News & Announcements

The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to announce further actions to be taking on the country after the four-week phase III of easing of restrictions elapsed on Monday, June 29, 2020.

Recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria had clamped months of restrictions on the country following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
With the gradual easing of the lockdown over one month ago and the phase II ending on Monday, and in the face of increasing number of positive cases in the country, the presidency will make announcement on further action to take.

The announcement, according to Boss Mustapha, chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, who spoke on Monday, June 29, 2020, would come up on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
Mustapha revealed this after the task force members met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.
Announcing this was Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant on New Media to Buhari, who wrote on his Twitter handle,@BashirAhmaad that today (Monday) is the last day of Nigeria’s phase II of the eased lockdown.
Ahmad further said that members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefed and submitted their recommendations to the President for approval, adding  that the next lines of action is expected tomorrow.
He Tweeted: “Today (Monday) is the last day of the Nigeria’s phase II of the eased lockdown, members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefed and submitted their recommendations to the President for approval, the next lines of action will be announced tomorrow, SGF Boss Mustapha discloses.”

Others in the delegation were Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health; Dr. Sani Aliyu, Coordinator of the PTF on COVID-19 and Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu,  Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The meeting was meant to brief Buhari on the ongoing efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 and the next steps to be taken.
The second phase of the gradual easing of the lockdown in the country was for an initial period of four weeks, Mustapha had said.
Recall that President Buhari had on April 27 announced the gradual easing of a five-week lockdown in FCT, Lagos and Ogun states.
The lockdown was eased to a nationwide night curfew (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) from May 4 to May 17.

The first phase of the lockdown was subsequently extended by two weeks elapsed midnight on June 1.
The second phase which was implemented over four weeks spanning June 2nd to 29th, is still subject review.
In the second phase, the government had relaxed restrictions on banking operations and worship places.
The Federal Government had retained nationwide curfew,  but the time was reduced from 10pm to 4am, to limit social interactions and, therefore, reduce the risk of the transmissions of the virus which is now on community level.

Thee Standing Committee of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, headed by Pope Tawadros II, announced Saturday that prayers will remain suspended at all dioceses under the See of St Mark on Sunday and Friday at Cairo and Alexandria up until mid-July.

A Holy Synod statement, according to egyptindependent.com, said that this decision emerged upon following up the spread of the coronavirus and the Prime Minister’s recent decisions.

The statement was issued after a committee video conference meeting which discussed the fact that infection and death rates differ from one diocese to another.

With churches at Cairo and Alexandria seeing a rise in infection rates, the committee explained that the best course of action was to postpone the reopening of churches there until mid-July, where the situation will then be reassessed.

An exception has been made for the Mass of Apostles feast, which is to be held with no more than 25 individuals and all precautions in place.

A bishop, alongside the priest congregation at each diocese, will assess the health situation regarding whether or not to suspend masses for two weeks or more or reopen them gradually.

In the event that gradual reopening has been chosen as the path forward within a diocese, the committee said that instructions issued in a special note at a later date should be adhered to.

A penal court in Turkish capital Ankara has convicted to life in prison 121 out of the 245 suspects in the case pertaining to putschist activity in the Gendarmerie General Command during the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

The trial had resumed on June 14, following a several months-long break over the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Eighty six defendants were convicted to life in prison without parole, called an “aggravated life sentence” in Turkish law, over charges of attempting to destroy the constitutional order, while another 35 were convicted to life in prison.

Among the 86 defendants was former colonel Erkan Öktem, who was sentenced to nine additional counts of life in prison without parole for the first degree murder of nine people, and another 20 years in prison for the attempted murder of Turgut Aslan, the anti-terror department director of Turkish police forces at the time, AA said.

Another 14 defendants were sentenced to nine counts of life without parole each for the first degree murder of eight people and attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.

Seven defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison and another 11 to 12 years and six months in prison for aiding and abetting the coup attempt.

