Flooding: Bayelsa commuters resort to trucks

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Commuters travelling from Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, to cities within and outside the state are now using Mercedes Benz 911 trucks, popularly known as tipper lorries, as their means of transportation.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that this development is to enable them get by areas rendered impassable by recent flooding.

The linkage roads from Yenagoa to areas such as Ahoada, Otuoke, Port-Harcourt and other cities have been over-run by flood and have become impassable for cars, jeeps and commuter buses.

Consequently, many tippers and other trucks used for conveying items such as sands and goods have been converted to passenger-carrying vehicles.

NAN reports that wooden benches were often put in place in the open trucks for the comfort of passengers.

In addition to this, wooden ladders were also made available as stairs for the commuters to climb into the trucks.

The operators of these trucks also charge exorbitant fares, taking advantage of the desperate commuters who have to travel out of the state.

A commuter, Ebinemen Damaro, told NAN she paid N6,000 as fare to ride on a truck from Yenagoa to Port-Harcourt.

The normal fare on bus rides before the flooding was between N1,000 and N1, 500.

NAN further reports that the situation has resulted in a lull in business for the commercial bus operators as passengers deserted their vehicle parks for the truck parks.

However, some of the travelers disclosed that their ordeal on the road in the trucks was unpleasant.

They said they spent between eight to nine hours from Port-Harcourt to Yenagoa, a journey which should not have taken more than ninety minutes in buses.

The worst-hit of the flooded areas, according to the passengers, was the Ahoada junction on the Yenagoa-Port-Harcourt road which has been taken over by flood.

The Yenagoa city itself was not left out of the flooding as some areas have been taken over by the water.

Residents of Onipa and Igboginni areas of the city centre had been evacuated to designated camps in the state, while canoes were used to move people and goods out of their residence.

President Goodluck Jonathan had disclosed on Monday that his residence at his country home in Otuoke was not left out of the ravaging flood in the state.

Speaking while launching the “Saving one million lives” health programme at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, Jonathan had said water had reached the window level in his Otuoke house.

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ACN, PDP, Labour Party commend INEC, security agents

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Action Congress of Nigeria governorship candidate in  Saturday’s election in Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has expressed satisfaction with the large turnout of voters  in  his Unit 6 Oke-Ijebu, Owo polling unit.

He said that though he was not allowed to visit any other area, information available to him indicated that voters turned out in large numbers  in other areas of Owo, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

“Although the late arrival of INEC materials had brought an initial setback to the accreditation of voters, we have reached out to the officials concerned and we believe they will profer solution to the problem,”  Akeredolu said.

He, however, commended   INEC’s efforts, saying, “They have prepared enough to discharge their responsibility.”

State Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Olu Ogidan, also  commended the Federal Government for providing a level playing field for all parties participating in the election.

According to him, the security arrangement has adequately nipped in the bud any attempt to cause violence in the state.

Also speaking, the state Peoples Democratic Party  Chairman, Mr. Ebenezer Alabi, commended the security arrangement put in place for the poll.

Alabi, who also commended   INEC for ” its tidy arrangement,”  said he was happy about  the conduct of the voters during the accreditation process.

The Olukare of Ikareland, Oba Akadiri Momoh, in his reaction, described the accreditation process as peaceful and orderly.

He urged the voters to accept the election result whenever it was announced.

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Police, Army deny alleged arrest of Ondo commissioner, LG boss

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The police in Ondo State on Saturday denied an allegation by the Action Congress of Nigeria that the Commissioner for Special Duties, Niran Sule, and some other persons had been arrested for alleged possession of guns and ballot papers and boxes.

ACN had in a statement by its spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, alleged that “Ondo State Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Niran Sule, and the Chairman of Owo Council, Mr. Akinrogbe, have been arrested and stripped naked after they were found with six AK-47 guns in the early hours of Saturday. They have been whisked to Akure for interrogation.”

However, the spokesman for the state police command, Mr. Aremu Adeniran, told PUNCH that he had contacted the Commissioner for Police, Ondo State, Mr. Muhammad Indabawa; Owo area commander; and Owo Divisional Police Officer and they all denied the report.

Aremu said, “Your people (journalists) have been calling me on the matter; but my boss, the CP, Owo Area Commander and the DPO Owo had all denied it when I called them.

‎”The implication of this is that the arrest, if any, was not carried out by the police and we are not aware of such incident.”

Also, the Public Relations Officer of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Akure, Lt.-Col. Emmanuel Onoja, said the Army were not aware of the purported arrests.

More details later.

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PHOTO: This is How Nigerian Soldiers Torture Suspects and Victims.

