benue has led to the killing of at least escalated 1, 269 persons.

Out of the 23 local government areas in the state, the rampaging herdsmen have invaded and occupied 14 and may invade the remaining nine unless urgent measures are taken to curb the menace, authorities said.

Our findings, confirmed by residents, security officials and the state governor, also showed that in the North-east Senatorial District of the state, the herdsmen have invaded Katsina-Ala, Kwande, Logo, Ukum; leaving out Vandeikya, Konshisha and Ushongo.

In Benue North-east Senatorial District, the killer herdsmen have attacked all the other local government councils except Gboko.

The council areas invaded and occupied by the killer herdsmen include Guma, Gwer-West, Gwer-East, Buruku, Tarka and Makurdi local government councils.

The invasion of Ogbadibo, Agatu and Apa local government areas in Benue South Senatorial District are however believed to be the most brutal.

On February 29, for instance, the herdsmen invaded several Agatu villages and farm settlements in broad daylight, gunning down children, women, men and the elderly.

At the time the gunshots subsided, over 500 villagers were reportedly massacred and over 7000 were displaced in 10 villages including Aila, Okokolo, Akwu, Adagbo, Odugbehon and Odejo.

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http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/208366-investigation-herdsmen-attacks-claim-1269-lives-benue.html

Confusion In Abia As Ikpeazu, Ogah Lay Claim To Governorship Seat

Abia State descended into confusion on Thursday following the insistence of Sampson Ogah that he should be sworn in as governor of the state to replace the incumbent, Okezie Ikpeazu, who was sacked by the Federal High Court on Monday.

Mr. Ogah had left Abuja for Umuahia Thursday after he was issued a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission for his swearing in, expected to be performed by the Chief Judge of the state.

But as he was travelling to Abia, Mr. Okezie obtained an injunction from the High Court of Abia State stopping the Chief Judge of the State, the President of the Customary Court of Appeal and any other judicial officer from swearing in Mr. Ogah as governor.

Both Messrs Okezie Ikpeazu and Ogah are members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The order made by Justice Chibuzo Ahuchaogu of the Abia High Court said among other things, “Upon this motion ex-parte pursuant to section 143 (1) & (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and pending the determination of the motion on notice, after hearing O.O Nkume, counsel to the applicant.”

Apart from the court order, Mr. Ikpeazu also declared Friday and Monday as public holidays in “honour of a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Maduekwe, who died on Wednesday”.

The federal government has already declared Tuesday and Wednesday public holidays to mark the Ed-il-Fitr.

The implication is that the judiciary in Abia State will not open for business until Thursday, July 7, making it impossible for Mr. Ogah to immediately challenge the injunction granted Mr. Ikpeazu.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Your Claim To Take Over Anambra In 2017 Laughable, APGA Tells APC

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has described as laughable, a claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that it would take over  Anambra State by 2017.
It also raised the alarm over alleged threat by APC to use its federal might to cause a revolution that would put other political parties on the run during the 2017 gubernatorial election in the state.
Describing the alleged threat as “treasonable felony,” the Anambra State Secretary of APGA, Sir Tony Ifeanya called on security agencies to note the statement by the APC state secretary and hold him responsible in the event of any such incident in the state.
“We want to draw the attention of the Federal Government in whose name, the APC Anambra State is threatening to cause a revolution in Anambra, boasting that when the time comes we shall all leave Anambra. This is treasonable felony.
“The APC scribe has told everybody ahead of time that they intend to cause havoc in the state in 2017 gubernatorial election and should be held responsible by law enforcement agencies when such happens.”
Ifeanya said APGA has a firm grip of the state having produced successive governments that have been doing well and cannot be wished away by the APC in the state.
“The APC and its scribe instead of hiding their face in shame for deceiving Nigerians of a purported change agenda that never was, and for bringing untold hardship to Nigerians because of their lack of vision and mission, are dreaming of taking over Anambra in 2017.”
When for over a year now, they have not been able to give Nigerians a clear road map of where we are going or do they think that Anambrarians could be fooled as they fooled Nigerians. Anambra people are wise and cannot fall to their empty boasts.
“We do not want any negative change in Anambra State. Obiano is a man with clear vision of what he came to do in Anambra State and is doing it not like APC who has no agenda for Nigeria.”
Describing as pure blackmail and a calculated attempt to pool wool over the eyes of the less informed APC’s claim that Obiano was delving into loans to retain power in 2017, the APGA scribe said, “The total amount of money sought to be borrowed so far by the Obiano administration is far less than the amount the federal government of APC is owing the state.
“As I speak, the Federal Government owes Anambra state over N43 billion on federal projects executed by the governor just to ensure that Anambra people are still making ends meet. If the Federal Government of APC has paid the state government the N43 billion it owes the state, our governor will not be talking of borrowing from anywhere after all when all other states were going for bailout our dynamic governor rejected it. Or what do you want him to do when your party at the centre refuse(s) to or are reluctant to pay the debt. You want him to fold his hands and start complaining like most of your APC governors. And because he is not doing so, you are now threatening to take over Anambra by force in 2017.”

