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Police arrest 48 notorious cultists, rescue 2 kidnapped persons
From Victor Sorokwu, Asaba
The Police in Delta State have arrested 48 suspected members of the Neo Black Movement (NBM) a.k.a. Black Axe Confraternity.
The suspected cultists, 36 males and 12 females, were said to be holding their annual initiation and anniversary ceremonies at a location in Warri, when the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) swooped on them.
According to the Delta State Police Command spokesperson Superintendent of Police Celestina Kalu, the Police, on receiving the tip, “deployed surveillance men to the identified location at Freshville hotel Okuokoko and arrested 36 male and 12 female suspects.”
In another development, the police, with the assistance of local vigilante, rescued a kidnapped victim unhurt on Sunday.
The kidnappers numbering about four men invaded the house of one Joseph Otemewo of Ogini Road, Oghara, kidnapped his wife and took her away in her Lexus Jeep Reg. No. GRA911KH.
The hoodlums had called for ransom but a combined team of police detectives and vigilante group went on their trail and engaged them in an exchange of fire in their Ologbo bush hideout.
One of the abductors, God’stime (surname not given) was shot and arrested while two others escaped. However, the suspect died on the way to the hospital.
Police said investigation had been intensified to track down the fleeing hoodlums who were said to have driven the stolen vehicle towards Benin in Edo State.
Bill Gates, Dangote foundations laud Yobe on child-killer diseases
From Kabir Hamisu Matazu, Damaturu
Stakeholders, including Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Mr. Bill Gates and Chairman of Dangote Foundation Alhaji Aliko Dangote, have commended the Yobe State Government on progress made in the fight against polio and other child killer diseases.
This came at the maiden mid-year review meeting of the progress being made in strengthening Routine Immunization in Yobe State following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in January 2016 between the Yobe State Government and the Bill & Melinda Gates and Dangote Foundations. The meeting took place yesterday in Damaturu.
The meeting, which was joined through live video feed by Mr. Gates from Seattle in the United States and Mr. Dangote from Miami also in the US, observed that 15 of Yobe’s 17 local government areas were significantly covered during the period under review and urged that the two remaining local governments of Gujba and Gulani which could not be reached at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency be reached now that security has been restored in the two local government areas.
Governor Ibrahim Gaidam told the meeting that the Yobe State Government is committed to the partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates and Dangote Foundations to ending polio and countering all the nine child killer diseases in the stateand pledged to continue to do everything necessary to support and retrofit the state’s health system.
He said the state will widen the scope of ongoing support for the Routine Immunization Programme to ensure robust data quality management and will continue to monitor the phased implementation of the community engagement strategy using traditional structures.
Mr. Bill Gates and Alhaji Aliko Dangote as well as the UNICEF Country Representative Ms Jean Gough also commended the Yobe State Government for the progress made despite the security and fiscal challenges that Yobe faced and urged the state government to sustain the tempo to meet the 2017 target of countering all the nine child killer diseases not just in Yobe State but in the country as a whole.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote particularly pledged to support the Yobe State Government in rebuilding and restoring all the healthcare infrastructure that have been destroyed in Gujba and Gulani Local Government areas when they fell under the control of Boko Haram insurgents before they were liberated by the Nigerian army.
House urges Sani Bello to refund deducted salaries
From Abubakar Haruna, Minna
The Niger State House of Assembly has asked the state government to refund deductionsý made from workers’ salaries with immediate effect.
This came as the ongoing indefinite strike declared by the Niger State councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to protest salary cut entered its second day.
The House passed the resolution yesterday following a motion moved by Hon. Bello Ahmad (PDP, Agwarra) and seconded by Hon. Salihu Edati (APC, Edati).
Ahmad said that the legislative arm was not consultedý before the deductions, adding that the governor’s action was unconstitutional.
“As far as this issue of slashing workers’ salaries is concerned, none of us was consulted and we are primary stakeholders in matters that affect the people.
“If you look at the constitution and the labour act, you will see that there’s no provision that empowers the state governmentý to slash salaries, no matter the state of the economy.
“ýIt is a different thing if there was an agreement and mutual understanding between the primary stakeholders before such deductions, but there was none and that is our worry,” he said.