Thirty three defendants sentenced to life without parole were also sentenced to a separate 30 years in prison for abduction and deprivation of freedom. Six others were sentenced to an additional 25 years on the same charges.

Mevlüt Yılmaz, who was not part of Turkey’s armed forces, was convicted of membership of an armed terrorist organisation over accusations of running the Gendarmerie branch of the putschists, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Another 20 defendants were convicted of membership of an armed terrorist organisation, and sentenced to prison for between seven and 12 years in prison. Two defendants were convicted of membership of a terrorist organisation, and sentenced to six years and three months in prison.

Abdullah Köksal, the head judge in the case, said the court had determined that FETÖ, or Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation, the name Turkey uses for the followers of U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, had organized and carried out the coup attempt “with domestic and foreign support.”

Turkey has been accusing Gülen of having orchestrated the attempt, as well as other attempts to overthrow the government including a major corruption probe in 2013, and maintains that the cleric placed his followers in key positions in Turkey, including the judiciary, police, and armed forces. Gülen, who lives in the United States under self-imposed exile, strongly denies the accusations.

The court separated the cases of 10 defendants who had not showed up to court, and dismissed charges against two defendants who died before the trial was completed. Forty six defendants were acquitted.

Two hundred and forty eight people died on the night of the attempted coup, and another 2,196 people were wounded. In the government crackdown following the attempt, more than 100,000 public servants were dismissed and thousands of people were arrested over suspected ties to Gülen. I

Philippine police, early Friday, killed four suspected Islamic State group-linked militants during a raid on a hideout in metropolitan Manila, security officials said.

Metropolitan Manila Police Chief Debold Sinas said police and intelligence agents planned to serve a search warrant at a house in suburban Paranaque city after months of surveillance when the suspected militants opened fire.o

The officer was shot in the leg and was hospitalized, police said. They said they seized pistols, an M16 assault rifle, two grenades, ammunition, suspected bomb parts, money transfer records and two black flags with Islamic writing.

The raid came as President Rodrigo Duterte considers whether to sign a new and more powerful anti-terror law which was recently passed by Congress. The country’s military chief cited Friday’s gunbattle as a reason Duterte should sign it as soon as possible.

“It is public security and general welfare that are at stake. We should protect and defend from terrorists without further delay,” Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. said.

He said the presence of the suspects in the Manila area underscored their readiness to plot an attack despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials did not say whether the suspects were plotting a specific attack.

The proposed Anti-Terror Act would allow the detention of suspects for up to 24 days without charge and empower a government anti-terrorism council to designate suspects or groups as suspected terrorists who could then be subjected to arrest and surveillance.

Opponents say the legislation violates the constitution, defines terrorism too broadly, could be misused to target government critics and could threaten legitimate dissent.

critics and could threaten legitimate dissents.

Thoss slain Friday, including a woman, were identified by police as Merhama Abdul Sawari, Bensaudi Sali, Rasmin Hussin and Jamal Kalliming.

Sinas said the suspects handled funds for Daulah Islamiyah, one of the militant groups blamed for laying siege to Marawi city in the southern Philippines for five months in 2017.

Sawari facilitated funds for Philippine-based militants from Indonesia’s Sulawesi region, Sinas said in a statement, without elaborating.