Credit: Sun

Presidency Responds To Gov. Fayose’s Claim On Aisha Buhari

The Presidency has dismissed as laughable the desperate attempt by Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State to link President Buhari’s wife, Aisha, to US Congressman William Jefferson’s bribery scandal for which the American lawmaker was convicted in 2009.

Reacting to Mr. Fayose’s allegations in a press statement, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said ordinarily the presidency would have ignored Fayose because he was a man “childishly obsessed with the desire to grab the headlines and insulting people at will because of his incurably boorish instincts.”

Mr. Garba explained however that the presidency chose to respond on this occasion for the sake of innocent Nigerians who might be misled by Mr. Fayose’s shameless and blatant distortion of facts.

He said ignoring Mr. Fayose carried the risk of giving traction and credibility to outright and brazen falsehoods inconsistent with the status of anybody that calls himself a Governor or leader.

According to Mr. Shehu, Aisha had no direct, indirect or the remotest connection with William Jefferson’s corruption scandal in the United States.

He challenged Mr. Fayose to tell Nigerians if the so-called Aisha whose pictures he proudly, but ignorantly shared, was the same Aisha married to President Muhammadu Buhari, or if the Aisha of his idle imagination had any relationship by blood or any relationship in whatever form with President Buhari’s wife.

Mr. Shehu also challenged Mr. Fayose to produce evidence from the records of investigation and subsequent trial of Jefferson to prove that Mr. Buhari’s wife Aisha was in anyway linked to that scandal. He explained that common names alone were not enough to automatically link innocent people to crimes or scandals, especially in an era of identity thieves.

He further challenged Mr. Fayose to show proof when and where Aisha Buhari was invited for interrogation in connection with Congressman William Jefferson’s bribery scandal, let alone indicted for a crime locally or abroad.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Panama Papers Claim New Victim As Spain Minister Quits

The worldwide Panama Papers scandal claimed a fresh political victim Friday as Spain’s industry minister resigned over allegations he had links to offshore companies.

Jose Manuel Soria said he had tendered his resignation “in light of the succession of mistakes committed along the past few days, relating to my explanations over my business activities… and considering the obvious harm that this situation is doing to the Spanish government.”

Soria’s troubles began on Monday when Spanish online daily El Confidencial, which has had access to the Panama Papers — millions of files leaked from law firm Mossack Fonseca — said he was an administrator of an offshore firm in 1992.

Soria called a news conference to deny any link to the company, but as the week went by, more allegations emerged from other media outlets, revealing further alleged connections to offshore havens.

It is unclear as yet whether any of his alleged actions were illegal.

Soria is the latest political victim of the Panama Papers leak, which revealed how the world’s wealthy stashed assets in offshore companies and which the law firm blamed on a computer hack.

Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was also forced to resign over the leaks.

In his statement, Soria said politics “is an activity that must always be exemplary, also where… explanations are concerned.”

“When that doesn’t happen, one must assume one’s responsibilities,” he added, in an indication that he was resigning due to how he had handled the revelations, rather than over any irregularities.

