Residents Oppose Moves To Convert Asokoro To High Density Area

Some residents of Asokoro District of Abuja have approached an Abuja High Court over alleged moves by Setraco Nigeria Limited to convert Asokoro from a low to high density populated area.

The suit which comes up today before Justice S. C.

Oriji, is seeking a mandatory order to compel the defendants to restore the entire 25 hectares of land in Asokoro to its original green areas.

The plaintiffs are Royal Niger Properties Limited, Aerobell Nigeria Limited, A.V.M Adekoya, and Alhaji Hussaini Abdulrahman. The rest are Emeka Mba, Adamu Hamidu, Israel Ekpenyong and Ruth Daniel. They sued for themselves as owners and residents of Asokoro District within a neighborhood radius of 100 Meters of Plot Nos. 3908 (now 2204) and 4079 Asokoro District, Abuja.

Joined as defendants are Sunrise Estate Development Limited and Setraco Nigeria Limited, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, the Federal Capital Development Authority, Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency and the Director, Department of Development Control.

Today's Newspaper Headlines : Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Good morning to you and welcome to my blog this beautiful Wednesday morning, Hope you all had a wonderful night. News headlines from selected national newspaper across the country here this morning for your reading pleasure, have a wonderful day as you read.

VANGUARD

• Buhari blows hot, vows to recover all stolen funds
• Lord's Chosen pastor shot dead in Lagos
• Election tribunal: Wike begs tribunal to deny APC access to election materials
• Port Harcourt monorail may not continue ' Wike
• Review Jonathan's last minute appointments, Idada tells Buhari
• Bamaiyi: Court Registrar opens defence, denies allegation
• Ezekwesili canvasses competent civil service for FG's reforms
• Pandemonium in Oghara as soldiers kill vigilante leader
• Kidnappers ' Why They Prosper
• Buhari's charming media offensive
• Fallout of key appointments unsettles Udom's Akwa Ibom
• 2015: Judging Jega and the media
• How Buhari's govt can succeed, by Oyatedor
• NSE to commence trading local currency futures
• Quoted companies and their shareholders in 2014 (3)
• Naira will further depreciate if' CBN
• Digital economy sets the stage to accelerate growth for African entrepreneurs
• The change must start now

Stephanie Linus And Husband Meets The Queen Of England

Stephanie Okereke Linus and husband, Linus Idahosa was invited to an award ceremony for the 2015 winners of The Queen's Young Leaders Award on Monday, June 22.

The elated and pregnant Nollywood actress glows in the pictures she shared on her social media page. See more photos after the jump.

‘Titanic’ Composer James Horner Feared Dead After Plane Crash

James Horner, the Academy Award-winning movie score composer behind dozens of major films including Titanic, Braveheart and Avatar, was unaccounted for Monday after the crash of a small plane registered in his name.

Fire officials said they found the burning wreckage about 2 miles west of Highway 33 sometime after 9:30 a.m. Within the one-acre burn zone they discovered the tail section of the two seater turboprop plane, which was registered in Horner's name.

Horner's agency did not immediately return messages left Monday evening, and his lawyer told Mashable only that no one had heard from Horner since the crash was spotted about 60 miles north of Santa Barbara.

Ron Howard, who collaborated with Horner on several films, tweeted this reaction late Monday night. It was not immediately clear whether Howard had any inside information on whether Horner was killed in the crash, and renewed outreach to fire officials in Santa Barbara were not immediately returned.

NSCDC Nabs Serial Goat Thieves ‎In Ondo State

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ondo State has smashed a gang that specialised in stealing livestock.

The suspects were paraded before journalists at the Corps' headquarters Alagbaka office, in Akure, the Ondo State Capital on Tuesday.

The suspected thieves are: Kayode Ogunmola (60), Taiwo Ogunmola (20), Kehinde Ogunmola (20), Isaac Stephen (22), and Ifeanyin Okonkwo (21).

State Public Relations Officer of the Corps, Mr. Kayode Balogun, said that the suspected thieves were in possession of thirteen ‎already slaughtered goats at the time of arrest.

"Ten out of the goats ‎were pregnant while one of it was in labour when it was slaughtered," Balogun added.

Ramadan Tragedy: 3 Teenagers Drown In Well

Three secondary school students drowned one after the other in a well while trying to fetch water to perform ablution last weekend in Okerimi-Oro in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The three boys, whose ages ranged from 14 to 15, are students of Ayaki Secondary School located in the area and had wanted to perform ablution ahead of breaking their fast when the tragedy struck.

It was gathered that one of the three boys had tried to fetch water from the well, when he suddenly fell in.

The source said instead of alerting adults around to rescue his drowning mate, the second victim tried to climb down the well to his rescue, but also fell inside, followed by the third.

I’m Our Gang’s Armourer : Robbery Suspect

Three suspected members of a notorious robbery gang terrorising residents of densely populated Ajegunle area and its environs in Lagos State are currently cooling their heels at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, following their arrest last weekend.

