05/05/18

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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.

The stalemated All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship primary in Ekiti State, which was earlier in the day marred with violence over alleged fraud being perpetrated by one of the leading aspirants, has been postponed indefinitely.
The Latest Reality Metro reports that before the decision was taken, there was a serious violence at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, venue of the exercise, as agents of some strong contenders accused some security agencies of allegedly compromising the process in favour of former Governor Kayode Fayemi.
The Chairman of the APC Primary and Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura hurriedly entered his vehicle and left the venue after an emergency meeting with all the 33 aspirants, failed to yield result.
Though Almakura did not officially brief the press on the pact reached with the aspirants, LR News learnt the the need to extract commitments from them for a peaceful conduct in future topped their discussions.
Confirming the postponement, two of the aspirants, Mr.Bimbo Daramola and former Speaker, Mr.Femi Bamisile, said it was a unanimous verdict at the meeting that the process should be suspended indefinitely.
“There was an issue somewhere about the exercise and they raised observation about sharp practices that had compromised the process which led to protest and the feeling was that the process should be suspended to avoid bloodshed”, he said.
He dismissed insinuation that it was because Fayemi was leading with a wide margin in about five, out of the 16 local governments that caused the violence.
“I don’t believe that is correct. The results have not been counted , so that was an assumption .
“Ekiti APC is not in any way fractured, we are one big family. If Fayemi defeats us, we are all going to back him, because the party is supreme. But this must come through a free, fair and credible process”, he said.
NAN reports that only delegates from four local governments had concluded their voting and delegates of the fifth council were about to vote when the violence erupted .
Trouble started at about 5.30pm when some agents raised observations about how the process was being allegedly compromised, accusing the men of the Department of State Services(DSS) of dictating to delegates who they should vote for.
Police and other security agencies shot sporadically into the air when the situation was escalating into a full scale war among the camps.
When the violence broke out at Oluyemi Kayode Stadium , venue of the exercise, many of the delegates scampered out to seek refuge in the nearby buildings, They never returned.
It was learnt all efforts made by the Al-Makura -led committee that supervised the failed primary, to calm down frayed nerves were rebuffed.
LR News reports that protesters , most of whom were agents of the other 32 aspirants accused an agent to Fayemi , Mr. Samuel Abejide of dictating to delegates who to vote for and also writing the serial numbers of their ballot papers to authenticate who they actually voted for, probably for pecuniary gains after the poll..
The protest attracted their principals and other interested parties, who joined the fray and made spirited efforts to grab the ballot boxes to stall the entire process.
They threw sachet water indiscriminately while also chanting derisive songs against the former governor
The Director General of Babafemi Ojudu Campaign Organisation, Chief Ranti Adebisi complained that the process had been heavily compromised
“The guideline stipulated that each aspirant can only bring in four supporters, but Fayemi brought many. His agents, including DSS were issuing cards to delegates to fill when they vote for him, so that they can later come for the money he promised them
“I contested against Fayemi in 2007 and I knew what I am talking about. The process has been compromised. Even, Fayemi has been bragging around that he is a friend to Alhaji Tanko Al –Makura, so we are disappointed that this could happen”, he said.
But reacting, Fayemi’s agent said it was gang up against the Minister that led to the spurious allegation, accusing those peddling rumour as enemies of APC.
“It was a proviso that if you are a delegate who can’t read and write, you can call any of the agents. When they saw that I was the one being called, they started feeling the heat and they were determined to disrupt it”, he said
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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 president, Emmanuel Macron

Several thousand people marched through the streets of Paris on Saturday to protest against Emmanuel Macron and his politics, ahead of the first anniversary of the French president’s election.
A dpa reporter saw protesters marching through the centre of the French capital holding placards bearing slogans such as “Stop Macron.”
Following riots by a hard-left group on the sidelines of the traditional May Day marches by trades unions in Paris earlier in the week, police had said they were planning to beef up security, with 2,000 officers to be deployed.
The protesters included students and railway staff, who have been striking for several weeks.
France Students Protest

Railway Workers Protest

Macron’s critics say his economic and social reforms favour corporations and the wealthier in society. The organizers have ironically named their demonstration “Celebration of Macron and his World.”
The government has criticized the demonstration against the backdrop of the May Day riots. Leftist politician Jean-Luc Melenchon countered that Macron “can’t stand any opposition.”
Melenchon was among the protesters on Saturday. It was a member of his La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party that initiated the demonstrations.
Monday marks a year since Macron was elected president.
The president was thousands of kilometres away from the protests on Saturday as he ended a visit to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific.(dpa/LR News
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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.
Suspect arrested by India Police

Fourteen people have been arrested over the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 16 year-old girl in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand, officials said on Saturday.