Credit: Guardian

You Lied On Streetlight, Fuel Supply Cost Claim, APC Tells Fayose

The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ekiti State, has slammed Governor Ayodele Fayose over his streetlight fuel supply cost claim, saying he was deliberately inflating the figure, while spending less on public light supply to short-change the state.

The party raised the alarm on the heels of alleged increasing wave of criminal activities under the cover of the night in the state capital, saying the governor’s claim of spending N210million a month to power streetlights was a ploy to allegedly defraud the state.

Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun told journalists in Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday, that the short period of light supply between 7p.m. and 10p.m. had encouraged criminals to terrorise residents at night.

According to him, “cases of car- snatching have increased, while residents lose their possessions to thieves on the streets at nights unlike during former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration when streetlight supply spanned 6.30p.m. to 6.30a.m. In the state capital.

“Ekiti people cannot continue in this reversal of fortunes since Fayose came on board. He said some time ago, during his monthly media chat, that he spent N210 million monthly on streetlights. This is a blatant lie, because the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) supply of diesel for streetlights have since revealed that only 10,000 litres of diesel are supplied monthly to power streetlights,” he said.

Accusing the governor of deceiving the public and passing over-bloated fuel supply cost to the government, Olatunbosun said the party had since discovered that three suppliers of diesel jointly supply 10,000 litres every month to power streetlights.

The APC spokesman added that even at that, Fayose was still owing the suppliers millions of naira, even though he would insist he paid N210 million monthly.

Credit: DailyTimes

Auto Accidents Claim 170 Lives In Katsina

No less than 170 people lost their lives in road accidents across Katsina State’s 34 council areas last year. Of the number, 147 were adult males, 16 females, and seven children.

Also last year, 717 sustained injuries from accidents, including 680 adults and 37 children, with a total of 1,217 involved in accidents. The state sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Abdu Sule, said the accidents were mostly due to reckless driving by motorists.
Sule said 3,661 vehicular offenders were apprehended in 2015, while 3,899 offences were treated, with same number educated on importance on road safety. He said the command produced and issued 3,742 drivers’ licences, while 16 road traffic signs were installed within and outside the state metropolis.
He said zebra crossings were made on road leading to eight schools, while sensitisation was carried out in 240 radio, and 48 television programmes. He also said rallies were conducted 53 times at motor parks, while several road audits were carried out in the year under review.

Credit: NationalMirror

Outcome Of Senate Investigation On ‘Missing 2016 Budget’ Claim

The Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges has begun investigation of claims that the 2016 budget is missing from the chamber.

This was disclosed to reporters by the Chairman of the committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, after Wednesday’s legislative proceedings in the National Assembly in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

While addressing reporters, the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, also described as ‘untrue’, the claim that the budget was missing.

A federal lawmaker, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe, earlier at plenary, raised a point of order demanding that the Senate should look into media reports on the whereabouts of the 2016 budget.

After his observation, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, gave the assurance that the budget would be distributed to the lawmakers at the upper chamber on Thursday ahead of the debate on the financial plan on Tuesday, January 19.

While confusion edges the whereabouts of the 2016 budget in the Senate, the clerk of the lower chamber displayed the budget on the floor.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, also maintained that the budget was not removed from the House.

On Tuesday, the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin,  said that there was no truth to insinuations that the 2016 budget document is missing.

He said that the claims may have been inspired by the initial insufficiency of the copies of the budget available to all the lawmakers.

“As far as I am concerned, that story does not hold water. We were expecting copies to be printed and sent to the National Assembly but there was a bit of delay.

“As at yesterday, I can confirm to you that the Appropriation Committee in the House received a lot of copies of the budget. By the time the Clerk counted it today, it was not sufficient to go round members.

“I spoke with the Minister of Planning earlier today [Tuesday] and he assured me that before the end of today he will deliver the remaining copies.

“For the soft copy I also reminded him and he sent it to me and I handed it over to the House,” he explained.

Honourable Jibrin said the rumour of missing budget may have been triggered by the delay in the production of more copies of the budget.

“You should realize that we have a new government in place and I think that there is little issue of communication gap and they are trying to get themselves settled. We should be able to excuse them and support the President wherever there is a bit of limitation from his own side”, he said.