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This is one of those pictures that tell their own stories. It's clear and vivid enough to see all the characters in it very clearly and from the first glance you can tell that these are soldiers and you can also see that they are either in the middle of an interrogation of torturing the young men who are dressed as civilians in the picture.

This is the point where you take a look and tell me what you think..

Security agents arrest suspected impersonator, party agent in Ondo election

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A man identified as Bola Osun was on Saturday arrested by the Yaba Police Division in Unit 23, Ward 7, Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State for allegedly impersonating as a legitimate voter during the Ondo governorship election.

Bosun was swiftly disowned by members of the community.

When questioned by the police, after his name was not found on the register, Bosun said he mistakenly washed his voter card.

Meanwhile, there are reports that a Peoples Democratic Party agent has allegedly been arrested with cash and voter cards at a polling station.

More details later.

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Party agents allegedly bribe voters with money, gifts

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Agents of some political parties are allegedly bribing voters with money, textile fabrics, kerosene, buckets and other gifts.

Witnesses at different polling units alleged on Twitter that the party agents are trying to use the gifts to entice voters to support their candidates.

Writing under the Twitter handle, @solar_unique, a witness said in a report to the Independent National Electoral Commission that a Labour Party agent “called Mandela is currently distributing N100 notes at Ward 3, All Saints Grammar School, Ondo West Local Government Area.”

In response, INEC said, “Thank you for reporting this. We will look into it right away.”

Another commentator, @elnathan, wrote INEC thus, “So (Shoutout) to Ondo. Anyone who thinks there is difference between the parties is joking o: ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria is) giving recharge cards. Labour (Party is) giving food. PDP (Peoples Democratic Party is giving) cash.”

Responding, INEC wrote, “Can you please provide the particular Polling Units where this distribution of gifts is happening so we can take action.

“INEC is taking measures to ensure all parties follow proper electoral procedures and regulations. Please report any issues.”

More details later.

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Gridlock on Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway as security agents enforce restriction order

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A gridlock ensued on Saturday morning on Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway as security agents blocked the Ondo-Ogun and Ondo/Edo borders of the highway.

The security agents were enforcing a total restriction order by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, as part of measures to ensure a hitch-free governorship election in Ondo State.

Witnesses said a large number of inter-state transport buses were held up at both borders on Saturday morning.

The situation may not be different on the highway linking Lagos with Abuja through Ondo State, although PUNCH has yet to receive any report from there.

The state is a major point linking the South-West with the North, South-South and South-East by road and sea.

It shares borders with Ogun, Edo, Osun, Ekiti and Kogi states.

More details later.

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Akeredolu urges security agents to arrest thugs, others

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Governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Saturday urged security agents to arrest any member of any political party involved in election rigging and other malpractices.

Speaking at the venue of his accreditation at Ijebu 2 Ward 5 Unit 6, Owo, Akeredolu said, “If security agencies arrest any member of any party, they should ensure they are not released.

“The same goes for members of our party. If any member of the ACN is arrested for any offence, they must ensure they are not released.”

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ACN, others complain over late arrival of voting materials, insecurity

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Action Congress of Nigeria on Saturday morning issued a statement complaining of the late arrival of voting materials and insecurity in some parts of Ondo State, as the governorship election got under way.

ACN spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in the statement , “Though election materials have been distributed to many polling units across the states, they are yet to get to several polling units, more than one hour after the election ought to have commenced.

“Specifically, materials have not been brought to Ese Odo LG Ward 1 Unit 11, as well as Akure South Ward 8 Wofere Unit.

“Also at both Units, INEC officials have not been sighted.  At the Ese Odo LG, Apoi 4, Unit 1, duplicate EC8A was presented.”

In the statement, the party also raised the alarm over acts of thuggery and irregularities.

It said, “Inadequate security has been reported in many localities in Ondo State, with the worst-hit areas being Idanre and Okitipupa.
In Idanre, for example, thugs on motorcycles are harassing voters and agents of the opposition.

“There are also reports of stuffed ballot boxes being moved to polling booths with the protection of Labour Party thugs.
“In Owo, a state government commissioner has been arrested by soldiers after he was found with weapons.

“The widespread insecurity has led to apprehension by voters, and there is the need for security agencies to urgently deploy additional security to the affected areas.

“Many agents of the Action Congress of Nigeria whose names were forwarded to INEC were not given accreditation tags in several polling units across the state, raising fears that ACN agents may not be able to monitor the election. INEC must immediately remedy the situation.”

The state government has already denied the alleged arrest of its Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Niran Sule, whom, the ACN statement may have referred to.

Meanwhile, field reports indicate that voters are complaining that materials were yet to reach some communities in Arogboland as at 10.30a.m.

