News Desk Friday, June 08, 2007

FG plans N97 per litre fuel price

THE Federal Government plans to hike the current fuel price of N75 per litre to N97 even as the dust raised by the price increase in the dying days of the Obasanjo administration is yet to settle. MORE>>

Fire razes Imo Govt Lodge

OWERRI — THREE children of Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State narrowly escaped death yesterday when a mysterious fire razed the Governor’s Lodge popularly known as “Douglas House” in Owerri. The family packed in only last week following the swearing-in of the new governor. The governor was away on official assignment to Lagos and Otta, Ogun State when the fire broke out. MORE>>

Murder: Court orders Army Commander to release suspected soldiers

OWERRI — An Owerri High Court presided over by Justice Ngozi Bernardine Ukoha, has ordered the Commander of 34 Field Artillery Brigade, Obinze, Brigadier General Amnon Kalayi Kwaskebe, to release the two soldiers accused of killing Citizen Sylvester Nnaemeka Obiekea to the police to face prosecution. Justice Ukoha similarly ordered the police to ensure that the two soldiers are brought to court on June 21,2007, the next adjourned date to face trial. MORE>>

Uwazuruike: SSS bars journalists from court

Abuja — Men of the State Security Services (SSS) yesterday stopped newsmen from covering the trial of Mr Ralph Uwazuruike and 10 other leaders of the outlawed Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
The MASSOB leaders are being prosecuted before the Federal high court sitting in Abuja by the Federal Government for treason. MORE>>

Police Commissioner, 2 aides arrested with N200m

A mind-boggling scandal blew open at the Force Headquarters, Abuja on Thursday, with the arrest of a Commissioner of Police and his two aides with local and foreign currencies totaling about N200 million. MORE>>

Life outside presidency: Obasanjo stranded in traffic jam

Ten days after he relinquished power to Alhaji Umar Yar'Adua, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday, in Lagos, experienced hard life outside the Presidency as he was stranded in a traffic jam for almost two and half hours. MORE>>

Etteh pledges 30% of public positions for women

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, has vowed to ensure that the Federal Government implements the global policy of allocating 30 per cent of the appointive or elective positions to women.

Etteh, in an interview with the Daily Independent in Abuja on Thursday said she would take it as priority, the constitutional amendment to accommodate 30 per cent of women in government. MORE>>

EFCC to extradite Nnamani, Dariye, others

Also billed for extradition over the same charges are the immediate past governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye, his Jigawa State counterpart, Alhaji Saminu Turaki, and the former governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Boni Haruna. MORE>>

Nigeria's foreign reserves hit 43.5bn

The figure which is for the month of May, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, is sufficient to finance 25 months of imports at current levels. External Reserves climbed from $42bn at the end of December to $43.2bn at the end of April. MORE>>

Yar'Adua, at G-8, renews Nigeria's bid for UN seat

PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday took his place on the world stage at the on-going G-8 summit in Germany, meeting separately with the leaders of China, India and Brazil. A major request of the President from the three world leaders is their support for Nigeria's bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council whenever it is expanded. MORE>>

Britons advised to leave Niger Delta after wave of kidnappings

The Foreign Office today advised all British nationals to leave the Niger Delta in Nigeria following a series of kidnappings of foreign oil workers. MORE>>