Search of Tambuwal’s car: NSA orders probe

National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki has ordered an investigation into the alleged search of House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Wazari Tambuwal’s car on Monday at a  conference in Kaduna.

A top security source told The Nation yesterday in Kaduna that the NSA ordered that the incident, which was widely reported in the media, be investigated, adding however that the soldiers on guard never insisted on searching the Speaker’s car.

According to the source, who pleaded not to be named, “there was never an attempt by soldiers and other security agents to search the Speaker’s vehicle as all dignitaries and participants were accorded due respect.”

He explained that what happened was that “detectives from the Department of State Security Services and other security operatives were trying to verify whether or not it was actually the Speaker’s

vehicle when he hurriedly disembarked and walked to the conference hall. The service chiefs parked their vehicles 300 meters away from the venue and trekked.”

The source said the Speaker was aware of such security protocols because anytime “he comes to Mambilla Barracks for Friday prayers, his vehicles are always verified. It is customary.”

He said the presence of security agents at the venue was for the safety of everybody present there, adding that other top dignitaries, including the Governors Mukhtar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Mu’azu Babangida Alliyu (Niger), the Deputy Governor of Plateau State, the NSA, service chiefs and traditional leaders had their vehicles searched”.

1,000 PDP Members Decamp To Labour Party In Ogun

More than 1,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have decamped to the Labour Party (LP) in Ogun.

During the meeting held at the Ogun East Senatorial office party state Chairman Comrade Niyi Osoba stressed the fact the the Labour Party, which provides good welfare packages for residents, is aimed at liberating people of the state.

According to him, if the Laborers take over control of the state in 2015, they will fulfill numerous educational projects under the Tai Solarin University of Education founded by party leader in the state Otunda Gbenga Daniel, PM News reports.

Meanwhile Otunba Gbenga Daniel addressed LP members having briefed them on the current plans and results of their work.

The official also pledged full support by Ogun Labour Party of for President Goodluuck Jonathan at the 2015 elections.

Meet The Most Beautiful Female Soldier In Nigeria [PHOTO]

This beautiful soldier was among the lot of Soldiers President Goodluck Jonathan sent out to restore peace and order back to Nigeria during the fuel subsidy removal protest. She is so beautiful …

But a pretty young girl in the Nigerian Army???

Fraudsters Detain Policemen For Hours In Bayelsa

Two policemen who had gone to arrest alleged fraudster at the Mechanic Village, Tombia, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State were instead detained by the fraudsters who resisted arrest.

Punch reports that the policemen from Akenfa Police Division on the outskirts of Yenagoa, had received a complaint from one Mr. Frederick Ojukwu, and a witness, Mr. Ebi Ozegbe, over an alleged N140, 000 fraud.

Ojukwu was said to have given the suspects the sum of N140,000 as a deposit for a second-hand vehicle with the understanding that after inspecting the vehicle, he would pay the balance but when he had gone to inspect the car, the suspects, led by a man, identified simply as Obum, had shown him a rickety vehicle, said to be good only for the museum.

Ojukwu rejected the car and asked for a refund of his money which the suspects agreed to pay but after the incident they disappeared for months. Unfortunately for them, the complainant got information that they had resurfaced at the mechanic village. Ojukwu then proceeded with a journalist, Ozegbe to the Akenfa Police Station to report the matter and they were given two policemen, who accompanied them to the park to arrest the suspects.

But things turned around as they got to the park. As they tried to accost the alleged fraudsters, the suspects grabbed the policemen, the complainant and journalist and gave them the beating of their lives. They also tore the uniforms of the policemen who they held hostage for a few hours and seized the phones of the complainant and the journalist.

An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity for safety reasons said, "The four, including the two policemen, could have been lynched if not for the timely intervention of the police reinforcement, led by the Divisional Police Officer of Akenfa."

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Bayelsa command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe who had gone to fix his car there on that fateful day said he had to call the DPO when he saw the situation was getting out of hand.

It was gathered that the DPO led a team to the park and was able to arrest the situation, freeing their colleagues and arresting some of the mobsters while some escaped.

Sanga Local Governmemt Council Under 24-Hour Curfew

Emmanuel Adamu, the Chairman of Sanga Local Government Council of Kaduna State on Wednesday imposed a 24-hour curfew to check the wave of killings and rising tension in the area.

This was made known in a statement issued in Kafachan this afternoon. He said that the curfew was imposed to curb further loss of lives as well as restore normalcy.

According to NAN, the chairman confirmed that more lives were lost before 6p.m. on Tuesday, a development which further increased the tension in the area.

It would be recalled that no fewer than 38 persons were killed on Monday night in Kabamu and Ankpong villages in Sanga LGA in an attack launched by unknown gunmen. 

Adamu, who pleaded with residents to remain calm assured them that the security agencies were on top of the situation.

