01/22/18

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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

  • French prison guards on Monday launched a nationwide strike in a showdown with President Emmanuel Macron’s government over staff levels and violence that they say is spiraling out of control inside the country’s overcrowded jails.

The strike, starting with pre-dawn pickets, marked an escalation in protests after unions on Saturday rejected a government proposal to employ 100 extra guards this year and a further 1,000 before the 2022 end of Macron’s mandate.
Guards burned tyres and wooden pallets outside the gates to several jails ahead of talks hastily convened by Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet.
“We will not be used as cannon fodder. We won’t give an inch,” Yoan Karar, a senior Force Ouvriere (FO) union official, told CNews.
His union is demanding higher wages and rapid hiring of 2,400 staff.
Macron’s pressure is under mounting pressure to resolve the unrest among prison staff after several attacks on guards by inmates in different jails in the past week.
On Friday, riot police clashed with guards manning a picket outside the Fleury Merogis prison, where protests first erupted after an Islamist militant jailed over the killing of 21 people in Tunisia in 2000 slashed guards on the head and torso with a pair of scissors in northern France.
Over the weekend, the government also proposed separating France’s most violent inmates from the rest of the 70,000 prison population, one of Europe’s largest.
President Macron said earlier this month that a plan would be presented in February that it would go beyond an existing pledge to build thousands of new prison cells.
France’s prison population has more than doubled since the 1970s, and prison guards complain increasingly that they have neither the staff nor the equipment and support to deal with violent inmates, notably convicted Islamists and petty criminals who become radicalized while in prison.
Union representative Karar, a guard for 13 years at Fresnes prison on the edge of Paris, said records put the number of attacks on security staff at 4,000 a year.
“You cannot put a guard in charge of 100 or 150 prisoners and just give him a whistle,” said Karar, calling for guards to be armed with taser guns.
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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, has said that criminal elements in the Ikorodu axis of the state will no longer have a place to hide.

The governor said this on Monday at the inauguration ceremony of a new Police Mobile Force (PMF) Squadron Base 63 in Igbogbo-Baiyeku area of Ikorodu.

He told traditional rulers, political and religious leaders, as well as top security chiefs at the gathering that the new unit would go a long way in effectively addressing the security challenges experienced in the area and its environs in recent times.

Governor Ambode, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, said aside from the fact that the primary responsibility of government was to ensure the safety and security of its citizenry, the decision to put the new unit in place was in line with the commitment of his administration to transform all parts of the State.

He added that no meaningful development can be achieved in an atmosphere of chaos, fear and uncertainty about the safety of lives and property of residents.

“The security and safety of residents of our dear state cannot and will not be compromised. This is why this administration, in partnership with well-meaning individuals and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) have invested and continue to invest in the provision of equipment and other security infrastructure for efficient and effective operations of security agencies in the state.

“The establishment of this Police Mobile Force 63 Squadron in this location was initiated by the Lagos State Government to effectively address the security challenges being experienced in the Ikorodu axis of the state.

“With the commissioning of this Squadron, which we have provided with operational vehicles, communication equipment, among others, all criminal elements within Ikorodu and its environs, will have no place to hide,” the governor said.


He further commended the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for approving the request for the establishment of the unit and for partnering with the state government to ensure that criminals do not have a safe haven in any part of Lagos.

According to him, incidences of violent crime in Ikorodu and other parts of Lagos will be tackled headlong in line with the renewed vigour and commitment of police and other security agencies.

Ambode, who stressed the importance of community involvement in fighting crime, specifically urged community leaders and all residents of the axis to support the security personnel that would be deployed to serve at the base.

He also asked them not hesitate to pass on useful information that would help in tracking down criminally minded persons in the area.

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Mr. Leo Ogor

The Peoples Democratic Party caucus at the House of Representatives on Sunday condemned the incessant killings by herdsmen in the country, saying that it confirmed the failure of the Federal Government to secure the lives and property of Nigerians.

The caucus observed that the recent hacking to death of over 73 people in Benue State and more conflicts in Taraba and other states exposed the helplessness of the government.

The caucus declared its position in Abuja just as another member from Kogi State, Mr. Tajudeen Yusuf, cautioned the Kogi State Governor, Mr. Yahaya Bello, against buying into the Federal Government’s cattle colony initiative without first consulting widely with the Kogi indigenes.