Credit: ChannelsTv

U.S Mathematics Institute Ignores Nigerian Professor’s Claim Of Solving 156 Year Old Mathematical Problem

 US-based Clay Mathematics Institute has refused to confirm the news of Nigerian mathematician, Opeyemi Enoch’s solution, instead saying “the current status of the problems and complete information about each” is available on the institute’s website.

The institute lists all seven Millennium problems and states whether or not they have been solved. Of the seven, only the Poincaré Conjecture, solved by Grigoriy Perelman in 2003, is listed as solved. All the other six problems, including the Riemann Hypothesis, remain listed as unsolved.

For his part, Enoch, who is said to be a lecturer at a university in a small town in the southwest of Nigeria, told the BBC in this audio interview that the motivation to solve the problem came from his students, who brought it to him with the hope of making $1 million “off the Internet.”

“Those my students trusted that the solution could come from me,” he said. He said he was motivated by their trust, “not because of the financial reward.”

Enoch has an academia.edu page where the “proof” of the solution to the Riemann Hypothesis has been uploaded—but that has also come in for criticism, as the proof is believed to have been plagiarized.

Credit: Qz

Shell’s Claim On Niger Delta Pollution Blatantly False– Amnesty International

Multi-national oil company, Shell, lied when it claimed it had cleaned up heavily polluted areas of the Niger Delta, Amnesty International and the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) said in a new report published on Tuesday.

The report titled, “Clean it up: Shell’s false claims about oil spills in the Niger Delta”, documents ongoing contamination at four oil spill sites that Shell said it had cleaned up years ago.

Amnesty said the report was published to mark the 20th anniversary of the execution of the environmental activist and writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Mr. Saro-Wiwa, who campaigned relentlessly against damage caused to the Ogoni area of Rivers State, was executed by the Sani Abacha junta on November 10, 1995.

“By inadequately cleaning up the pollution from its pipelines and wells, Shell is leaving thousands of women, men and children exposed to contaminated land, water and air, in some cases for years or even decades,” said Mark Dummett, Business and Human Rights researcher at Amnesty International.

“Oil spills have a devastating impact on the fields, forests and fisheries that the people of the Niger Delta depend on for their food and livelihood. Anyone who visits these spill sites can see and smell for themselves how the pollution has spread across the land,” he said.

Credit: PremiumTimes

No Rift With Govt. Transition Committee, Head Of Buhari’s Transition Committee Faults APC’s Claim

Head of the incoming government’s Transition Committee, Ahmed Joda, has denied having any setbacks with the Federal Government’s Transition Committee in the course of his assignment.

The All Progressives Congress had on Thursday accused the government of failing to co-operate with its transition team.

The APC had made the accusation through its spokesperson, Lai Mohammed. “As we write, the transition committee of the FG has yet to hold a single meeting with our own transition committee, neither have they given us a line of handover note,” Mr. Mohammed had said.

But reacting to the allegation on Friday, the PDP spokesperson, Olisah Metuh, said the APC’s claim was as “unnecessary and diversionary” as it was “false and tendentious”.

Mr. Metuh stated that the meetings of the transition and inauguration committees of both parties have been going on fruitfully and wondered where the “false alarm” was coming from, “if not a measure of confusion in the APC camp”.

The chairman of the APC transition committee has now confirmed Mr. Joda’s claim.

Speaking with journalists at the State House, Abuja, after a meeting with the government side, chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mr. Joda said his committee is getting all the necessary cooperation from the outgoing government.

Insisting that the two committees were operating on the same page, Mr. Joda dismissed reports that the presidency was not cooperating with his committee to ensure a smooth transition. “Our committee has never said to anybody that there is no cooperation, we have never said that and we are waiting for the reports, until when they come,” he said.

The secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, also told journalists that the meeting was “fruitful and cordial”.

He said, contrary to speculations, there was no contending issue between the two committees as rumoured in some quarters. “The meeting was very, very fruitful; it was very cordial,” he said. “There is certainly no (contending) issue, we are flowing and we have clearer understanding of the working of the two committees.”

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