The Indigenous People of Biafra has rejected the withdrawal of the
quit notice issued to Igbos in the Northern part of the country by the
Arewa youths.
The Arewa youths, under the aegis of Coalition of
Northern Groups, had ordered all Igbos residing in the North to vacate
the region before October 1, 2017.
But, at a press conference
attended by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Borno State
Governor, Kashim Shettima, in Abuja on Thursday, the Arewa youths said
they have withdrawn the quit notice.
The Northern youths, who
announced the decision through their spokesman, Abdulaziz Suleiman, in
the same breath said they would continue to pursue “petitions to the
United Nations and the Nigerian federal authorities calling for
appropriate sanction of Nnamdi Kanu, other IPOB leaders and their
sponsors in addition to labelling them a terror outfit”.
However, reacting to the development, IPOB described the withdrawal of the quit notice as ‘inconsequential’.
Speaking
through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB
asked the Arewa youths to ‘stick to the quit notice’, if they have any
‘honour’.
The group equally urged all Igbos and other Southerners
resident in the core North to discountenance the withdrawal of the
notice and return home.
IPOB noted that history had shown that the
withdrawal of the notice does not mean that Igbo lives and property are
no longer endangered in the North.
“It is
inconsequential to IPOB whether the ‘quit notice’ was rescinded or not
because it will in no way impact the pace and direction of our effort to
restore Biafra.
“Threats don’t have any effect on us, so our
advice to the Arewa North is to please stick to the October 1 deadline
or else they have no honour.
“We urge all southerners in the core North to return home before October 1 as history will most definitely repeat itself.
“Southerners
were massacred in the pogroms of 1966 and 1967 after similar assurances
were issued then that people should remain in the North,” the IPOB
spokesman said.
The pro-Biafra group alleged that the
‘quit notice’, which it described as an incitement to genocide, was
endorsed by Northern political leaders.
“The presence
of a serving governor and senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
during the supposed press briefing confirms what we have always known
that the incitement to genocide, which is what the ‘quit notice’ is all
about, has the blessing of the Arewa political class,” Powerful said.
Just
as the Arewa youths have insisted on the re-arrest of IPOB leader,
Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB also urged the Federal Government to arrest leaders of
the Northern group.
“If President Muhammadu Buhari is
at all serious about clamping down on hate speech, he should arrest
those behind the ‘quit notice’ along with their sponsors,” IPOB said.
“Trying to drag the name of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, into their unintelligent blood fest will be resisted.
“If
the idea is to cow our leader with calls for his arrest, then those
behind the genocidal edict of ‘Igbos must leave the North’ are even
dumber than we thought.
“Nigeria is crumbling today before our
eyes due to the arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; those wishing for him to be
arrested again are basically signing the death warrant of Nigeria,” the
secessionist group added.
Vowing that IPOB would not
relent in its quest to restore Biafra, Powerful stressed that the group
was not afraid of what he described as the ‘fabled Fulani hegemonic
juggernaut’.
A fashion student died on her 21st birthday after drinking half a bottle of Jack Daniels and choking on her own vomit in a Thai restaurantNarinthorn Alexander was found unconscious in the toilet of Thai Tho in Soho, central London, after telling friends she was not feeling well.She later suffered a cardiac arrest and was in a coma for six days before her life machine support was turned off.
An inquest into her death found that none of the staff at the Thai restaurant could perform first aid and the student did not receive any until police officers arrived on the scene, reports the Evening Standard.However, coroner Mary Hassell ruled that the amount of Jack Daniels she had consumed played a significant role in her death.
She said: ‘What underlies all of this is alcohol, I’m afraid.’Miss Alexander, who was born in Thailand, was studying at the University of West London.She turned 21 on March 9 and celebrated her birthday with her boyfriend and six other friends later that week.
Friends told the inquest that they saw nothing wrong with the fashion student and that she was enjoying herself.A close friend said:‘When the food did arrive she did have a tiny bit to eat. She was starting to feel a bit tipsy.
‘It got to the point where she came over and whispered in my ear and said, ”I’m going to the toilet, I will be right back”.
The friend later revealed the moment Miss Alexander was found in the toilet.She said: ‘She was not responding at all — I had never seen her like that. Her friend was holding her head up… I was shaking her.’
