News Agency of Nigeria (Nan)
Wife Killing: Trial of Peter Nielsen continues
The trial of Danish national, Peter Nielsen, charged with killing his wife, Zainab, and the daughter, Petra, continues in Lagos today.
On Tuesday, Evelyn Gimba, housekeeper to the Danish national, testified at an Igbosere High Court that she did not witness any violence or rift between her employers, until the tragedy of 5th April, 2018.
Nielsen, 53, who was arraigned on June 13 and has since been remanded in prison, is standing trial on a two-count charge of murder.
At the resumed trial of the case on Tuesday, the housekeeper while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mr Olasupo Shasore (SAN), said: ”I never witnessed any violence between my madam (deceased) and the husband (defendant).
“They were always happy and I never saw Peter (defendant) in a drunken state.”
Gimba told the court that on the day of the incident she did not hear any noise before getting up at 6.00 am to resume her duties.
She said she was unable to open the door leading to the kitchen which she usually opened to start her duties.
“I tried to open the door leading to the kitchen but it didn’t open so I went downstairs to the parlour.
“I called one of the children’s number but it was switched off. I knocked at the door several times before it was opened for me.
“I then asked the girl that opened the door what type of sleep she was still sleeping up to that time.
“The girl then told me that my madam and her husband were fighting the previous night. I saw little bruises on the defendant’s forehead and hand when he came out from his room.
“I went to the children’s room for my duties and then l heard Peter shouting from the kitchen, ‘Jesus’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the housekeeper had earlier told the court during examination-in-chief that when she heard the defendant shouting, Jesus, she entered the kitchen and saw him carrying the deceased’s daughter.
She also said the defendant laid on the deceased’s wife’s body on the floor and was tapping her to wake up.
NAN reports that the housekeeper gave her evidence in Hausa but was translated into English.
She was led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mr Adeniji Kazeem (SAN), the State Attorney General.
However, after the evidence of the witness, the defence counsel made an oral application urging the court to make the proof of evidence an actual evidence before the court.
Shasore made the application to quash the objection made by the prosecutor preventing the defence from asking a witness questions from her statement previously made at the police station.
Shasore said the statement of the witness at the police station which was attached in the proof evidence should be used to cross-examine the witness.
He said failure to do so violates the defendant’s constitutional rights which the state had sworn to uphold.
But the prosecutor in his response said, “we are not stopping the defence from cross-examining the witness, what we are saying is that he should tender the statement in evidence.”
Justice Mobolanle Okikiolu-Ighile after listening to the argument, adjourned ruling on the oral application until today.
The prosecutor had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on April 5 at 3.45 a.m. at their residence — No. 4 Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The offence, according to the prosecutor, contravenes Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
By Abujah Racheal
Nigeria has recorded 87 new cases of the COVID-19, bringing the total infections to 1,182 , according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The NCDC, in a tweet via its official handle, said 33 of the new infections were recorded in Lagos, 18 in Borno, 12 in Osun, nine in Katsina, four each in Kano and Ekiti, three each in Edo and Bauchi and one in Imo.
“As at 11:55 pm April 25, there are 1,182 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Nigeria. The country’s total deaths from the virus now stand at 35, while 222 have been treated and discharged,” it said.
The centre said as at 11:55 pm, April 25, Lagos has 689, FCT-138, Kano-77, Ogun-35, Osun-32, Gombe-30, Katsina-30, Borno-30, Edo-22, Oyo-18, Kwara-11, Akwa Ibom-11, Bauchi-11, Kaduna-10, Ekiti-8 and Ondo-4.
Others are Delta-six, Rivers-three, Jigawa-two, Enugu-two, Niger-two, Abia-two, Zamfara-two, Sokoto-two, Benue-one, Anambra-one, Adamawa-one, Plateau-one and Imo-one.
87 new cases of #COVID19 have been reported;
33 in Lagos
18 in Borno
12 in Osun
9 in Katsina
4 in Kano
4 in Ekiti
3 in Edo
3 in Bauchi
1 in ImoAs at 11:55 pm 25th April there are 1182 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria.
Discharged: 222
Deaths: 35 pic.twitter.com/La5xzZZe2z— NCDC (@NCDCgov) April 25, 2020
Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria
President Muhammadu Buhari has publicly disagreed with the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress over the right of aggrieved members to seek redress in court.