The PDP caucus Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, who expressed the views of the group, noted that the government’s silence and slow response to killings suggested that it was not disturbed by the loss of the lives of its citizens.

Ogor stated, “The first fundamental duty of any government is the security of citizens’ lives and property, but it is deeply unfortunate, historically horrific and spiritually negative that under the APC government, the nation is witnessing endless rounds of senseless killings of men, women and children in Benue, Taraba and other states.

“Within the past two years, unidentified herdsmen have displaced Boko Haram in terms of mindless killings; it is unfortunate that once again, just like they did several times before, rampaging herdsmen in utter contempt for Benue State’s anti-grazing law, wantonly descended on Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State in a new year attack that left scores of dead bodies.

“Herdsmen now rank high on the Global Terrorism Index and nationwide, mindless killings, armed robberies and dastardly kidnappings have increased under the APC government, which now repays the overwhelming votes from the people with long conspiratorial silence and numb promises while the number of corpses mounts.

“Security is one of the three major commitments that the APC government guaranteed the nation at its inception, but in the usual pattern of elevating deceit and propaganda above all else, it has woefully remained unable to rein in worsening insecurity across the nation.

“Today, the result is that our gallant military personnel and other security operatives are immersed in tackling crises in all parts of Nigeria.”

The caucus cited Ogun, Katsina and Zamfara as other states where attacks had taken place lately while the government did little to protect the victims.

In addition to the recent kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl in Katsina State, the caucus said it was saddening that many big farmers in the North were avoiding their farms in other to remain alive.

“Sani Bello, a member of the House of Representatives representing Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency died a few months after a kidnap ordeal on the way to his farm near Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State last year.

“The following month, an Assistant Commissioner of Police serving in Zamfara State was abducted along the same road and many more violent deaths and kidnappings have continued across the nation.

“Two years of the APC government’s budgetary outlay for surveillance surpasses the entire amount spent on surveillance by various successive administrations since independence; yet it is curious that the government obtains no warning signals and seems unable to bring bands of rampaging terrorist herdsmen to justice,” the caucus added.

On his part, Yusuf, who is from Kogi State, advised Bello to be cautious in rushing to embrace the government’s cattle colony initiative.

The Kogi governor was one of the first governors to back the cattle colony proposal, saying that his state would readily provide land to accommodate the project.

But Yusuf said the governor’s plan to embrace the proposal after consulting with traditional rulers could backfire as the royal fathers did not own family or community lands in the state.

He warned that even members of his own party, the All Progressives Congress, could revolt against Yahaya if he did not consult widely before supporting the proposal. LR News
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Long queues of desperate motorists and other users of Premium Motor Spirit returned to many filling stations in Lagos and Ogun states on Saturday and Sunday after a brief relief from the severe scarcity of the product that rocked the country from December to early this month.

Many of the stations in the two states were shut on Sunday, while some of the ones that dispensed the product sold above the official pump price of N145 per litre.

Some filling stations in Ikotun, Ejigbo, Isolo, Idimu, and Igando areas of Lagos, and Akute in Lagos, were selling at between N160 and N180 per litre, while others only sold to motorcycle riders and other petrol seekers with jerry cans, who were charged at least N200 extra by petrol attendants.

READ ALSO: 4501 Loaded Petrol Tankers Vanish In December

Black market operators were having a field day as they sold the product for as much as N250 per litre on Sunday.

On the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, outbound Lagos, the queues of motorists at some of the few stations that sold the product spilled onto the road, disrupting the flow of traffic.

The Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, Mr. Olufemi Adewole, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, noted that the queues had been eliminated to a great extent before now.

He stated, “Definitely, if marketers have fuel, there won’t be queues. It simply means there is insufficient supply, and the NNPC still remains the supplier of last resort. So whatever they give to marketers, that is what marketers will dispense to the public.

“If you go to some DAPPMA stations now, you will see the tankers of major marketers dispensing there because the NNPC has not given us enough products for the last 10 days. Many of our people did not get products, and in order to keep their stations busy, they resorted to buying from MOMAN (Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria) members.”

Adewole said there was no way DAPPMA members could get enough supply from major marketers because they were supposed to be getting from the same source and not to buy from MOMAM.

The National Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, said the Federal Government’s policy of supplying directly to independent marketers, which he described as a welcome development, had not taken off.