After starting chest compressions paramedics inspected Miss Alexander’s airwaves and found that ‘quite large chunks of chicken’ were causing a ‘significant airways obstruction.’
Narinthorn Alexander’s cause of death was given as a hypoxic brain injury and cardiac arrest, asphyxiation vomitus and alcohol toxicity
After 5years of dialysis, a failed transplant, several procedures and millions of Naira spent, ace broadcaster Emmanuel Chinenye Ugolee is finally in America for a kidney transplant.
The anchor man for the hit TV show "The Gist" was on an Atlanta bound Delta airline flight on Monday the 21st of August and then proceeded to Baltimore in Maryland where he has since been admitted into the University of Maryland Medical Centre. You would recall that Mr Ugolee enjoyed public support in an attempt to raise the required sum of $100,000.00 for the procedure in the recent past. Though there is no telling how long it would be for the final renal operation to take place as Emmanuel Ugolee currently suffers from venous stenosis and is highly sensitized from anti bodies, it is hoped that the ongoing assessments and treatment would get him back on his feet soon. Mr Ugolee was phenomenonal with his contribution to the growth of the Nigerian music industry. Many wish him a speedy recovery
A month after news broke that Usher allegedly gave an unidentified Georgia woman the herpes virus,he's now fighting back.
The singer has responded to the $20 million lawsuit filed by a Georgia woman who claims he gave her genital herpes back in April.
In Usher's legal docs, obtained by TMZ, he notes her lawsuit says nothing about whether she had been tested prior to their alleged sexual encounter. He says, "A previous sexual partner very well may have already infected her."
And, Usher says, she could have contracted the STD after their alleged encounter.
And he also says she assumed the risk of getting herpes by having "casual, unprotected sexual intercourse and/or oral sex."
However,Usher did not attack the lawsuit by saying he couldn't have given her herpes.
His lawyer also says there's no cause for the woman to secretly file her lawsuit.
He's asking the judge to throw out her lawsuit.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) says its customers can no longer buy jewellery, bet or watch access pornography sites with the bank’s card.
In a mail titled “we want you to transact safely”, and sent to customers on Thursday evening, the bank, which is one of the biggest in the country, said its debit and prepaid cards are now restricted from carrying out such transactions.
“We wish to inform all cardholders that we have placed restrictions on the Bank’s debit and prepaid cards from carrying out transactions with merchants that are transacting on the following business categories;
-Jewellry
-Pornography
-Dating and Escort Services
-Betting (including lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, off-track betting and wagers)
“This has become necessary with the increased need to protect our customers and the institution from fraud, litigation and reputational damages,” the bank said.
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has called on the Lagos State Government to release 180 Ebonyi indigenes held in Lagos for hawking.
Umahi made the call on Thursday in Abakaliki, when he received a delegation of Ebonyi indigenes residing in Onitsha, Anambra, who visited him over the plight of some indigenes of the town.
Umahi, represented by his deputy, Dr Kelechi Igwe, said the government was dismayed by the report from the Ebonyi Development Association in Lagos concerning incarcerated 180 indigenes.
“The 180 victims were accused of contravening a law of the Lagos State Government on street trading, but the intriguing aspect is that they had been incarcerated before the law was enacted.
“Most of them had spent over two years in incarceration before the law was enacted, but they were unfortunately charged under the same law.
“I will immediately consult and interact with my Lagos counterpart to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of the victims,” he said.
The governor said the days of treating Ebonyi citizens as second-class citizens in the country were over, saying the government would extend its empowerment schemes to its indigenes residing across the country.
“The government would immediately procure over 130 tricycles to enable hawkers of Ebonyi origin in Onitsha and environs to quit the trade and be gainfully employed.
“We would accommodate over 20 indigenes in Onitsha in our empowerment scheme, which would offer them a grant of N250,000 each, to quit street trading and be gainfully employed.
The leader of the delegation and the governor’s Senior Technical Assistant, Onitsha Liaison Office, Mr Mathew Njoku, thanked the governor for the reception and pledged to contribute its quota to the state’s development
South Korean court sentences Lee Jae-yong over role in scandal that led to impeachment of former president Park Guen-hye
The billionaire, South Korea’s third-richest man and heir to the sprawling Samsung empire, had been accused of making large donations to foundations run by a close friend and confidante of the deposed South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, in return for political favours.
