Plateau killings would have been worse without police efforts – Official

In May, some communities in Riyom raised an alarm after discovering a training camp of suspected terrorists.

The killings of scores of people in separate attacks in Riyom, Plateau State, in the past year would have been worse if the police was not up and doing, an official has said.

A Police Superintendent, Babayemi Akomolede, stated this during the 8th meeting of the Plateau Peace Architecture Dialogue series held at the Cabinet office in Jos on Thursday.

Mr. Akomolede denied that the Plateau Police ignored warnings by communities in Riyom Local Government Area of a suspected terrorist training camp in the area.

“The police did not ignore the alarm of an illegal training camp in parts of Riyom. To the best of my knowledge, arrests have been made from those areas,” said Mr. Akomolede.

In early June, some communities in Riyom raised alarm after discovering a training camp of suspected terrorists around Rim and Shonong villages.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the community members called on the police to come to their aid.
Days after the call, in separate attacks, yet to be identified armed men unleashed terror on communities in the area killing no fewer than 14 people including a youth leader.

In one of such attacks on June 11, gunmen attacked Gako and Tanjol communities in Riyom, killing at least six people.

Two churches were also burnt in the attack which took place at about 1:00 a.m.

Residents of the area said apart from the six civilians killed, five uniformed security officials, believed to be members of the Special Task Force, STF, were also killed.

The police in the state, however, confirmed the death of only the six civilians; while saying five others were injured.

“On June 11 at about 1 a.m., unknown gunmen invaded two villages of Gako and Tanjol, shooting sporadically and in the process killing 6 persons, and injuring 5 others,” the Plateau Police Command spokesperson, Dominic Esin, had told PREMIUM TIMES in his office.

Mr. Akomolede, however, denied that the police did nothing to avert the crisis, and several similar ones in the area that have killed scores of people.

“If not for the prompt response of the police … the security situation in Riyom would have been worse than what it is today,” he said. “So I believe strongly something is being done in that regard.”
He called for the creation of vigilante groups in communities to help secure their areas and compliment the efforts of the police.

In his address, the Special Adviser on Peace and Conflict Management to Governor Jonah Jang, Timothy Parlong, said “The abnormal security situation in the state requires the involvement of vigilante groups.

He said the state governor, Jonah Jang, made it a policy for communities to form vigilante groups due to the prevailing security situation.

The peace parley was organized by the Search for Common Ground, SFCG.

'Missing Airplane Not In Nigeria' - NAMA Reveals

ollowing the disappearance of a four-seater plane on Monday night, the  after taking off from Kano airport, en-route to Libreville, Gabon, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said the plane did not get missing in Nigerian airspace.

According to the Managing Director of NAMA, Mr Ibrahim Abdulsalam, the plane had already been officially handed over to the Cameroonian authorities by the Air Traffic Controllers in Kano airport, Nigerian Tribune reports.

Abdulsalam explained that NAMA could not partake in the search for the missing plane as it did not get missing within Nigerian airspace.

“It did not occur within the Nigerian airspace. So, there is nothing we can do about it. We handed over the aircraft to the Cameroonian airspace,” he said.

The plane, owned by the US company Global Aviation, had taken off from Kano in northern Nigeria at 6.00p.m on Monday en route Libreville in Gabon, where it was scheduled to arrive at 11.00p.m, after a stopover in Douala, Cameroon but the plane which had only an American pilot on board, did not make it to Douala.

Related: Gabon-Bound Plane Flying From Nigeria Goes Missing

So far, the search and rescue mission for the missing plane has not yielded any positive result.

It would be recalled that a Malaysian plane carrying 239 people to China had gone missing in March and till date it is yet to be found.

Sources: Naij.com news, Punch Nigeria, Nigerian Tribune

Gastroenteritis Outbreak Kills 7 In Jigawa

Jigawa State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tafida Abubakar, has announced that seven people lost their lives in Hadejia community, Hadejia Local Government Area of the state following an outbreak of gastroenteritis.

Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday in Hadejia, he said that the deaths were recorded on Monday and Tuesday, adding that about 306 other persons were affected by the endemic but have been treated at the community's General Hospital. 

According to him, the affected persons were treated freely by the state government in order to curb further casualties as well as bring the situation under control.

"The disease is caused by bacterial infection from consumption of contaminated water" Abubakar said, adding however, that sample of faeces of some affected persons had been taken for laboratory analysis to ascertain the cause of the epidemic."

Related: Ogun Cholera: Monarch, 106 Others Hospitalised

Abubakar further revealed that the state government had set up a technical committee, comprising representatives of the ministries of Health, Water Resources and Environment to investigate the outbreak, adding that government had also ordered a total overhaul of old water pipes and upgrade of the reticulation system in Hadejia to avoid a re-occurrence of the misfortune.  

The commissioner stressed that his ministry had sensitised inhabitants of Hadejia and other communities in the area on personal hygiene and sanitation as measures of controlling the spread of the disease.

Related: Gastroenteritis Ravages Kebbi Community: Eight Dead, Many Hospitalised

Meanwhile, gastroenteritis or infectious diarrhea is a medical condition from inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that involves both the stomach and the small intestine. It causes some combination of diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain and cramping. Dehydration may also occur as a result. Gastroenteritis has been referred to as gastro, stomach bug, and stomach virus. Although unrelated to influenza, it has also been called stomach flu and gastric flu.

Building Collapse In Lagos Kills One, Leaves Five Injured

A building collapse claimed a life of one of the builders leaving several injured at Okegbo village in Ikorodu, Lagos, yesterday, June 24.

It was gathered that earlier the building was used as a poultry farm until its unnamed owner took a crucial decision to construct a multi-storey building on it. The incident occurred when six construction workers were working on the decking when it suddenly fell dragging them along.

Three of them Olaoluwa Olayinka, Mubarak and Yaya have been trapped under the debris. Unfortunately Olayinka passed away while two other workers were rescued. Shagamu road division police officers, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the Lagos State Fire Service officials were seen at the scene of the accident.

A food seller and a witness of a tragedy, Toyin Alabi, who escaped the death narrated: “I went to the building site to sell amala to the workers. But for Yinka, I would have been dead by now. He was the last person to buy food. While I was waiting for them to finish eating so as to take my plates get paid, he angrily told me not to hasten him, that I should come back for my plate and money. I left angrily. But barely had I stepped down than the building collapsed. Had I stayed back, perhaps, I would have been dead by now or be among those in the hospital.”

Woman gives birth to a lizard [Photo]

A midwife in Indonesia was shocked after apparently delivering a lizard instead of a human newborn.
A lizard apparently oozed out of the ‘pregnant’ woman, named Debi Nubatonis.

The lizard was apparently covered in mucus and blood as she was giving birth.

Bebi reportedly had all the usual signs of being eight-months pregnant.

Authorities in Indonesia are actually taking the incident rather seriously even going as far as launching an official investigation into the incident.

After further investigation, it was suggested that the woman, already a mother of two human children, was suffering from pseudocyesis, or phantom pregnancy, with an empty womb.

A doctor, the Chief Medical Officer of nearby Kupang City, Indonesia, gave this rather sobering conclusion.

‘So the gecko coming out is probably some kind of hoax.

‘Childbirth of another species has never been reported in science.’

Some news organisations have quoted neighbours claiming that Ms Nubatonis and her family apparently practice ‘witchcraft.’

Nigeria Football Federation showered encomiums on TB Joshua

Following Nigeria’s heroic performance against The Dragons of Bosnia early Sunday morning, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) top brass has showered encomiums on The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations for their constant prayers and support for the Super Eagles.

NFF co-coordinator Emmanuel Attah expressed the board’s delight toward the church for standing behind the team, given the number of successes recorded since the board came into office.