Related: Gunmen Kill 3 Policemen, 1 Civilian In Fresh Kaduna Attack

World Cup: Nigeria plots Argentina’s fall to end jinx

                           Eagles will battle the Argentines in their final group match.

—————————————————

When the Super Eagles file out at the Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, it will be with an objective to make certain their qualification into the Round of 16 at the ongoing World Cup in Brazil.

The Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, made this objective clear to his players.

“We have come a long way. We have won one match, got a draw from another. Our chances are brighter now in the group.

“We shall go out there to put up a fight of our lives. In terms of technical preparation for the game, we are ready,’’ Ben Alaiya, Media Officer of the Super Eagles, quoted Keshi as saying.

The President of Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Aminu Maigari, on his part urged the Eagles to go all out against Argentina on Wednesday to ensure the qualification of the team into the Round of 16.

He said he would be delighted with a favourable outcome as the match-day would coincide on his birthday.

“My birthday is on the day we are playing Argentina, and I will feel special if we defeat the Argentines.

“But more than that, a place in the Round of 16 will bring joy to the Nigerian delegation here in Brazil as well as to our people back home.

“We have so many reasons to go all out on Wednesday for victory.

“The Argentines have always beaten us at the FIFA World Cup, though narrowly each time. We also need to show our true strength as the champions of Africa,” Mr. Maigari said.

Nigeria met Argentina first at USA ’94 World Cup.

The Eagles also lost to Argentina at the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup and 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Nigeria lost 1-2 to Argentina in Boston, USA on June 25, 1994, and was again piped 1-0 courtesy of a Gabriel Batistuta goal in Ibaraki, Japan on June 2, 2002.

When both sides met in South Africa four years ago, an early goal by Gabriel Heinze condemned the Eagles to a 1-0 defeat.

However, at the Olympic Games, the story was not the same. In Atlanta ’96 in the U.S., Nigeria defeated the Argentines to win the Olympic Games gold medal, a victory that left the Argentines flustered for many years.

Argentina U-23 team evened-up the Olympic record with 1-0 victory over Nigeria at the final of the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

There was also the 4-1 defeat the Eagles handed down to Argentina in a friendly in Abuja on June 1, 2011.

The victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cuiaba, Brazil had taken the reigning African champions to second place in the pool with four points.

The Eagles must still avoid defeat against the two-time world champions in Porto Alegre to be certain of a place in the knockout stages.

The Media Committee Chairman of NFA, Emeka Inyama, said that the board was impressed with the sterling performance of the Super Eagles and had promptly released the winning bonuses of the team.

“The team deserved all the accolades from well-meaning Nigerians over the impressive outing so far,’’ Inyama said.

He said the association had since ensured prompt meeting of their own obligations, so as to motivate the team to go all out to seek the round of 16 ticket.

He said they had urged the players to approach the last group match with the seriousness it deserved.

“We believe that now that the team had risen to the occasion and performed creditably, they should continue and make it into the round of 16.

“The Argentines are beatable, we have beaten them once at the Olympic Games – the 1996 Games in Atlanta,’’ Inyama said.

He said that the team could be beaten again.

The city, Porto Alegre, which will host the all-important game, is a city with history.

The stadium, located on reclaimed land on the banks of the River Guaiba, the Estadio Beira-Rio, is the home of International, arch-rivals to their Porto Alegre neighbours Gremio.

The venue has hosted four Copa Libertadores finals and is reputed to be largest football ground in the south of Brazil, nicknamed the “Gigante do Beira-Rio” (The Giant of Beira-Rio).

The facility was officially known as the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda and was opened in 1969.

It took nearly a decade to build with inter-fans lending a helping hand in its construction by donating bricks, cement and iron.

So anxious were some supporters to see the ground built that they would even leave games at the club’s existing ground, Estadio dos Eucaliptos, whenever the team was losing and head to the Beira-Rio to cheer the builders on.

World Cup: Suarez bites again as Italy crash out

                   Uruguay and Costa Rica qualify from Group D

Controversial Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez, exhibited his bad side once more as he appeared to have bitten Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini, during his side’s 1-0 win over Italy in their final group game on Tuesday at the Arenes das Dunas.

Though Suarez escaped the eye of the referee, it is yet to be seen if the Liverpool forward will be slammed with another heavy ban as his action taints his country’s progress into the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.

This would be the third biting incident involving Suarez.The first came in November 2010 when Suarez, playing for Ajax, bit PSV’s Otman Bakkal on the shoulder during a 0–0 draw. Ajax suspended him for two games and fined him an undisclosed amount, but the Dutch League body increased Suárez’s suspension to seven league matches.

Also at the end of the 2012-13 season, playing with Liverpool in the Premier League, Suarez bit Chelsea defender, Branislav Ivanovic, on the arm. That earned him a 10-match suspension. He has since claimed to have stopped such acts.

Uruguay join Costa Rica in the Round of 16 from Group D as England could only manage a draw against the surprise group leaders.