Man To Die By Hanging For Killing Wife

Man To Die By Hanging For Killing Wife

A businessman, Suleiman Olalekan, was on Thursday sentenced to death by hanging at an Ikeja High Court for killing his 22-year-old wife, Chika Egbo by dousing her with acid.

Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo sentenced Olalekan to death after finding him guilty of a two-count charge of murder and grievous bodily harm.

While pronouncing the sentence, Lawal-Akapo said “The defendant is found guilty of murder, the defendant, Suleiman Olalekan, will be hanged by the neck until you are dead.

“May the Lord have mercy on your soul.”

Olalekan, a graduate of mechanical engineering from the University of Ibadan, Oyo, bowed his head and remained expressionless when the sentence was pronounced before a packed courtroom.

Olalekan’s trial started at the High Court on Dec. 9, 2014.

During the trial, the prosecution led by Mr Adeniji Kazeem, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, said that Olalekan committed the offence on Nov. 5, 2012.

“The accused at 1.35pm on the said day at Bakare St., Ikotun, Lagos, allegedly caused the death of Chika Egbo by bathing her with acid.

“He also caused the grievous bodily harm of one Mr Sunny  Daniel, a commercial motorcyclist,” he said.

According to the prosecution,  the convict and the deceased got married and had a child, a daughter who is currently four-years-old.

According to Kazeem, “The accused and the deceased were having problems in their relationship, the accused lured the deceased who had moved to Enugu back to Lagos under the guise that he wanted her to visit his mother. 

“When she came to Lagos, he and the deceased hailed a commercial motorcycle which was to convey them to his mother’s house.

“While the motorcycle was on motion, the accused brought out a container of acid and poured it over the head of the Egbo,” he said.

According to the prosecution, Suleiman was caught while trying to flee the crime scene by passers-by and sympathisers. 

The attack left Egbo’s head badly disfigured and unrecognisable as well as leaving severe burns on her shoulders, breasts and private parts.

“Daniel, the commercial motorcyclist was also grievously injured during the attack and almost lost an eye.

“Egbo succumbed to her injuries at the Burns Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on Dec. 20, 2014,” Kazeem said.

Suleiman testified in his defence during the trial on Nov. 24, 2016 and according to him,  Egbo got doused in acid during a scuffle with  him and her lover at an hotel room.

“On Nov. 5, 2016, a friend informed me that Chika was in a hotel room with a lover.

“I went to the hotel and knocked on the door and Chika opened the door and a man called Emeka was lying on a bed in the room. 

“A scuffle broke out between me, Emeka and Chika, Emeka brought out acid to pour on me but Chika got doused in the acid.

“Daniel, the motorcyclist was injured while conveying Chika to the hospital,” he said. 

Justice Lawal-Akapo, while reading the judgment on Thursday, debunked Suleiman’s version of events.

“I closely watched the demeanour of the accused while he gave his evidence, he was panting, fidgeting and I believe his testimony was filled with falsehood.

“I believe he poured the acid on the deceased which led to her death and the three ingredients of murder has been established.

“The defendant put up the defence of provocation and strenuously admitted it in his defence.

“However, in his statement to the police when the incident was still fresh in his memory, he did not raise the issue of provocation.

“In his confessional statement, he admitted that a ‘battery charger’ sold the acid to him for N1,500 after he told the ‘battery charger’ that he needed the acid for an experiment.

“A scenario of provocation does not arise while they were in motion on the motorcycle.

“He also did not bring up the defence of provocation during his oral testimony,” Lawal-Akapo said.

According to the prosecution, the offence contravened Sections 221 and 243 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. 

BUHARI SPEAKS TO TRUMP ON TELEPHONE

BUHARI SPEAKS TO TRUMP ON TELEPHONE



President Muhammadu Buhari this afternoon from London spoke to President Donald Trump on telephone at the request of the American President.

The conversation was cordial and President Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States, and on his cabinet.

The two leaders discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism through provision of necessary equipment.

President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military.

President Trump assured the Nigerian President of US readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism.


President Trump also invited President Buhari to Washington at a mutually convenient date.


FEMI ADESINA
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 13, 2017.