Mamelodi Sundowns team doctor Carl Tabane says he expects more Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs to confirm new cases of coronavirus, noting that he was not surprised with the increase positive cases.
Kaizer Chiefs, Bloemfontein Celtic, Stellenbosch FC and Orlando Pirates are the four PSL clubs which have confirmed Covid-19 cases in their camps thus far.
Tabane explained that he was not surprised by the increasing number of PSL players who are testing positive for the deadly virus which has led to the suspension of the current season since last March.
“It was not going to be Kaizer Chiefs alone. Many clubs and players are going to be affected. The whole country is feeling the pandemic,” Tabane said on   Daily Sun.
“So, I am not surprised about the numbers increasing because players do not live alone. They have family members and they go to the shops just like you and me.”
Pirates midfelder Ben Motshwari became the first PSL player to contract Covid-19, but he has since recovered, while Celtic recently revealed that midfielder Given Mashikinya has tested positive for coronavirus.
Three Stellenbosch staff members have contracted the virus and Chiefs confirmed two cases within their squad, but they have not disclosed the names of the players.
The government has given the PSL the go-ahead to resume the suspended season.
PSL chairman Irvin Khoza has disclosed that a  national camp based in one province will conclude the campaign and clubs are expected to follow all the required safety measures.
“We developed a medical protocol for the admin offices and also for the training facilities. Everyone [players and officials] at the club has gone through it,” Tabane said.
“We’ve had inputs from health officials in terms of all the club’s training fields. Training will be staggered, with individual training or in small groups. We want to put the players at ease and to comply with government regulations.
“If we receive players who are positive with Covid-19 when they come back, we will know exactly how to react and to deal with everything.”
Tabane is not concerned about the fitness levels of the players after a three-month lay-off with Fifa having proposed that teams are able to make up to five substitutions to help players cope with fixture congestion.
“The fitness may not be what we want, but no club can say they have reached a maximum fitness level. Inactivity can lead to poor performance and to some extent, increase the risk of injuries,” he explained.
“Fifa is helping with the five substitution rule and that would be assist clubs in great deal. That’s where depth in the team will come handy.
“We do not have a lot of casualties in our list except for Thapelo Morena and Mauricio Affonso who are recovering beautifully.”

In its onslaught against what has become persistent killings in the northern part of Nigeria, particularly the Katsina State, the Nigerian military, on Thursday, has revealed that its several counter insurgency and banditry operations have killed several bandits and destroyed their camps in the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Major General John Enenche, Coordinator of Defence Media Operations (CDMO), disclosed this in an operation update released to the media in Abuja.

General Enenche said the new subsidiary operation was launched by the Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI, as part of efforts to rid the North West and North Central States of the country of armed bandits and other criminal elements,

He said that the operation, which was preceded by the massive deployment of additional air assets and ground support equipment by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to Katsina, was aimed at taking out armed bandits’ locations that were painstakingly selected, based on impeccable Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports, as well as series of Surveillance missions, in order to significantly degrade the armed bandits’ fighting capability before it could be brought to bear against friendly forces or innocent civilians.

“Since the operation began on 20 June 2020, 10 locations have been attacked and scores of armed bandits neutralized, as confirmed by HUMINT reports.

“Some of the significant air strikes include those executed at Dutsen Asolo and Birnin Kogo areas of Katsina State as well as at Dogo Gede’s Camp in the Kwayanbana Forest area of Zamfara State.

“At Dutsen Asolo, NAF jets dispatched by the air component attacked the cave/hideout of the bandits, destroying the main entry point and neutralizing some fighters. Some surviving bandits, who were tracked escaping from the cave area, were taken out in follow-on strikes.

“Also, on June 21, 2020, at the bandits’ enclave in the Kwayanbana Forest, an attack helicopter took out one of the bandits’ logistics huts, which was seen, engulfed in flames.

“Similarly, at Birnin Kogo on June 22, 2020, some armed bandits, who fled their dwellings in the centre of the camp to nearby bushes on hearing the sound of the attack aircraft, were neutralized as the NAF fighter, jets hit them at their hiding positions,” the CDMO stated.

He added that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was in Katsina to oversee the operation, commended the air component of Operation HADARIN DAJI for their professionalism.

Three members of the Oyo State Executive Council in the South West Nigeria have tested positive to the novel Coronavirus.

This was disclosed on Thursday evening by Governor Seyi Makinde of the state, who is the chairman of the state’s COVID-19 Task Force.

Makinde declare this through his daily COVID-19 updated, stating that result of the COVID-19 test carried out on all members of the State Executive Council returned with three members testing positive. He stated that those concerned had been contacted and that contact tracing had begun immediately.