“On behalf of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board, I wish to express our profound gratitude to The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations for their support towards the Super Eagles. 

They were there with us in prayers during the AFCON which we won; they have been praying and supporting the team too at the World Cup. 

“We thank Prophet T.B. Joshua for praying for the team’s success and raising a top player like Onazi who has been of immense blessing to the country,” he said.

Peter Odemwengie’s first-half goal was the difference between the sides, as Nigeria reached four points in Group F ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Argentina, who have already qualified for the knockout stages.

Nigeria to build new ‘Labour Camp’ in Abuja

About 7000 families in the Nyanya labour camp will be relocated.

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The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday approved a contract of N14 billion to build a new Labour Camp to replace the ‘deplorable’ one which was built 30 years ago in Nyanya, Abuja.

The contract, with a 36 months ultimatum, will see those living in the Nyanya labour camp relocated to the Gidan Diya Area of Kurudu District of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Briefing journalists after the weekly Council meeting chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, the Minister of information, Labaran Maku, alongside the Abuja Minister of State, Olajumoke Akinjide, said the new camp will house 8,064 flats.

Giving a background of the project, Ms. Akinjide said the Nyanya labour camp was built as a temporary labour camp 30 years ago when Abuja was being built.

“It housed the labour eras who worked to build this great city of Abuja and after that, the houses were sold to the junior workers, some students and security personnel. However, upon review, the FCTA found that the Nyanya labour camp is very over crowded, the houses dilapidated, with poor sanitary conditions, inadequate social amenities and minimal infrastructure,” she said.

“In-fact the UN Habitat declared the Nyanya labour camp as unfit for human habitation.

“As a result, as a responsible administration, we felt it is not right for us to leave our citizens in such a condition. Hence the relocation of the residents of Nyanya labour to the Gidan Daya Site in Kurudu District,” she added.

The relocation site is 152 hectares along the Jikwoyi-Karshi road.

The Minister also said the contract will include the provision of roads, electricity, water supply, and drainage sewage system. She added that support facilities planned for the site will include schools, markets, police station, primary healthcare facilities, fire station and everything that is needed to have a viable community.

The expected population to occupy the new site when fully relocated is about 50,000 inhabitants.

“Not only will we relocate the current residents of Nyanya labour camp, but we will also be able to accommodate some new residents in the Gidan Daya, and all those who are already living in Gidan Daya will benefit from the enhanced infrastructure that is coming into the area,” she explained.

Ms. Akinjide said the project is in keeping with the President Jonathan’s directives that there should be equitable distribution of infrastructure and social amenities throughout Abuja. She said the project will generate employment opportunities for at least 25 professionals, 40 technicians and at least 800 unskilled labourers.

Responding to questions from journalists on compensation for those who already bought the houses at the Nyanya Labour Camp, Ms. Akinjide said those who paid for the houses will be provided with alternative houses.

“As we said, the houses have been declared by the UN Habitat as unfit for human habitation . So this is the first stage of the two-stage process. We first need to put in infrastructure in the chosen site at Gidan Daya. We are going to put standard infrastructure in accordance with the standards of the FCTA (Federal Capital Territory Administration) for the satellite towns. After that, we will then build houses amounting to 8,054 flats, which will be developed.

We have funding for that given to us by the African Development Bank, we are currently undergoing the processes for the procurement of that facility, that is why this memo is simply for the first stage, the infrastructure,” Ms. Akinjide said.

She said the FCTA will not start the relocation process until the new site has houses that will be allocated to owners of homes in the Labour Camp.

She said “those who have not fully paid will probably wait until they complete the payment before they get the houses.

Even those who have not paid anything will be given the rights of first refusal and thus will be given an allocation and be given the opportunity to purchase their houses in the relocation site,” she said.

After the relocation, Ms. Akinjide noted that the old camp site will undergo urban renewal and will be available for use by the FCT in accordance with the land use act that will be developed.