The teenage girl was burnt alive inside her home in the Chatra district on Friday, allegedly by men who had raped her a night before.

The arrests have been made since Friday night, and six more suspects were still at large, the region’s top official Jitendra Kumar Singh said.

The girl’s family said four men, allegedly drunk, kidnapped her from a wedding she was attending in a nearby village on Thursday night.

“They then took her to a deserted spot and sexually assaulted her,” the family source said.

The girl’s father later complained to the members of the village council but the accused men were let off after a punishment of 100 sit-ups and a fine of 50,000 rupees (750 dollars), Singh said.

“The family said that the men, angered over the complaint, barged into their home, beat them and set the girl on fire after pouring kerosene on her,” he said.

Medical tests to confirm the sexual assault were being conducted.

Police said they hoped to arrest the remaining suspects, including the key suspect and other village council members, soon.

The crime has been reported against the backdrop of spiraling outrage over the rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir and several other cases of sexual assault of young girls in recent months.

India’s federal government recently approved stringent punishments for sexual violence against children, including the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls younger than 12. dpa/LR News
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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.
Destroyed ballot boxes and ballot papers at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, venue of the Ekiti APC governorship primary in Ado Ekiti on Saturday

The governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has been disrupted by armed men, who broke into the venue, shooting in the air and destroying ballot boxes and ballot papers already cast.
The invasion of the venue at the Oluyemi Kayode  Stadium climaxed another one hour of delay caused  by heavy rainfall.
Helpless policemen at the APC governorship primary in Ado-Ekiti
The police watched helplessly as the thugs had their way.
Some of the rioters even burst out singing abusive songs against one of the aspirants, calling him a thief.
Scene of chaos at APC primary in Ado-Ekiti

Torn ballot papers on the floor

Governor Tanko Al-Makura who chairs the election, was said to have called an urgent meeting with the commissioner of police, the retiring Ibrahim Chafe. Al-Makura was billed to address a press conference thereafter
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports  that the protesters had alleged that attempts were being made by some party officials   to compromise the process.
The protest, which turned violent, led  to  party officials, aspirants and their followers as well as journalists  to run for safety as gunshots were heard in and around the stadium.
The  Director General of  the Babafemi Ojudu Campaign Organisation, Chief Ranti Adebisi, confirmed that   the election was being compromised.
It was  not immediately clear if the primary election would  still go on as security agents were sighted trying to restore order at the stadium.
Gov.  Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa, who is leading the team  conducting the  primary election, had earlier told NAN  that the initial downpour would not  stop the exercise.
He had stressed  the readiness of his team to provide a level playing ground for all the 33 aspirants participating in the primary.
Almakura, however,  enjoined the aspirants  to maintain decorum throughout the period, saying nothing was too much to sacrifice in the interest of the party.
Opeyemi Bamidele, a former federal lawmaker and aspirant, also  told NAN that he was satisfied with the tight security arrangement put in place for the primary.
He also pledged his readiness to abide by the outcome of the exercise.
As at  the time of filing this report, voting which started at about  4:30 pm,  has  been suspended till further notice.
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No fewer than five people were killed and many others sustained various degrees of injuries by windstorm in Jalingo, Taraba State on Saturday morning.
The windstorm also destroyed several houses, offices, schools, police officers Mess, worship places among others.
Dr Dashe Dasogot,  Chairman Medical Advisory Committee of the Taraba Specialist Hospital, Jalingo told the NAN that five corpses were brought to the morgue of the hospital after the rainstorm.
Dasogot, who showed NAN the affected buildings and trees in the hospital, added that two persons with various degrees of injuries were receiving treatment at the emergency unit of the hospital.
“Four of the dead were from a GLO mast that fell opposite the gate of our hospital here and one other was brought from the town,” he said.
An eyewitness, Mrs Henrietta Anthony, said that three of her cousins, Aisha Useni, Felicia Istifanus and Istiah James, were among the four people that were killed when a telecommunication mast fell on them during the rainstorm.
Anthony, who operates a restaurant, opposite the gate of the hospital explained that her cousins left the house early for work in the restaurant when the incident occurred.
“They finished cooking and were already to sell food to customers around 6:00 am, when the rainstorm fell the mast behind the restaurant.
“Three of them, including a customer, a driver to the state Commissioner for Water Resource, Mr Emmanuel Gowon, who came to buy food died instantly.
“Miss Konah Danjuma, who was also in the shop, sustained shoulder and head injuries,” she said.
The Director of Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Jalingo,  Rev. Fr. John Jerome, also told our correspondents that the Chaplain of St. Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy, Taraba State University,  Jalingo,  Rev. Fr. Pontianus Jaffla and seven university students sustained injuries when the temporary shelter serving as church fell on them.
Jerome said that the priest and students of the University were in the morning Mass when the church collapsed due to a heavy storm that accompanied the early morning rain.
“Rev. Fr. Pontianus sustained a head injury and was treated at the Federal Medical Centre Jalingo and discharged.
“One of the students was also treated and discharged but the remaining six are still receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo,” he said.
Latest Reality Metro also recalls that the first rain in Jalingo two weeks ago was also accompanied by rainstorm and destroyed many property, especially at the Taraba State University.
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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.
Some of the Ekiti APC governorship aspirants, with Tinubu, Chief Akande, Chief Osoba and Niyi Adebayo

