Ikorodu Abduction Latest: Police, School Clueless About Missing Girls’ Whereabouts

The Nigeria Police Force and the management of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary are presently totally clueless about the whereabouts of three students of the school who were abducted from its premises in Ikorodu area of Lagos State on Monday night.
We can authoritatively report that contrary to rumours making the rounds that the girls have been found, they are still missing, and both the police and the school authorities have no idea where the girls are or might have been taken.

Our correspondents currently at the school confirm that the girls’ whereabouts are still unknown and the police is not even sure of where they might be or how to bring them back home. Efforts by Our correspondents to speak with officials of the school, particularly the principal to get first hand information on the whole incident, has proved abortive as they have remained tight-lipped over the fate of the girls and what is being done to ensure that they are found.
It is hoped that the Nigeria Police Force would intensify efforts to find the three secondary school girls who were abducted yesterday night.
As at the time of filing this report, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni has been to the school to speak with the management of the school and to monitor how the situation is being managed. Although the police has deployed personnel and helicopter to scout the area and environs for the abducted children, they have so far come up with nothing.

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Ikorodu Abduction: Parents Withdraw Children From School

Following the abduction of three girls on Monday night by unknown gunmen in what is reminiscent of the squaring away of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State almost two years ago, parents have begun withdrawing their students from the affected school, Barbington Macaulay Junior Seminary in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
our  correspondents who were at the school report that cars could be seen filing in droves into the school premises this afternoon as parents trooped in to pick up their kids, and guardians came to pick up their wards as they worried for their safety.

Parents’ cars parked alongside a road inside the premises of the school.

It was however gathered that while some of the parents were there just to pick up their children for their JAMB exams set for this weekend, others, greatly scared of the whole saga, were there to take their children to the safety of their homes.
The school authorities are not stopping any parent from picking up their kids.  According to principal of the school, Venerable O. Adeyemi, parents were free to pick up their kids in the light of the sad development at the school.
Adeyemi, who spoke exclusively with Greennews.ng inside the school premises on Tuesday, also revealed that the parents of the missing girls have been fully briefed about the efforts being made by the school authorities to rescue the girls and they are fully supportive of the school’s attempts so far.

A police helicopter deployed in search of the missing girls.

Security operatives assessing the situation inside the school premises on Tuesday.

Adeyemi also confirmed that the missing students were really three girls but refused to disclose their names for security reasons. He also confirmed that they were abducted on Monday night at around 8pm but denied reports that attempts had been made in the past to cart away students of the school. He said those reports were totally untrue.
He refused blatantly to comment on reports that security operatives may have arrested one of the kidnappers saying that he was not in the position to speak on security matters as he has been strongly advised against it by the police.
Meanwhile, a resident within the area told Greennews.ng on grounds of anonymity that the gunmen operated for about an hour on Monday night, shooting sporadically into the air as they carried out their raid without being disturbed.
As at the time of filing this report, the girls are still missing and nobody (person or group) has come out to claim responsibility for the Monday night abduction.

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Gunmen Kidnap Ex-Director Of SSS

A retired Director of the State Security Service in Taraba state, Mr. Hosea Danjuma has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen at his residence at Baisa town, in Kurmi local government area of Taraba state.
Hosea was said to be abducted by the gunmen in the early hours of Tuesday at about about 2 hours past midnight

The policePPRO Taraba state police command, ASP Joseph Kwaji, confirmed that Hosea Danjuma was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Baisa.
He however said that a special squared has been deployed by the command to rescue the former SSS Director.
Kwaji added that no contact has been established with the kidnappers yet.
It will be recalled that the mother of the deputy governor of Taraba state was kidnapped two weeks ago before she was later released.

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Nigerians Are Not Transparent At Ports – Customs Comptroller Laments

