Month: April 2024

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB has released results for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

Recall that over 1.94 million candidates registered and sat the examination in 118 towns and over 700 centres across the country.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, announced the release of the results at a press conference held at the board’s headquarters, Bwari, in Abuja on Monday.

Details to follow

The sum of N30 million has been slammed on popular blogger, Linda Ikeji by a Delta State High Court sitting in Effurun as damages over her libellous publication against the Neo-Black Movement (NBM) of Africa.

The presiding judge, Justice Roli Daibo-Harriman, in her rulings on Monday also awarded a sum of N300,000 being cost of litigations against the entrepreneur.

The court also ordered Ikeji to place a publication in her blog and national dailies retracting the libellous publication complained about.

Furthermore, Ikeji who is a Defendant in a lawsuit number: EHC/210/2021 was also ordered to restrained from making further damaging publications against the Claimants and members of the NBM of Africa.

The lawsuit had the Registered Trustees of NBM of Africa, Ese Kakor, Felix Kupa and Mayor Onyebueke as the Claimants.

Ikeji was dragged before the court by the NBM of Africa and three others after she had failed to honour the demand letter of retraction and apology over the libelous article published in her blog on Oct. 19, 2021.

The blogger in her publication of Oct. 19, 2021 allegedly referred to NBM of Africa as dreaded cult group, black axe, criminal organisation and other names.

Consequently, the claimants prayed the court for an award of N1 billion only and an unreserved apology to be published in her blog and two national newspapers and among others.

In her rulings, Justice Daibo-Harriman clearly described the words, dreaded cultist group, black axe, criminal organusation and others as used by the defendant in her libelous publication as all defamatory.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the court’s proceedings, lead counsel to the Claimants, Mr Kelvin Agbroko said that it was a well deserved judgement.

“This will serve as lesson to bloggers that it is not every item you published. It is good to verify information before making a publication.

Agbroko said.

Also responding to the judgement the President of NBM of Africa, Mr Ese Kakor said that the case had been on for about two years.

He said that the judgement was a warning to bloggers and other members of the public not to call people or organisations names that were not ascribed to them in a bid to blackmail or defamed their characters.

“What Ikeji did was just to sell in a bid to defame the character of NBM of Africa, it is very wrong.

he said.

Kakor, however, advised the public to be law abiding and do things within the ambits of the law.

The defendant was not present in court neither was she represented.

Nigerian airline, Airpeace, has been ordered by a Lagos High Court  to answer queries raised by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism on the libel suit filed by the firm on its aircraft operations from Lagos to Anambra State on October 12, 2022.

In the suit number: LD/ADR/4833/23 – Air Peace v. Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Air Peace maintains that it adhered to safety protocols and practices in compliance with safety directives and policies.

It challenged FIJ’s Interrogatory’s compelling answers to questions regarding the aircraft used and flight operation, describing them as “scandalous and irrelevant” to the libel suit. FIJ was dissatisfied with the responses to the questions and filed an application compelling Air Peace to answer the questions sufficiently objected to.

In the ruling, delivered on Thursday by the court, Justice Jose upheld the argument of FIJ, represented by counsel Abimbola Ojenike and Jesulayomi Oyelami of Slingstone LP, stating that the questions requesting for the details of the first two aircraft designated to convey passengers are relevant to the facts in issue and that they relate to the defendant’s case and are capable of proving that the defendants are right.

Accordingly, the court directed Air Peace to answer Questions 1, 4, and 7 of the defendant’s Interrogatories within seven days of the order’s grant.

“Question 1 – Provide the comprehensive description and specification of the aircraft 5N-BUL initially scheduled for the operation of Flight P47336 on October 12, 2022.

The suit was, however, adjourned till May 23, 2024 for further proceedings.

Recall that FIJ had reported that passengers aboard an Air Peace aircraft flying from Lagos to Anambra managed to escape death after its engine stopped working three times at the take-off point.

