@YasBeat

The plaintiffs in the suit filed against the eligibility of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State on Monday told Justice David Oladimeji that the testimonial and statement of result submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission and the court by the defendants are forged documents. The plaintiffs, Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwasegun Idowu,  had informed the court of the possibility of an out-of-court settlement of the case at the last sitting of the court but an agreement on this could not be reached as the court continued with the hearing of the case. The counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Olufemi Ayandokun, had in his response to the notice of preliminary objection filed by the defendants told the court that his clients had filed a nine-paragraph affidavit dated August  3, 2018, and attached two exhibits marked G.E 1 and G.E 2. Ayandokun said, “We stated in our affidavit that the documents he pr...

A suspected kidnapper, who wanted to kidnap a pharmacy owner, slept off as a result of tramadol he took before the operation. The Ondo State Police Command said the incident took place in Owo town , Ondo State, on Sunday, adding that as of Monday, the suspect was still sleeping due to the effect of the drug. Parading the unconscious suspect at the command headquarters in Akure, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Joseph, explained that the suspect and his gang members had invaded a pharmacy in Owo to kidnap the owner. Joseph said the three-man gang stormed the store with a gun, but the victim raised the alarm and escaped through the back door. The PPRO said, “After failing to abduct their target, the hoodlums fled, but one of them stumbled because he was not active again due to the effect of the tramadol he had taken. “The suspect has been sleeping for  more than 24 hours after his arrest while a 400mg tablet of tramadol was found in his pocket. “ The ...

Armed and masked officials of the Department of State Services have blocked access into the National Assembly complex. The armed men have prevented staff, legislators and journalists from entering the complex.   Senators Ben Murray Bruce, Biodun Olujimi and Rafiu Ibrahim are among those blocked. Details later… Punchng

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, said he was saddened by the drowning of nine National Youth Service Corps members in River Mayo-Selbe in the Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State on Saturday. The victims were among the 22 youth corps members who had gone on a picnic around the area when the incident happened. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, the Acting President extended condolences to the families and relations of the nine youth corps members on behalf of himself and the Federal Government. Osinbajo said with the tragic incident, the nation had lost some of its talented and productive young people in their prime. He said, “This terrible occurrence has abruptly ended the lives of these young men and women while they were dutifully engaged in national service. “The Federal Government appreciates their service to the nation and it is my prayer that God will comfort their families and loved ones, a...

Forty-four people were shot across the Midwestern US city of Chicago Sunday, US media reported, with five killed in a wave of violence police branded “totally unacceptable.” Chicago Police chief of patrol Fred Waller told a press conference Sunday afternoon some of the shootings were “targeted” and related to gang conflicts.   “The city of Chicago experienced a violent night. Incidents of either random or targeted shooting on our streets is totally unacceptable,” he said. CNN reported multiple shootings took place between midnight and 2:00 pm local time — with 10 taking place in just three hours from 1:30 am. Gunmen targeted groups including one gathering of people who had attended a funeral repast, police said, adding that one of the injured victims was an 11-year-old boy. Chicago experienced a near 20-year record number of murders in 2016, prompting President Donald Trump to regularly single out the city for criticism. But Waller said so far this y...

Nine Youth Corps members currently serving in Taraba State, on Saturday, drowned in the River Mayo-Selbe, in the Gashaka Local Government Area of the state. The Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba State Police Command, ASP David Missal, who confirmed the death of nine out of the 22 corps members who were swimming in the said river, said seven corpses had so far been recovered from the river. “Information at our disposal revealed that 22 youth corps members currently serving in the state were on a picnic in the River Mayo-Selbe, in the Gashaka LGA on Saturday when the incident happened. “We were made to understand that while they were swimming in the river, there was a sudden upsurge in the volume of water which swept them away. “Nine of them drowned while others managed to escape. “We have so far recovered seven corpses, while the search for the two remaining corpses is still in progress,” he said. The State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Florence Yaakugh, also ...

A 23-year-old housewife, Damilola Ayeni, has been arrested by the police in Lagos for allegedly stabbing her husband, Olumide, to death at their house on Bamgbose Street, Lagos Island. PUNCH Metro learnt that the duo, who got married about two years ago with two children together, had a disagreement at their home on Friday. The woman was said to have stabbed the 36-year-old husband in the chest. He was rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital where he died. The deceased’s father, Sunday Ayeni, who reported the case to the police, told our correspondent on Sunday that the couple’s marriage was fraught with disagreements. The Ikale, Ondo State indigene explained that he had tried to intervene, but he was stopped by some family members, who warned him to back off. He said his son was murdered by the wife over suspicion of infidelity. Sunday said, “My son and I work at the Lagos Island General Hospital. While I work as a security guard, he worked in the ...

Senators of the ruling All Progressives Congress and their counterparts in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have vowed to resume hostilities over which party controls the majority in the upper chamber when the Senate resumes plenary on September 25. Controversy surrounded the defection of 14 senators from the APC to the PDP as well as the African Democratic Congress; this pitted members of the two dominant political parties against one another There are 109 seats in the Senate with only two seats declared vacant following the death of two Senators. The deceased Senators are Ali Wakili (APC, Bauchi-South) and Mustapha Bukar (APC Katsina-North). The Senator Ahmed Lawan-led APC caucus had after the defection of 14 APC Senators claimed that his party still maintained its majority status with 52 members while the PDP had 50; the ADC, three and APGA, two. But two of the Senators who left the APC, Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara-South) and Isa Misau (Bauchi-Central), claimed in a state...