“When it takes off, IPMAN members will no more complain about buying at unofficial prices. This policy will enable IPMAN to identify our members who have good stations and can sell at the official price,” he stated.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, told our correspondent on Sunday that Lagos and its environs were being supplied with products mainly by MOMAN members, “because we have absolute confidence in their activities.”

“At the weekend, there was a technical hitch in ships berthing and discharging. But this has been rectified. So, today (Sunday) alone, 250 trucks have been pumped into Lagos compared with when we had the hitch and we supplied below 200 trucks. So, normalcy will return in a matter of hours in Lagos,” he said.

On the proposed direct supply to independent marketers, Ughamadu stated, “We are having an issue with independent marketers; they have three factions and each faction with a president; and if you were to be in the position of the NNPC, how do you solve this issue? You allocate to one faction, the other factions protest. We have told them to go and resolve their issue so that we can start allocating products to them directly.”

He said the NNPC was still supplying products to DAPPMA members.
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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.
Ex-SGF Olu Falae's Plantation On Fire

Multiple reports by Nigeria’s media said a section of the farm owned by a former secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Olu Falae has been set on fire.
Herdsmen are being accused of torching the farm located in Ilado Village, Akure North Local Government of Ondo State.
According to reports, the arsonists did not steal anything on the farm but burnt down five hectares of oil palm plantation.
The Punch reported that Falae’s Personal Assistant, Captain Moshood Raji, (rtd) confirmed the incident.
Raji told Punch: “At about 6pm, I got a message from one of the police officers attached to the farm that the farm has been burnt down by some hoodlums.There was no worker on the farm when the incident occurred because it was a Sunday.
“We are on our way to the farm now to know the extent of the damage.
“We have informed the Commissioner of Police. About five hectares of the land were affected.
“The oil palm plantation was affected as well as some parts of the yam and cassava plantations.”
In September last year, a report by Afenifere Group, on behalf of Chief Falae, that there was an attack on the farm by herdsmen, was debunked as false by the police.
Falae, who was the presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy in 1999, was attacked and kidnapped in his farm in September 2015.
He was released three days later following the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari who ordered the then Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomom Arase (rtd) to secure his release.
But Falae contradicted police effort when he said he was released after he paid a ransom.
The kidnappers were later arrested, tried and jailed. LR News
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Many members of Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) who infiltrated Nigeria have been arrested in Benue, Edo and Kogi.
Security operatives revealed that a “good number” of the Islamic State terrorists were arrested in Okpella and Benin in Edo state, as well as Okene, in Kogi.
Security service organizations who are carrying out surveillance and arrest included the Department of State Service (DSS).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this information is contained in a security report submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari recently by the affected security service outfits.
The report indicated that ISWA network was using foreign terrorists and recruiting young men to fight and kill innocent persons ostensibly to exacerbate tensions along the county’s ethnic, religious and regional fault lines.
According to a Presidency source, this discovery was made following the arrest of some suspected attackers made up Fulani herdsmen, government-sponsored militias, militants and other miscreants in Benue Sate.
The source revealed that among those in custody were many who spoke none of the languages native to Nigeria but the French language.
“”This is the first time that security officials have confirmed that the Islamic State in West Africa members are operating as a unit in Nigeria and the level of their penetration of the country,’’ the source added.
“”It is understood that the cell, which has members in different parts of the country concentrates on recruiting young men to fight for the Islamic State in West Africa by unleashing the cold-blooded murder of innocent citizens.
“”There was intelligence that they had planned several attacks here, before and during Christmas and the New Year. Their bombing targets included fuel depots, foreign missions and police and military establishments.
“”Their network is very wide. But so much was achieved by the DSS which had made a significant number of arrests in the last two months that helped to pre-empt those attacks.
”This helped to save Nigeria from the spate of major terrorist attacks witnessed elsewhere that were syndicated by ISIS worldwide,’’ the source maintained.
The reports submitted to the presidency had also revealed that security officials now fear an influx of other ISIS members into many parts of the country.
“We are learning more and more about this complex and sophisticated network.
“”This is the main reason why the secret service is not parading those suspects so far arrested. It has become clear to us by now, that the challenge facing this country is a serious one.”
When contacted, Presidency Spokesman, Garba Shehu confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari had been receiving what he described as “report upon report on the situation in Benue and other states”.
According to him, the DSS has recorded a lot of success lately but said he had not been briefed on any of those reports. 
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