Villeworth Security Services Ltd

week 43

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PORT HARCOURT AND ENVIRONS

JTF Warns Against Attacks on Oil Installations

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta has warned militants bent on carrying out attacks on oil installations that its troops are on red alert and prepared to crush any attack. The warning came against the backdrop of a military operation on suspected militants’ hide-out around Apoi community in Southern Ijaw LGA of BayelsaA State. Two guns, a power-line pistol and a locally fabricated weapon were recovered by youths of the community and handed over to the JTF after the operation, it was gathered.

Police Kill Four Robbery Suspects in Abia

Four suspected armed robbers were killed and one arrested by the police and a vigilance group at Umunneochi LGA of Abia State. The Police spokesman, Ali Okechukwu, said that the suspected robbers were part of a 10-man gang terrorising the community, and had been on rampage for four days before they were accosted by the police on the fifth day.

Gunmen Kidnap Shell Official’s Kids

Gunmen struck again in Rivers state, kidnapping two children of an employee of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). The children aged 9 and 11 were on their way to school when they were abducted. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, the latest in recent months.

Militants Threaten to Resume Attacks over Okah

A militant group in Bayelsa State, led by one Africa Ukparasia, has threatened to resume attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta if Henry Okah is not tried in the public. Okah is being tried in camera for alleged gun running. Ukparasia also condemned the establishment of the Niger Delta Ministry, saying it would not address the problem of underdevelopment and environmental degradation in the region.

Fuel Adulteration: RSG Indicts DPR

The Rivers State Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has fingered the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for the swelling level of adulterated fuel products in most filling stations across the state. The state Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Hon. Ezemonye Ezekiel-Amadi, said the DPR was not only failing in its duties to monitor quality of petrol products in various filling stations but suspected that some of its operatives collude with adulterators. Hon Ezekiel-Amadi cited the case of a filling station that was sealed by the ministry in Port Harcourt but was given a clean bill of health by DPR later.

Eleme Community Dares NNPC Workers over Sale of EPCL

The people of Eleme community in Rivers State have threatened to fight with the last drop of their blood to ensure that privatised Eleme Petrochemicals Company is not returned to the government. The workers unions of NNPC had demanded that the sale of the company, now run by Indorama, should be reversed and handed back to the NNPC. The community also supported the move by to transfer 7.5 per cent of Federal Government equity in EPCL to the six host communities of EPCL. This is also being vehemently resisted by NNPC workers.

Kidnapping: Govt Sets up Security Desk

In a bid to stem the rising wave of kidnapping and other criminal activities, the Akwa Ibom State government has set up a special security desk at the Government House in Uyo. The Deputy Governor, Engineer Patrick Ekpotu, said the desk would, through a dedicated phone line, 08028276097, receive information from members of the public, to enable the law track down criminals. He assured that information received would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

Defence HQ Organises Training for Military Spouses, Dependants

About 300 spouses and dependants of military personnel in Enugu state are receiving skill acquisition training in the state capital. The week long workshop which commenced on Monday is being organised by the Defence Headquarters in conjunction with E.K. Consolidated Nigeria Ltd, a human resource development organisation based in Abuja, with the aim of minimising their dependence on their husbands.

Three Die In Explosion

Three persons were confirmed dead on Tuesday as a strange object suspected to be dynamite exploded at the popular Ugwuoba Cattle Market in Oji River LGA of Enugu State. The chairman of the Ugwoba Cattle Market Association, Alhaji Baba Ibrahim confirmed the explosion and said that all the houses and shops in the market were all gutted by fire.

Niger Delta Needs Action Plan Not Talks - IBB

Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) last Monday urged the federal government to begin a massive development of the Niger Delta region and stop wasting time on talk shops. The former military president said a development marshal plan is what the region needs to give them a sense of belonging.

Oil Spill Rocks Biseni Community

A spill from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) facility has rocked Biseni community in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa state. Multinational oil companies have been urged to protect the environment and live up to their corporate responsibility to foster peace among host communities in their areas of operation, while the management of SPDC has been called upon to clean up the oil spill to prevent further spread to other parts of the area.

NDDC Trains 10,000 Youths in Skill Acquisition

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) said it has trained over 10,000 unemployed youths in various skill acquisition programmes in the last two years as part of its efforts to reduce poverty in the region. The commissioner representing Ondo State in the board, Dr. Ibukun Omotehinse, said the graduates were trained in metal fabrication, carpentry and joinery, computer and home management skills, among others.

Gunmen Kidnap Husband, Liberian Wife in Anambra

About 20 suspected kidnappers, armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed Nibo town in Awka South Local Council Area of Anambra State penultimate weekend and kidnapped a middle-aged businessman and his Liberian wife. Mr. Michael Aguowo and his wife were just had their court marriage in Enugu. The kidnappers, after much negotiation, settled for a ransom of N50 million. It is not said if the ransom was paid, but the couple regained their freedom days after.

27 Cultists Arrested

Twenty-seven members of cult groups who, in the past three weeks, have been terrorising residents of Calabar, Cross River state, are now in police net. The cultists went on the rampage by attacking one another at the end of the University of Calabar degree exams. The attacks left one of them dead.