In a statement by Femi Adesina, the president’s media adviser, President Buhari stressed that if anyone is displeased with the way and manner anything has been done, and feels deprived of his/her rights, then such a person is at liberty to approach the courts for redress.
It was the president’s first public reaction to the discontent within the party over the conduct of primaries, in the selection of candidates for elective offices.
Until now, President Buhari had tried to appease members behind the scenes, begging and cajoling aggrieved members to bury the hatchet.
In a different reaction, the NWC of the party headed by former governor Adams Oshiomhole forbade members from dragging the party to court. It even went further to threaten the litigants.
President Buhari disagreed with the party:
“We can’t deliberately deny people of their rights. We agreed that party primaries should be conducted either through direct, indirect or consensus methods, and if anyone feels unjustly treated in the process, such a person can go to court. The court should always be the last resort for the dissatisfied. For the party to outlaw the court process is not acceptable to me.”
In the statement, President Buhari still favoured non-legal approach for reconciliation of the aggrieved as he urged them to embrace the party’s reconciliation panels.
According to Adesina, President Buhari advised members to work with the reconciliation committees empanelled for the six geo-political zones by the APC, and not a purported Presidential Committee on Reconciliation, stressing that the Party is the only body authorised to constitute such committees.
The APC had threatened aggrieved members who have headed to the courts, saying that: “The Party intends to activate constitutional provisions to penalise such members as their action is capable of undermining the Party and hurt the Party’s interest.
“We hereby strongly advise such members to withdraw all court cases, while approaching the appropriate party organs with a view to resolving any outstanding disputes. In addition to this, aggrieved members are urged to take full advantage of the reconciliation committees the Party has put in place.
“APC members should understand that as a progressive party that operates on the principle of change, it is not a matter of choice to keep to the rules.”
Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
By Taiye Elebiyo-Edeni.
Over 1000 workers will be employed for the Warri-Itakpe standard gauge rail corridor, Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) said.
“It’s about 320km, about 12 stations and we have to engage people that will maintain the tracks, people that will work in the stations and sell tickets.
“Also, technicians that will examine the train. So, we are going to engage close to over 1000 to maintain about 320km track, both junior and senior.
“New employees can’t just be sent there; they must be trained.
“In order for them to be trained, we will be moving people from the existing staff, but we have to replace them. So we have to fill up those positions before the new people will be trained and certify to be part of the train operations,” he said.
NAN reports that NRC operates one-year training programme for graduate staff and three months for the junior staff.
According to Okhiria, the 12 stations for the train service are still under construction, adding that temporary stations would be used pending completion.
He, however, assured that the stations would be completed by the first quarter of 2019, noting that some of the houses at the railway village were renovated recently for workers.
Okhiria said that a lot has been achieved, especially in the rail system under the current administration, with the purchase of more rolling stock and wagons.
Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
By Jacinta Nwachukwu/ Bukola Adewumi
Mr Loveday Ogbonna, Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says registration for the National Identity Number (NIN) is free of charge to all Nigerians.
Ogbonna, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said that the commission had never charged anyone for NIN registration.
Some residents in Kubwa, Abuja, had claimed that they were made to pay N200 for logistics before being registered at the ongoing NIMC registration.
But, Ogbonna said that it was not the responsibility of the enrollees to pay money to fuel generators at registration centres.
“The commission absolutely condemns this, it is not right for enrollees to pay money for fueling of the generators before being captured but people also react based on how urgent they need NIN.
“Our staff would have told them that there was no light which is not under their control; however, you know that electricity is not under our purview just like the internet.
“Therefore, if you come to a place that we don’t have electricity and people on their own volunteer to contribute money to fuel the generator, it is out of their own free will.
“Although we don’t encourage it, because that will lead to corruption, but if the people on their own decide to contribute we cannot stop them.
“All these issues are due to paucity of fund, if there is enough money available for the exercise or steady power supply all these things will not happen,’’ Ogbonna.(NAN)
Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
Buhari Will Win In 2019: US Institute
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has predicted that President Muhammadu Buhari will win the 2019 election. The organisation...
Why Buhari Deserves Second Term – Lai Mohammed
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that President Muhammadu Buhari deserved second term election because,...
Atiku Presidential Campaign Council: PDP Releases List of Members
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday released the list of party members to handle the campaign team of the...
Obasanjo Forgives Atiku, Endorses Him For President
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday said he has reviewed his stance on not backing his former deputy for the...
Buhari, Atiku In Battle Of Integrity Over 2019 Poll
THE brickbats continued yesterday between President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and...