Thursday, 16 February 2017
Boko Haram terrorists attack Air Force helicopter, injures airman
By Joseph Erunke
ABUJA-AN Air Force helicopter carrying medical personnel came under several attacks by members of Boko Haram sect Wednesday, leaving an airman with bullet injuries.
But the terrorists were said to have suffered heavy casualty, as scores of them were killed through airstrike during the encounter.
The attacked helicopter was said to be carrying the medical personnel who were on a medical outreach programme in Gwoza when it came under attack by the insurgents.
The pilot of the aircraft, according to the Nigerian Air Force authorities, was able to fly the helicopter safely to and from its destination to enable the outreach programme continue uninterrupted.
Spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, in a statement late yesterday, said the aircraft, an Mi-17 helicopter, was shot at severally by the insurgents.
The statement read thus:”A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter conveying personnel on medical outreach programme at Gwoza yesterday came under attack by members of the Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) group.
“The Mi-17 helicopter was shot at severally by the insurgents however there was no casualty except for an airman that sustained bullet wound.
“The helicopter had departed from Maiduguri enroute the venue of the 2-day medical outreach programme in Gwoza when it came under attack by the insurgents.
Nevertheless, the pilot was able to fly the helicopter safely to and from its destination to enable the outreach programme continue uninterrupted.
“Following the attack, the NAF immediately scrambled a fighter aircraft and helicopter gunship to the location between Bama and Gwoza to neutralise the threat.
“Intelligent report by ground troops confirmed scores of BHTs were killed, signifying that the air attack on the threat location was successful.”
Recall that the NAF has been conducting medical outreach in the North East as part of its humanitarian support to Internally Displaced Persons. The latest of this effort was in Gwoza. This follows a similar effort undertaken recently for IDPs in Lagos area.
The post Boko Haram terrorists attack Air Force helicopter, injures airman appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2lnigWT
Importers kick against transfer of containers to Ikorodu terminal
By Godwin Oritse
THE Nigerian Im-porters Integrity Association (NIIA) has opposed the transfer of overtime cargoes to Ikorodu Lighter Terminal following the under utilization of spaces in seaport terminals.
Disclosing this to newsmen in Lagos Mr. Godwin Onyekazi, said that the nation’s seaports are operating well below capacity and should not transfer long-standing (overtime) containers to offdock facilities especially the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal (IKLT) in Lagos.
Speaking against the backdrop of clamour by some clearing agents at Ikorodu for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to transfer long-standing containers from the main port to IKLT, Onyekazi said such transfer is unnecessary since there is “ample space in the main ports.”
He stated further: “Congestion in the terminals has always been cited as the reason for transfer of containers but the present economic downturn has resulted in less than 40% yard occupancy for most terminal operators; effectively undermining the reason to transfer overtime cargo to Ikorodu.”
The NIIA President said the maritime sector suffered a huge blow in 2016 with ever increasing foreign exchange rates and a sharp decline in cargo volume.
According to him, “Businesses, banks and social institutions surrounding the ports have closed down as an extension of the reduction in business faced by the ports.
“A recent statement by the Senate in November 2016 highlighted the fact that the containers that have already been transferred to the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal have been abandoned with goods worth billions of naira rotting away daily; alluding to the fact that inadequate maintenance measures exist for the containers there. Therefore, moving even more containers will result in a sharper decline in the condition of the containers and cargo, and lead to wastages.”
He said moving overtime containers can also be seen as a means to boycott terminal operational procedures as owners of the containers will look to avoid paying their accrued charges but rather intercept or obtain their cargo at reduced or no cost at all; thereby encouraging importers to abandon their cargo at the port with the aim of facilitating movement to Ikorodu in order to avoid charges.
This, he argues, “undermines the integrity of terminal operators’ authority and processes leading to complete loss of revenue to terminal operators despite handling costs incurred and fulfilled financial obligations to the government over the years on such containers.”
He said the bid to transfer overtime cargo to Ikorodu Light Terminal will only result in huge additional cost burden to government given that the logistics cost of moving the containers from various terminals to Ikorodu will be borne by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
“This move will result in additional handling of containers which comes with increased cost of doing business for terminal operators; as well as likely claims from damages from handling during such a transfer.