Outgoing Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdullahi Chafe, has warned  dozens of  aspirants in the All Progressives Congress(APC) not to engage in acts capable of causing violence while conducting their governorship primaries today.
Chafe gave the advice at a valedictory news conference on Friday in Ado-Ekiti.
The APC  will pick its torchbearer for the July 14 governorship poll in the primary. No fewer than 33  aspirants will slug it out to win the ticket.
Among the aspirants were former governor, Dr.Kayode Fayemi, now the minister of mines and steel;  Senator Babafemi Ojudu, political adviser to President Buhari, Senator Ayo Arise and Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, a former commissioner in Lagos.
Mr Taiwo Olatubosun, the state Publicity Secretary of the party, said the 33 were the candidates who scaled through the party screening.
“We have four categories of delegates for the primaries namely; delegates from each of the 117 wards of the state, those from the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs), as well as members of the State Executive.There are also statutory ‎delegates,’’ he said.
Ensuring that primary was held peacefully will be Chafe’s last major duty in the state because he will retire by 12 midnight today.
He said his successor will also  maintain law and order before, during and after the governorship poll.
He disclosed that all the party leaders in the state had not only signed a pact to be of good behaviour, they had also made commitments to control their followers’ emotions.
“All the parties and their aspirants have pledged to be of good conduct and they also agreed to accept the outcome of the results in good fate.
“I believe that as matured men and women who can be trusted, they will want to stand by this solemn promise.
“We in the police do not want anybody, no matter how high or low to bring trouble to Ekiti,” he said.
Chafe, who joined the Nigerian Police Force on Feb. 2,1986, said that he was happy to retire without blemish and urged other officers and men to emulate his track records.
“My message to officers and men is that they should be wary of politicians, especially at a period such as we are in Ekiti.
“They must shun all manner of advances that can either truncate their career midway or dent their image as public officers
“From my personal experience about life, it is not how fast you can run to amass wealth that will make you rich but how you are able to systematically go about it will give you the peace you desire in life,” he said.
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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.

Mr Yahaya Bello, the new commissioner of police in Nasarawa State, assumed office on Friday, according to the command’s Police Relations Officer, Mr Kennedy Idirisu.
Idirisu told newsmen on Friday in Lafia that the new commissioner, who replaced Mr Bello Ahmed, was commissioner in charge of election planning and monitoring at the Force Headquarters, Abuja before his deployment.
He said that Bello’s predecessor, Bello Ahmed, had been deployed to the Ekiti State command.
Idirisu said that the police boss joined the force in 1984 and had previously served as ACP, Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (CIID) in Edo, Kaduna and Panti, Lagos States respectively.
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