Lee’s lawyers said they would appeal. “As a lawyer I cannot possibly agree with the juridical decisions and acknowledged facts involved in the verdict,” the Samsung attorney Song Woo-cheo said outside the court.“We will appeal against the decision and I am sure that in the appellate trial all the charges will be dismissed.”They included Lee’s father, Lee Kun-hee, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2009 and had a three-year sentence suspended, with judges citing his contribution to South Korea’s economic success and his “patriotism through business enterprise from job creation”. He was pardoned four months after the final ruling.
There was pandemonium, yesterday, at 3, Okon
Edak Street, off Atamunu, Calabar, Cross River State premises of a
church, when the fresh heart of a one-year-old girl, Success Ime, was
discovered in the church. .
Subsequently, the G.O of the Ministry, a Reverend, was arrested for allegedly using the girl for ritual.
Other
fetish items, including goat heads, dead chicken, male and female
effigies, wooden boat, crafted camel among others, were uncovered by men
of Uwanse Police Division. .
The
grandmother of the victim, Mrs Arit Ime, revealed that at about 3a.m.
yesterday, they heard banging on their door, following which two masked
men entered their room at 8, Okon Edak Street and took away Success.
A
Police source said they got a distress call from the area and swung
into action and that while looking for Success’ assailants, some people
in mask were arrested. .
The source
said: “Some persons have been arrested including one Okon, who said he
was sent by the Reverend to kidnap the girl. Six other persons were
arrested alongside the G.O of the church with various fetish items,
including a human heart."
In a bid to strengthen the anti-graft war in the country, President
Muhammadu Buhari yesterday signed instruments of ratification for a
number of bilateral agreements on anti- corruption with some countries,
including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The agreements to be
ratified are the pact on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters,
the agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial
matters, agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons and extradition
treaty.
In his remarks after the signing of agreement between the
federal government and other entities, President Buhari said he was
delighted to perform the duty of executing instruments of ratification
of certain agreements on behalf of the federal republic of Nigeria,
pursuant to the powers conferred on him by Section 5(1) (a) and (b) of
the 1999 constitution (as amended) and Article 7 of the Vienna
Convention on the law of treaties of 1969.
According to him, the
signing ceremony marked a very important milestone in his
administration’s demonstration of sovereign capacity to fulfill its
international obligations and take important steps for the benefit of
the economy, security and the anti-corruption war within and outside
Nigeria.
The president said, “ The full implementation of the
agreements has, however, been delayed due to the need by both sides to
conclude their respective ratification processes.
“I am happy to
note, therefore, that pursuant to a Memorandum presented to the Federal
Executive Council by the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation
and Minister of Justice, Council has approved the ratification of the
said agreements, thus paving the way for today’s ceremony.
“With
this sovereign act, which has been replicated in the United Arab
Emirates by their responsible authorities, we are now in a position to
utilise these agreements fully to foster cooperation between our
respective authorities particularly for the purpose of prosecuting the
anti-corruption campaign of this Government”.
Similarly,
President Buhari listed other Instruments of Ratification slated for
execution to include, Charter for the Lake Chad Basin between Nigeria,
Cameroun, Central African Republic, Libya, Niger and the Republic of
Chad.
Others are, African Tax Administration Forum Agreement on
Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters, world Intellectual Property
Organisation Performances and Phonograms Treaty, the World Intellectual
Property Organization Treaty on Audio-Visual Performances and
Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who
are blind, visually impaired or otherwise.
The President
expressed hope that the instruments that are signed will reinvigorate
the anti-corruption war and check the illicit flow of funds out of the
country to other jurisdictions, improve national security, food
security, boost the economic and tax regimes and improve the overall
well-being of the country’s creative community.
“All agencies of
government with roles to play under the respective Treaties now ratified
are hereby directed to ensure that they play their anticipated roles in
an effective and responsible manner in order to ensure that we reap the
full benefits of these Agreements. I thank you all for your attention
and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, he stated.
Source: Leadership
Nigerian singer, 2Face Idibia who is presently in the US payed a visit
to friends, Freada Francis, Paul and Anita Okoye, who just welcomed
babies.
Psquare's Paul Okoye and his wife Anita recently welcomed twins; Nathan
and Nadia, while Freda Francis welcomed a baby boy named Alexander.