The governor, in his tweets, said: “Earlier today, we received COVID-19 confirmation tests for all members of the Oyo State Executive Council (EXCO). 

“Sadly, three tests came back positive, and two were inconclusive so they will need to be retested. The EXCO members have been contacted and contact tracing has begun. Also, their offices have been closed and will be decontaminated. 

“Let me reiterate that COVID-19 is still very much with us. That we are taking steps to re-open the economy does not mean that the virus has disappeared. We must take actions to protect ourselves and our families. 

“We must make our own actions and take preventive measures which include washing our hands with soap and water, wearing face masks whenever we are with other people and maintaining proper social distancing from others. 

“We also must not forget the various advisories the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force has issued regarding what to eat to boost our immune systems. Sometimes, even after following all directives, we may still get the virus. When this happens, we need to have our bodies ready to fight this disease.

“We all join in prayer for our colleagues who have come down with the coronavirus and wish them a speedy recovery,” Makinde stated.

Senator Abiola Ajimobi, former governor of Oyo State in the South West Nigeria, has died over complications from Coronavirus.

Ajimobi, 70 years, has been in coma and on life support for a number of days and he was reportedly operated on at the First Cardiology Hospital in Ikoyi, Lagos.

A source said Ajimobi who was being treated for COVID-19 complications had been totally unconscious since last Thursday after his organs totally collapsed. The source said his family would make a formal announcement on Thursday evening.

“His organs collapsed about a week ago. It is just that the family didn’t want to unplug the life support. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.

The former governor was rumoured to be dead last week but his aides and family members denounced the report asking Nigerians to rather pray for his recovery.

The Nigerian Presidency said on Wednesday that it would not engage Ghana in war of words following the demolition of parts of its building, which is under construction in the Nigerian Embassy in Accra, the capital of Ghana. 

Recall that President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana had, on Tuesday, called President Muhammadu Buhari to tender sincere apologies for demolition of a building on th premises of Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.

Akufo-Addo had informed President Buhari that he had directed full investigation into the incident.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, in an interview with State House Correspondents, said both leaders would resolve the issue diplomatically. 

Shehu said: “The President of Ghana has called and regretted the action and apologised to the President of Nigeria. I think he has shown leadership in the matter and what should Nigeria do; these are two leading countries in West Africa.

“Nigeria will not engage in a street fight with Ghana. This cannot happen. So, the two leaders, especially President Muhammadu Buhari, who is much respected in Africa, they all call him ‘Baba’ (Father), so he is bound to show restraint.”

The presidential media aide added that “Matters such as this when they arise, is always better when they arise, they should be resolved diplomatically. No, there shouldn’t be a fight between Nigeria and Ghana, this will not happen.”

Minneapolis police say one man is dead and 11 people have non-life-threatening wounds following a shooting Saturday evening.

The 10 people were alive with “various severity levels of injuries,” Minneapolis police said in a tweet just before 3am (local time).

An initial tweet from Minneapolis police advised the public to avoid the area in Uptown Minneapolis.

The address provided corresponds to a commercial district, near Landmark’s Uptown Theatre and several bars and restaurants.

Minnesota began allowing bars and restaurants to reopen with limited service on June 1 after some six weeks of closure because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Photographs posted to social media showed windows at the theater and another storefront shot out.

Screams were audible on a live video posted to Facebook that showed the aftermath at the scene.

Small crowds of people gathered, with some crouched over victims lying on the pavement before police officers on bicycles showed up to attend to them.

Splatters of blood were visible on the pavement after the victims were taken to local hospitals.

The area is about 3 miles (5 kilometres) west of the Minneapolis commercial area and neighborhood hit by rioting in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death after being arrested by Minneapolis police.

Floyd’s death has sparked a move to overhaul the Minneapolis Police Department, with a majority of City Council members pledging support for dismantling a department that many community activists have called brutal and racists.