“There exists also the risk of loss of cargo to the consignee/importer due to allegations of diversion of cargo in transit from previous transfers and pilfering due to insecurity at Ikorodu terminal.
“The extra cost to be incurred to carry out the transfer can be avoided, especially in times like these when all sectors should be focused on saving, and not wasting public funds.
“Combined with the recession, this move will only serve to compound the woes of the already suffering maritime sector; it will not bring additional business or progress whatsoever,” he said.
Onyekazi added that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is more certain of collecting appropriate import duties on the containers at the main ports.
The post Importers kick against transfer of containers to Ikorodu terminal appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2lctr1V
Burning of High Court in Ilesa: Assault on civilization – Gov. Aregbesola
Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday described the actions of the hoodlums who set ablaze the state High Court in Ilesa as a major assault on civilization.
The Governor stated this during an on-the-spot assessment of the premises of the high court which was allegedly set ablaze by hoodlums on Monday morning.
Aregbesola, who went round the facility in company with the state Chief Judge, Justice Adebola Adepele Ojo, stressed that an attack on the judiciary is a direct attack on the civilisation of the people.
He said, “The fulcrum of human civilization is based on two things: the maintenance of law and order and secondly the upholding of justice and truth.
“Where law and order cannot be guaranteed, when the instruments of justice cannot be guaranteed, what you have is chaos and anarchy. Our government will not allow this to happen.
“This attack is a major assault on the civilisation of the land because when you attack the major instrument of justice then you are also attacking the common man on the street. As a government we are very disappointed that this has happened” Aregbesola said.
The Governor, who promised that everything will be done to ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly act are brought to book, hinted that the state Commissioner of Police has been charged to apprehend those involved as quickly as possible.
Governor Aregbesola, who noted that the vandalised court calls for urgent rehabilitation of the burnt high court and others across the state, saying the courts will be given urgent attention in terms of rehabilitation and security.
The Governor, during the inspection, also sympathized with of one of the security men of the premises, Mr. Olanrewaju Owoeye, who was beaten up and wounded by the hoodlums during the attack.
Sections of the court which was inspected by the Governor include the Registry, Library l, the Secretary’s Office among others.
The post Burning of High Court in Ilesa: Assault on civilization – Gov. Aregbesola appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2lnggOe
Trump withdraws appeal of travel ban suspension
President Donald Trump’s administration dropped Thursday its appeal of a court ruling that suspended his travel ban targeting refugees and seven Muslim countries and said it would replace the measure with a modified version.
The Justice Department announced the move in a brief filed with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. It said the new order would address complaints from a three-judge panel that parts of the order were unconstitutional.
“Rather than continuing this litigation, the President intends in the near future to rescind the Order and replace it with a new, substantially revised Executive Order to eliminate what the panel erroneously thought were constitutional concerns,” the brief states.
The post Trump withdraws appeal of travel ban suspension appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2lcxr2E
Angolan VP charged with corruption in Portugal
Angolan Vice President, Manuel Vicente, had been charged with corruption and money laundering in Portugal, the Prosecutor General’s office in Lisbon said on Thursday in a statement.
The office stated that Vicente, seen as possible successor to President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, is accused of bribing a magistrate when he was chief executive of state oil company — Sonangol.
President Santos had been in power since 1979 and intended to retire next year. A former prosecutor, Orlando Figueira, who was arrested a year ago, had been charged with receiving 760,000 euros bribe (810,000 dollars) to shelve an investigation into Vicente’s dealings in Portugal before he became vice president. The Angolan vice president’s office had no immediate comment.
Angola had branded previous attempts by Portugal to investigate Vicente as “revenge by former colonial master” and “neo-colonialism”.
Two of Vicente’s legal and financial representatives, Paulo Blanco and Armindo Pires, both Portuguese, were also charged with corruption and money laundering for allegedly paying the bribe jointly with Vicente and arranging a job in a bank as a favour for Figueira.
The media was, however, unable to reach them for comment but the vice president’s office said “the former prosecutor ruled in favour of the chief executive of the Angolan company in two investigations, both of which were ultimately shelved by the prosecutor.”
Local media said the probe that was shelved in January 2012 focused on the origin of funds with which Vicente bought a luxury apartment in Lisbon.
The post Angolan VP charged with corruption in Portugal appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2ln8YtY