The State Commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Shuaib Yisa, had to volunteer his vehicle to convey stranded officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and their materials from Cathedral area of the state capital, Akure, to various polling units in Akure South Local Government Area.

However, INEC has given the assurance that the complaints on late arrival of materials had been addressed.

Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said on Facebook, “All issues as regards late arrival of election materials and officials in some wards across the states especially in Sijuwade, Oke Aro andBolajoko have been dealt with accordingly.”

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Ondo govt debunks rumours of deputy gov’s resignation, commissioner’s arrest

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Ondo State Government on Saturday morning denied rumours of the resignation of Deputy Governor Ali Olanusi.

Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, dispelled the rumours in a statement in the state capital, Akure.

Akinmade also debunked rumours that security agents arrested the Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Niran Sule, and some people for allegedly thumprinting ballot papers and stuffing ballot boxes in the residence of an Afenifere chieftain.

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High-profile Boko Haram member arrested at senator’s home

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MAIDUGURI  (AFP) – Nigerian authorities said Friday they had arrested an alleged high-profile member of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram at the home of a senator in the violence-torn Nigerian city of Maiduguri.

The statement from a military task force in Maiduguri did not name the senator and provided few other details. There have been allegations of links between elements

Obama campaign claims Ohio poll leads

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Obama
| credits:

The Obama campaign put all joking aside after Thursday night’s charity dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York with a new memo on Friday morning that said the US president was ahead in the critical battleground state of Ohio compared with this time four years ago.

The memo highlighted four polls that showed Mr Obama with significant leads among early voters and that four in five Ohioans who had registered to vote this year were either female, under 30 years-old, black or Latino – demographics that traditionally favour the president.

“Republicans are similarly talking up their ground game and early vote numbers, but their assertions rest on much shakier ground,” said Jeremy Bird, the Obama campaign’s national field director.

Mr Bird hit out at the Romney campaign’s suggestion that Republicans were making strong gains in early voting and outperforming voter registration in Ohio’s largest counties. He said the Romney campaign was “disingenuously” looking at the increase in Republican voters during the primary, when Republicans had a competitive race but Democrats did not.

Mr Obama and Mr Romney headed back on the campaign trail – the president to Virginia while Mr Romney was in Florida – after a brief respite in their battle for the White House.

On Thursday night, both presidential candidates appeared at the annual Al Smith Catholic charity dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and poked fun at one another and themselves.

Mr Romney, in white tie and tails, began his speech talking about the many wardrobe changes required by an election campaign. “It’s nice to finally relax and wear what Ann and I wear around the house,” he quipped.

He joked about Mr Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, who he remarked would “laugh at anything” – a reference to Mr Biden’s frequent laughter and big grin during his recent debate against Paul Ryan, the Republican vice-presidential hopeful.

Mr Romney referred to the media’s alleged bias in favour of Mr Obama. He predicted the headlines for the next morning would read: “Obama embraced by Catholics. Romney dines with rich people.”

The Republican candidate made a few biting remarks, including one when he said he wondered what Mr Obama was thinking as he looked around the room among the elite in Washington with just a few months left in his presidency: “So little time, so much to redistribute.”

Mr Obama took shots at Mr Romney. As he approached the podium he said to the clapping crowd: “Please take your seats. Otherwise Clint Eastwood will yell at them,” a reference to the Hollywood actor’s performance at the Republican national convention.

He poked fun at Mr Romney’s trip to Europe, in which he offended Londoners on the eve of the opening ceremony for the Olympics. “After my foreign trip in 2008, I was attacked as a celebrity because I was so popular with our allies overseas. And I have to say, I’m impressed with how well governor Romney has avoided that problem,” he said to laughs.

He noted that “Mitt” was actually Mr Romney’s middle name (his first name is Willard), and said “I wish I could use my middle name.” Mr Obama’s middle name is Hussein.

The US president did not spare himself. “Some of you may have noticed, I had a lot more energy in our second debate. I felt really well rested after the nice long nap I had in the first debate.”

And, as he did when he first appeared at the dinner in 2008 alongside John McCain, he included a jab at his running mate.

“I’ve heard some people say, ‘Barack, you’re not as young as you used to be. Where’s that golden smile? Where’s that pep in your step?’ And I say, ‘Settle down, Joe, I’m trying to run a cabinet meeting.”

•The Hill

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Jets hit town, Syria envoy flies in on truce bid

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Syrian jets hammered a rebel town on Friday, the second day of an assault in which the regime is accused of using cluster bombs, as peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi landed in Damascus to press for a truce.

Brahimi is bidding to secure a ceasefire during the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday from October 26, hoping it will bring a longer cessation in the 19-month conflict that has already killed more than 34,000 people.

“We will have discussions here with the government, the political parties and civil society about the situation in Syria,” Brahimi said at Damascus airport.