Mr Willy Egbudin, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Command, says lack of transparency is the bane of effective cargo clearance at Nigerian ports.
Egbudin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos that too many discrepancies in documents the public presented for cargo clearance were affecting the smooth operations of the service.
“The problem we are facing with the trading public is not (being) compliant enough; we still have discrepancies in their declarations.
“Most of them are not transparent; they are not honest when they are making declarations.
“When you make honest declaration, you make things easier for the Nigeria Customs Service and you are also making things easier for yourself.
“Because your trade will be facilitated, that means you can now clear your goods within a very short time.
“By the time you make dishonest declaration and the Nigerian customs discovers it, you end up paying demurrage and the demurrage sometimes might be more than the DN (Debit Note) that you are going to pay.
“So, if you declare transparently, you are going to achieve that 48-hour which government has always talked about.
“Is that 48-hour clearance of goods from the ports is achievable but it is just for the trading public, for them to do the needful. “
He said that in spite of all the challenges facing the command, it surpassed the revenue generated in January 2015, compared to the corresponding period of 2016. Egbudin said that the command generated N23.4 billion in January 2016, up from N20.7 billion generated in January 2015.
He urged importers not to engage in unwholesome goods, adding that bringing in such goods would lead to prosecution and seizures. “In spite of the fact that the volume of trade is low but we also look inwards especially in terms of intervening by issue of DN, intervention by issuing Debit Note.
“We issue them DN, to get those collections which they have not paid, so, we look inwards to ensure that nobody goes with the government money.
“For now, import seizures we have only had one. In exports, we have had about two.
“In fact, three now, because there is just one, which we have not actually finalised but definitely is going to be seized.
“Roughly sawn woods, timber, they are prohibited. “If you want to export timber, it has to be processed and cut to size. That is the only way we can export timber; those are the seizures we have made so far.’’
Egbudin, however, urged both importers and exporters to make honest declarations so as to enable the Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali to achieve the N1trillion revenue target Thanks for reading.

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Union Groups Threaten To Shut Down Egbin, Other Power Plants Over Sack 400 Electricity Workers.

Following last Friday’s sack of 400 members of National Union of Employees, NUEE by the management of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, Labour unions in the power and oil and gas sector have threatened to shut down Egbin power station and other power plants across the country. 
The Unions which included; National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE; Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, gave a seven-day ultimatum to the management of IKEDC to recall the affected workers unconditionally or risk unprecedented industrial action.
Among the workers who were sacked last Friday without reason is Mr. Christian Omemeh, a deputy president of NUEE.
While expressing shock over the sack, NUEE and SSAEAC, in the ultimatum to the IKEDC, lamented that since the takeover of the company on November 1, 2013, the management had refused to put in a place a mechanism to draw-up credible conditions of service that would enjoy joint authorship of labour and employer for the benefit of both staff and management.
According to them, the sins of IKEDC includes the sack of the 400 union members even though the management had claimed nothing of such was coming.
“Union then demanded to know the parameters being used, and management agreed to invite the headship of the union to confidentially show them the parameters being used and how the assessment is being done. Unfortunately, up till today, when management has gone ahead to disengage another batch of about 400 of our members, no invitation has been extended to the union. This is an exhibition of disrespect to the unions, contrary to best labour practices. “Arising from the above enumerated anti-labour behaviours therefore, the union hereby issues you seven days to address all these demands or we will be left with no alternative than to take legitimate means of defending the interests of our members and this shall be without further notice,” the unions said.
Reacting to the sack, NUPENG in a statement by its President, Mr. Igwe Achese, said: “The union has put its members on notice in NGC to commence a shutdown of supplies of gas to the thermal stations and plants if the 400 workers are not called back to work when the seven-day ultimatum expires.”  Thanks for reading.

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Breaking: Heavy Shooting, Chaos In Oshodi, Lagos

There is an ongoing pandemonium in Oshodi area of Lagos as hoodlums were destroying properties and causing widespread fears in the area.
Hoodlums also known as ‘area boys’ were said to have regrouped at Brown Street, Oshodi, and later unleashed mayhem in the area. They reportedly destroyed properties at Bolade Bus stop.
According to eyewitnesses, more than 10 vehicles have been vandalised by the miscreants.
“We heard heavy shootings in the area”, a trader told us.
It is still unclear what was responsible for the latest fracas in Oshodi. However, Oshodi is known to be the abode of hooligans aside traders selling in the area. Heavy traffic logjam is buidling up around the area as motorists are making a u-turn from Shogunle bus stop.Thanks for reading,

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Former Jonathan’s Aid, Gulak, Others, Form New Political Party.

The splinter group from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including a former political adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak have merged with splinters of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), in a bid to unveil a new political party – Peoples Mega Party (PMP).

This development was as a result of the leadership crisis in Nigeria’s main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party. The new political group, PMP, which held its maiden meeting in Abuja Tuesday, unanimously adopted Perry Opara as its interim chairman.

In his remarks at the proposed new party’s meeting, Mr. Opara said the leadership crisis within the PDP served as a factor for the formation of PMP.

He said: “The major people who are in the party are former members of the PDP who are disenchanted by the high level of corruption, high level of impunity and high-handedness in the PDP.

”They have decided to form something very new and they are of the opinion that they should hand over the party to younger elements who are less corrupt and who can fight for the interest of the people.

“It does not mean that it is only people from the PDP, we have APGA chairmen from many states of Nigeria identifying with the new party, people from Labour Party, LP, and the Accord Party, AP.

“There are also disenchanted people from the APC that feel that they want a new place and that is what it is. Today marks the birth of this new party.”. Thanks for reading.

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