FIJ had reported that the aircraft, which was scheduled to take off at 11 am, was delayed for two hours after the management of the airline had earlier announced that the plane originally scheduled for the Anambra trip had suddenly developed fault.

“The engine stopped three times and there was no explanation until passengers asked to be allowed to leave the plane. The captain only gave a vague explanation when the passengers expressed their concerns. He said the DAC or something similar to that went off on us,” FIJ had quoted one of three sources as saying.

“This was supposed to be a substitute plane as the first couldn’t be used for technical reasons. If this lackadaisical attitude continues, I fear they may record a crash soon. If we had flown today, we likely would have crashed,” it added.

Airpeace subsequently instituted legal action against FIJ, demanding N50 million for damages, N250 million for aggravated damages, and N5 million for the cost of legal action.

The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, who confirmed the accident in Awka on Monday, said it occurred on Sunday.

Irelewuyi said that the crash could be attributed to speeding and loss of control.

“The fatal crash involved a broken-down commercial Benz truck with registration number: UKP381ZU and a green-coloured Sienna car with registration number KRD429AG.

,” he said.

While condoling with the family of the dead, the sector commander warned drivers of articulated vehicles to endeavour to place caution triangle and reflective tape to indicate signs of cautionary alert to other moving vehicles.

“Motorists should also desist from carrying overload, ensure their vehicles are roadworthy, and maintain a safe speed limit to prevent road accidents”. (NAN)
 

Twin brothers, Taiwo and Kehinde Olasoji alongside two others, Funke Afolayan ‘f’ and Nnaji Aroh ‘m’ have been arrested by the Ekiti State Police Command for offences bordering on burglary and receiving of stolen goods.

The spokesperson of the command, Sunday Abutu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

According to Abutu, the twins were arrested on April 25 while attempting to break into a shop at Mathew Street, Odo-Ado, Ado Ekiti.

During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the commission of the crime.

“They further stated that they were responsible for burgling three shops in Fayemi Market at Agric Olope, Ado Ekiti where they carted away two bags of rice, two bags of beans and other valuables valued at N936,750,” the statement read.

“Further investigation by the Command’s Rapid Response Squad led to the arrest of one Afolayan Funke and Nnaji Benignus Aroh who the suspects claimed have been receiving stolen properties from them.”

The statement added that the suspects will be arraigned accordingly.
 

Nigeria’s Vice President, Sen Kashim Shettima left the country on Sunday for for Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, to participate in the International Development Association Heads of State Summit taking place on Monday.

In a statement titled ‘IDA Summit: VP Shettima departs Abuja for Nairobi’ and signed by his spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, the vice president will represent President Bola Tinubu at the summit.

The statement said the event will see African leaders unite to call for an ambitious replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association concessional lending arm.

“VP Shettima is expected to take a lead role in advocating for Nigeria’s vision of a transformative IDA21 financing package to accelerate development across the continent over the 2024-2026 period.

Shettima is expected to emphasise that partners like IDA will be critical to realising Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda, with the country’s young population requiring substantial investments in sectors like job creation, energy access, and human capital development.

The statement added that the Nairobi summit follows previous IDA gatherings in Abidjan in 2021 and Dakar in 2022, where African leaders united to call for an ambitious IDA20 replenishment from donors.

Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Chinedu Ukadike, told newsmen that the product is not available in the country and that it is now challenging to source the product because most refineries in Europe are undergoing turnaround maintenance.

Ukadike blamed the acute shortage in supply on importation bottlenecks and the slow pace of marketers’ licence renewal by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA. He added that only 1,050 marketers out of 15,000 have had their licences renewed by NMDPRA.

Ukadike said;

“The situation is that there is no product. Once there is a lack of supply or inadequate supply, what you will see is scarcity and queues will emerge at filling stations.

On the challenges faced by marketers in renewing their licences, Ukadike said;

“NNPC has said the marketers who have not been able to renew their licences will not be allowed to remain on their portal which has been shut for some time now. Because of this, we have not been able to request new products.