Drama in Ikare as soldiers impound Abuja-bound trailer

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Soldiers at a checkpoint on Oba Adesida Road, Akure... on Friday.
| credits: Stanley Ogidi

There was drama in Ikare, Akoko North-East of Ondo State on Friday when an Abuja-bound trailer was impounded by a team of soldiers deployed in the community for today’s governorship election in the state.

Outgoing Air Force chief advocates more funding

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Outgoing Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar
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The outgoing Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar, has called for increased budgetary provision for the service in view of its constitutional responsibility of curbing the new security challenges in the country.

Umar said that the Air Force would be able to play its sensitive security responsibility of defending the nation against external aggression and participate effectively in maintaining internal security only with adequate budgetary allocations.

Chinese worker, five others killed, schools burnt in Maiduguri violence

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A Chinese construction worker was killed on Friday in the besieged city of Maiduguri, Borno State in Nigeria’s northeast, an official said Friday, exacerbating security concerns for foreign workers in Nigeria’s violence-wracked North-East.

An overnight raid in a nearby city left 5 others dead and several schools razed to the ground, the Associated Press reports.
Gunmen shot the Chinese builder Friday morning on a main road that had been undergoing reconstruction in the city of Maiduguri, said the Borno State Ministry of Works spokesman Babakura Bukar.

PHCN Worker Electrocuted In Ekiti

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THERE was pandemonium at Satellite neighbourhood/NTA Road in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Wednesday, as a man identified as Mr Samuel Job Isaac was electro-cuted while working on an electrical fault in the area.



The body of Isaac dangling from the electricity pole.

Isaac, who died on the spot, was said to be a worker of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The deceased, said to be an Electrical/Electronic Engineering  graduate of the Osun State College of

UK court allows Nigerian couple to keep stolen baby

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A couple, who could not have children, have been told by a United Kingdom High Court they can keep a baby born in Nigeria, despite tests showing they were not the child’s biological parents.

The mother said she was tricked by a doctor into believing she had given birth while sedated, after she went to Nigeria for fertility treatment, BBC reports.
The local authority had claimed the couple’s story was a “charade.”
But the judge ruled they were victims of an “appalling scam.”
The presiding judge Mr Justice Coleridge added the case was “extraordinary, bizarre and worrying.”
Charities meanwhile have raised concerns about the judgement, warning it may encourage trafficking.
At the High Court on Thursday, Mr Justice Coleridge ruled that the pair, who he described as people of the “highest calibre”, should be given custody of the girl who is nearly two years old.
The couple – who live in London but cannot be named for legal reasons – failed to conceive a child despite undergoing IVF treatment in the UK.
They were said to be “desperate and distressed.”
In 2010, the couple travelled to Nigeria where the woman received fertility treatment at a private clinic.

11,000 policemen deployed for Ondo poll

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No fewer than 11,000 policemen have been deployed for Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The Commissioner of  Police in charge of the election, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, announced this on Friday in Akure while briefing newsmen.

Indabawa also said a commissioner of police would handle the security apparatus in each of the senatorial districts.

He vowed that anyone caught in electoral malpractice would be treated as a criminal.

The police boss also warned politicians against inducing security agents with money,  adding that the force was determined to ensure a free and fair election.

The commissioner, who warned against hawking around polling units, also advised those not on election duty to stay away.

He appealed to residents of the state to be law abiding and conduct themselves according to the electoral guidelines.

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Hoodlums attack Nigerian embassy in Berlin

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The Nigerian Embassy in Berlin was attacked with paint bombs on Wednesday night by unknown persons, the police have said.

According to police spokesman, unknown attackers threw glass bottles filled with a thick and sticky liquid at the front of the building in Neue Jakobstraße, (The name of the street where the embassy is situated), the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The spokesman said the police have handed over the investigation of the incident to state security authorities, adding that political motive may not be ruled out in the attack.

The police said security workers noticed the damage to the building on Thursday morning.

The spokesman said that on Monday, 120 activists, members of the “Refugee Protest March in Berlin campaign” gathered in front of the Nigerian Embassy to demonstrate against the practice of deporting asylum seekers from Germany.

According to him, 14 of the activists illegally entered to the embassy, in order to “occupy” it as part of the protest march.

He explained that those who entered the premises were later ejected by security officials while 25 of the protesters were temporarily detained and later released.

The spokesman stated that the demonstrators accused the embassy workers of “working closely with the German state to ensure that the processing of the largest number of deportations from Africa came from Nigeria.”

He emphasised that his agency would, however, investigate if there was a connection between the attempted occupation of the embassy on Monday and the recent paint attack on Wednesday night to the early hours of Thursday.

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