$174m ADB loan: Senate, Reps summon Fashola over sack of TCN management

$174m ADB loan: Senate, Reps summon Fashola over sack of TCN management

The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Power yesterday summoned the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to explain the sudden sack of the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The minister was asked to appear before the joint committee on Monday February 6, to provide explanation for the removal of the management of TCN.
The National Assembly expressed worry about the brewing crisis in the TCN over the unilateral change in the leadership of the company.
The Nation gathered that the change in the leadership of the TCN was in fulfillment of the conditions to obtain the $174 million loan granted the Federal Government a year ago by the African Development Bank (ADB).
The loan was specifically granted to tackle the country’s energy crisis. The removal of the management team of the TCN was said to be a major condition for the loan.
In the absence of the management of TCN, ADB “experts” will be deployed to run the TCN and manage the national grid for six months in the first instance.
It was learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of the condition paved the way for the sudden removal of TCN’s Managing Director, Abubakar Atiku Tambuwal.
Alhaji Usman Gur Muhammed, a former member of staff of the TCN, has been penciled to replace Tambuwal..
A statement by the joint power committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday, asked the Power, Works and Housing minister to appear to throw light on the development.
The joint committee after its meeting also directed that “the status quo ante in respect of the management of TCN be maintained”.
The statement endorsed by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and the Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Daniel Asuquo, also ordered that: “All TCN staff and relevant stakeholders should maintain the peace in the overall interest of the nation.”
The Senate had on Wednesday wondered why a critical national asset like the TCN would be handed over to the ADB when it has not been privatised.
The statement entitled “The TCN Leadership Crisis and its Effect on the Power Sector” reads:
“The Joint Committee on Power of the National Assembly acting on its powers of oversight received disturbing correspondences and information regarding the sudden change in the leadership of TCN, and its attendant crisis.
“Considering the urgency of the matter, especially due to the present economic recession, the Joint Committee resolved to invite the Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing to explain the decision of the ministry to “import” from the ADB (one of the lenders to TCN) yet another duplication of the Manitoba experience which had left a negative impression on the fortunes of TCN and indeed the Power Sector.
“The Joint Committee invited the Hon. Minister for Power, Work & Housing to appear before the Committee along with relevant officials on the 3rd of February which he could not appear.
“Consequently, the Joint Committee met and resolved as follows:
“(a) That the status quo ante in respect of the management of TCN be maintained;
“(b) That the Minister should endeavor to appear before the Committee on Monday 6th February, 2017 by 10 am. and
“(c) That all TCN staff and relevant stakeholders should maintain the peace in the overall interest of the nation”
The lawmakers were said to be “very concerned about some issues which may arise from the loan deal if implemented as agreed.”
A member of the committee noted that they were particularly worried about: “The propriety of allowing the ADB to run the TCN even when it is yet to be privatised;the legality of removing the TCN management, which is just midway into its tenure; and the arrangement under which the critical national asset will be given to the ADB.”

James Ibori arrives in Nigeria

James Ibori arrives in Nigeria

Former Delta State Governor , James Ibori , arrived Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport , Abuja.
According to eye witnesses , the former governor came into Abuja using a British Airways flight that touched down at the airport around 5. 30am .
Family members and well-wishers were at the NAIA to receive the former governor, as airport security officials and some staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria exchanged pleasantries with him.
It was learnt that the governor arrived with a British Airways Boeing 777 aircraft with registration G -VIID .
James Ibori had , on Friday , appeared before a Southwark Crown court in London for his asset forfeiture hearing .
He regained his freedom in December 2016 after spending four -and - a-half years in a United Kingdom prison for money laundering.
The British Government had accused him of stealing about $250m from the Delta State Government part of which was used in buying six houses and luxury vehicles in the UK , the United States and South Africa .

Punch

Gambia’s President Scraps Jammeh’s Four-day Week

Gambia’s President Scraps Jammeh’s Four-day Week

The Gambia’s new president has scrapped the four-day week introduced by his predecessor Yahya Jammeh.
In a statement Adama Barrow said that public sector employees would now have to work a half-day on Fridays too.
Four years ago, Mr Jammeh had said the country’s mainly Muslim population should use Fridays to pray, socialise and tend to fields.
However, under the new rules, the working week is actually officially shorter by three-and-a-half hours.
Official working hours are now 08:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Thursday and 08:00 to 12:30 on Friday – making 36-and-a-half hours a week.
Previously public sector employees were meant to work 40 hours a week, from 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Thursday.
BBC Africa’s Umaru Fofana says the four-day week had its critics, but under the former government, publicly expressing criticism of official policy could lead to severe punishment.
Image caption Mr Jammeh had said devoting time on Fridays to working the land would lead to a “healthy and wealthy nation”
“Now we have rejoined the civilised world,” Allieu Ceesay, a trader in Serekunda, The Gambia’s largest town, told our correspondent by phone.
The new directive comes less than two weeks since Mr Jammeh went into exile in Equatorial Guinea – and within a week of President Barrow’s return from Senegal to assume power.
Mr Jammeh had initially accepted defeat in elections in December, but then tried to have the results annulled.
Mr Barrow went to Senegal for his safety as the regional bloc Ecowas intervened to end the crisis.
Regional troops were deployed to The Gambia when Mr Jammeh’s term of office officially ended last month and his exit was negotiated by West African leaders.