The suspects, identified as Tunde Seun, 20; Abayomi Segun, 28, and Turheeb Kolawole, 19, met their waterloo after a member of the gang, Tunde Seun, was apprehended by a mob during an aborted operation on Ligali Street.

The suspects were said to have stormed a building on number 42 and dispossessed one of their victims of N150, 000 and two power generating sets.

While the operation was on, members of a vigilante group in the area swooped on them.

Others reportedly managed to escape, leaving Seun at the mercy of the mob that was on the verge of setting him ablaze but for the timely intervention of policemen from Layeni.

Police Nab Three Inter-state Car Robbers After Their Operation

Luck ran out on three suspected inter-state armed robbers who had robbed a nursing mother of her car in Ogun State as they were nabbed by the police in Ibadan the Oyo State capital on Monday.

The partners-in-crime were Fatai Ademola (24), a native of Ikirun, who resides in Sagamu, Ogun State; Jimoh Quadri (25), native of Ede; and Azeez Omotoso (25), a native of Agbeye, Odo-Otin, but resident in Kaara area of Sagamu.

The trio had trailed their target, an unnamed woman to her Sagamu residence at about 8.30 p.m. on Sunday night and forcefully dispossessed her at gun point of her Toyota Highlander

jeep with registration number KJA 418 AW.

According to the Police Commissioner, Alhaji Muhammad Katsina, who was represented by the Police Public Relations Officer Adekunle Ajisebutu (DSP), while parading the suspects Monday at the Eleyele Police Headquarters, Ibadan, the suspects had bargained to sell the jeep to a buyer at Ikirun in Osun State, and he was anxiously awaiting delivery of the consignment.

Photos Of Unemployed Nigerians Seeking Work At National Assembly

A mass of unemployed civilians encamped the National Assembly in search of jobs as senators resumed duty from their two week recess immediately after the formal inauguration.

These young men and women are aiming to get employment as legislative aides to Senators and members of the House of Representatives, just as members of the National Youth Corps, NYSC were seen rushing to make photostat their posting letters.

Former President Jonathan's Son Hale And Hearty -- Aides

Ariwera, a teenage son of former President Goodluck Jonathan, is hale and hearty, contrary to rumors of his passing, sources close to the former Nigeria leader said. 

Several aides of the former President told reporters on Tuesday that his rumored death came as a surprise to them, as the boy is not even sick.

Social media outlets were buzzing with the rumor on Tuesday while the former President was vacationing in Los Angeles. He plans to return to Nigeria later tonight via Germany, flying Lufthansa into Port Harcourt tomorrow.

Police Nab One Over Murder In Delta

The police in  Delta State have arrested one person in connection with the killing of a vigilance team member at Olomoro in Isoko South Local Government Area.

The deceased, popularly known as ‘Oyibo’, was last month allegedly clubbed to death by three suspected cultists, a development which sparked violent outrage in the community.

It would be recalled that some houses belonging to members of the assailants’ families were set ablaze in a reprisal attack by an angry mob in the community.

Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State police command, Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the arrest, said the police was on top of the matter.

24-Year-Old Man Docked For Stealing And Attempted Murder

A 24-year-old man, Okiemute Ophte, of no fixed address was yesterday arraigned before Apapa Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, for stealing and attempted murder.

The defendant is facing a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and assault preferred against him by the police.

The prosecutor, Supol Olu Ojaokomo, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on June 1, 2015, at No. 25 Layinka Street, Ajegunle Apapa, Lagos State.

He also said the defendant conspired with six others now at large to commit felony to wit; stealing, and did unlawfully and deliberately stole one Samsung handset valued at N75,000, property of one Albert Enyinnaya.

3 Guards Face Probe, As Robbers Ransack Anambra Court

Three night guards attached to the Customary Court, Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, are now facing internal query over last Sunday night’s attack on the court offices.

The offices were ransacked, with the invaders, suspected to be armed robbers, making away with an undisclosed amount of money and valuable documents.

The incident was the second. The first occurred the previous Thursday night, but the robbers did not succeed, which must have prompted their second visit, Sunday night.

The reason for the query to the night guards, according to security sources, is because of their inability to confront the robbers or, at least, give a graphic account of how the robbers operated on the night, more so when the robbers had struck three days earlier.

At press time yesterday, it was not yet certain what would be the fate of the guards, following the query issued them on Monday morning, when the officials came to work and discovered that all the offices had been ransacked and that unspecified sums of money and valuable documents removed from their offices.

Bank Customer Alleges Security Men Connivance In N500,000 Theft

A customer in one of the new generation banks along Rangers Avenue, Enugu, has alleged the connivance of security men in the pilfering of the N500,000 he withdrew from his account on June 11.

The customer, Akugha Soloo, lamented that CCTV recording showed that his vehicle was burgled at the parking lot of the bank while the security men working with the bank allegedly failed to notify him.

Soloo said in a statement:  “The security operatives neglected or preferred not to notify me that my car had just been burgled. The least I expected is to be notified, rather than be allowed to drive off as if nothing happened.

“Nobody responded to the blaring of my vehicle’s alarm horn and flashing of lights within the bank premises.