US Judge Deals Severe Legal Blow To Trump Travel Ban

US Judge Deals Severe Legal Blow To Trump Travel Ban

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A US federal judge on Friday ordered a temporary, nationwide halt to President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, in the most severe legal blow to the controversial measure.
The restraining order issued by Seattle US District Judge James Robart is valid nationwide pending a full review of a complaint filed by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
“The constitution prevailed today,” Ferguson said, describing the judge’s decision as historic. “No one is above the law — not even the president.”
“I said from the beginning it is not the loudest voice that prevails in a courtroom, it’s the constitution,” he added, pointing out that Robart was appointed by Republican president George W. Bush.
But the White House quickly hit back, making it clear it was ready for a drawn-out battle on the issue. It initially denounced the decision as “outrageous” but later removed the word from its statement.
“At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file (for) an emergency stay of this order and defend the executive order of the president, which we believe is lawful and appropriate,” a statement said.
“The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.”
Friday’s ruling was not the first to challenge the travel ban, but it was the most sweeping as it effectively vacated the main tenets of the order.
Ferguson said the order technically means that anyone with a valid visa must be allowed entry into the country by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
But it was unclear whether the Trump administration would succeed in challenging it, leaving travelers in limbo over their legal status.
Robart’s decision came after Ferguson filed a suit to invalidate key provisions of Trump’s executive order which bars Syrian refugees indefinitely and blocks citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entry into the US for 90 days. Refugees from countries other than Syria are barred from entry for 120 days.
The State Department said Friday that up to 60,000 foreigners from the seven countries concerned had their visas canceled as a result of the order. A Justice Department attorney, however, told a court hearing in Virginia that about 100,000 visas had been revoked.
The US State Department was still studying the federal judge’s order as of late Friday night.
“We are working closely with the Department of Homeland Security and our legal teams to determine how this affects our operations. We will announce any changes affecting travelers to the United States as soon as that information is available,” the department said in a statement.
Trump’s executive order created chaos at airports across the United States and beyond as some travelers were detained or deported, prompting an uproar by rights groups and immigration attorneys.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee welcomed Friday’s ruling as a “tremendous victory” but warned that the battle to overturn Trump’s controversial order was far from over.
“There is still more to do,” he said in a statement. “The fight isn’t yet won. But we should feel heartened by today’s victory and more resolute than ever that we are fighting on the right side of history.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, the leader of the minority Democrats in the upper house of Congress, urged Trump to repeal his order “once and for all.”
“This ruling is a victory for the constitution and for all of us who believe this un-American executive order will not make us safer,” he said in a statement.
In his suit — which the state of Minnesota joined — Ferguson said the president’s ban violated the constitutional rights of immigrants and their families, and specifically targeted Muslims.
However federal attorneys representing the Trump administration argued that as president, he had broad powers and was within his right to issue an order that protects Americans.
The White House argues that the ban is aimed at making the country safer and at preventing terror attacks such as those in San Bernardino or Orlando.
Critics, however, say Trump’s immigration freeze is arbitrary and point out it doesn’t include any countries — such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt or Pakistan — whose nationals have been involved in terror attacks that have killed Americans.

Police, TuFace reach truce on protest

Police, TuFace reach truce on protest

…We won’t stop Tuface, other Nigerians from protesting – Presidency

The Lagos State Police Command Friday rescinded its threat to stop the anti-government protest slated for Monday by pop star Innocent Idibia popularly known as TuFace.

The two sides met Friday and resolved to modify their hard line positions, according to Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni.
Owoseni explained that the police were concerned about the safety of residents of Lagos, including the protesters and would not want anything untoward to happen to them.
He said: “We had a meeting with the protesters and we explained to them why we advised against the protest. A pro-government group wants to protest that same day and we don’t want a situation where there would be friction.
“We also don’t want hooligans to hijack the process and injure the protesters.
“After explaining to them, they said they will go back and discuss with others. They said if they decide to go ahead, they won’t demonstrate but would assemble at a point and read their demands.
“That notwithstanding, we have resolved to provide security for them. It is our responsibility and we won’t shy away from it. We will ensure trouble makers do not hijack the process.”
The Presidency also declared that it has nothing against the protest and that Tuface and other Nigerians are entitled to express themselves in peaceful protests.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. Laolu Akande said on his Twitter handle that the Buhari Administration “will not prevent Nigerians from expressing themselves in peaceful protests, it’s a fundamental right of the people.”
He added: “No govt has ever laid out the kind of Social Investment Prog, the Buhari govt is now running across the nation, that will touch millions.”
Meanwhile, Afrobeat singer, Femi Kuti has denied insinuations that he is against the TuFace protest.