Militants Committed to Ceasefire in Bonny -Group

Peace appears in sight in Bonny kingdom as militants in the area have agreed to lay down their arms for six months to enable government and multinational companies meet their demands or start visibly to work on them. Ms Igoniwari Mag Halliday, leader of a London-based peace mission confirmed the six-month ceasefire declaration.

EFCC Storms N/Delta, Inspects Oil-Bunkering Vessel

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission last week visited Bayelsa State to inspect the detained vessel owned by a Greece-based maritime company used by 14 Filipinos in July to allegedly siphon crude oil along the state’s waterways as they begin investigation to unearth some issues in the case, which include the release of the 14 expatriates at N50 million instead of the bail condition of N50million each and why the court cannot locate their whereabouts.

Security Foils Arson Attempt at IMSU

Security personnel at the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, successfully foiled an attempt by some people to burn sensitive offices and departments in the institution. Confirming this, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of IMSU, Dr. Victor Nwaneri, said his men nabbed two students carrying two jerry cans of petrol into the University.

Three Militants Feared Killed in Rivers

Three suspected militants were killed, Thursday, in Rivers State when their boat was sunk by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) operatives. According to JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, the naval operatives were on patrol when they ran into the militants’ boats around Cawthorn Channel. One of the three boats, and two AK-47 rifles were recovered, Musa said. JTF, he added, suffered no casually.

Armed Men Rape 28 Female Youth Corps Members
…JTF Invades Abonnema Town

Abonnema Town, Rivers State was on Thursday thrown into chaos as armed men invaded the town raping 28 female Youth Corps members posted to the town. In a swift counter attack, the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) invaded the town to cleanse it of the miscreants who are believed to be from Abonnema. Meanwhile, South-South repentant militant group, the Niger Delta Peace Keeping Volunteer Front (NDPKVF) has cautioned the federal government against consulting governors of the region over nominees for headship of the Niger Delta Ministry.

BENIN/WARRI/ESCRAVOS

Rival Youths Clash in Delta

Rival youth groups in Ekpan and other parts of Effurun, in Delta State, went on rampage on Wednesday. It was gathered that several innocent persons including school children sustained varying degrees of gunshot and machete wounds. The incident reportedly happened when scores of youths armed with dangerous weapons including cutlasses, rifles, pump action and other guns, invaded New Layout and environs at about midday, shooting sporadically into the air. The clash, according to reliable sources, followed attempts by the leadership of the Ekpan youth group to include New Layout and other adjoining enclaves under their sphere of control, a move that was resisted by the chairman of New Layout and his supporters.

Arms Build-up Uncovered in Benin

Security agencies in Edo state have discovered a large cache of arms and ammunition estimated at over two billion naira in Benin City, the state capital. The find, which is being linked to some power-brokers, comes amid heightened fear for the lives and property of residents of Edo State with reports of killings, bombings and other dastardly attacks.

Violence: Ex-INEC Boss, Guobadia Alleges Threat to Life

The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Abel Guobadia, Monday, petitioned the Edo State Commissioner of Police over alleged threat to his life. Meanwhile, the former Deputy Governor of Edo State, the Reverend Peter Obadan escaped death weekend, when the security operatives attached to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Zakawanu Garuba pounced on his Car, beat up three other occupants of the vehicle after his driver overtook the convoy of the Speaker at Egba junction.

Civil Defence Corps Sight 188 Boats Owned by 'Bunkerers'

The Delta state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it sighted 188 boats suspected to belong to bunkerers along the River Niger in September this year. The NSCDC Surveillance Report for September reported that 143 of the boats were laden with petroleum products. The report said that average of five boats were loaded with petroleum products on the island everyday and that about 25 heavily armed men were often seen at locations guarding the boats.

Police Command Plans Community Policing

The Edo State Police Command says it has concluded arrangements to begin community policing in the state. The command's spokesman, Mr Peter Ogboi, said that selected officers drawn from all the divisions of the command in the state were undergoing special training. According to him, a community police desk will be opened in all divisional police offices across the state to ensure the effectiveness of the programme

LAGOS AND ENVIRONS

Cultists Clash at OOU

Six armed gang suspected to be cultists held the permanent site of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago –Iwoye in terror for hours on Monday. They shot their way into a full lecture hall, killing one and injuring scores of others. The Student Union Government Public relations officer, Com. Adeniji Seun Santos, said the shoot-out was carried out by suspected cultists.

Woman Attacked in Taxi

Armed robbers at the weekend attacked a woman inside a taxi cab she boarded along Ikorodu express road. The victim, who said she flagged down and entered the yellow cab with only the driver inside it, was surprised when she discovered that someone had squatted behind the driver’s seat. The robbers collected her bag and phones, then drove her to a bank close by, and made her withdraw all she had in her account using her ATM card, before pushing her off the vehicle.

Housemaid Found Hanging on a Pole

Policemen in Lagos said on Monday that they were trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of a housemaid. The teenage maid, identified simply as Promise, was living with one Unegbu Apollus of 138B, Association Avenue, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, where the incident happened. Although the girl was said to have hanged herself, the police said investigation would reveal what actually went wrong.

Oil Chief Killed at Ogundeji’s Death Site

Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday shot dead a top official of African Petroleum (AP) Plc at the spot, along Akowonjo road in Lagos, where an Editorial Board member of ThisDay newspaper, Mr Abayomi Ogundeji, was killed in similar circumstances on August 17, this year. Mr William Anyaegbunam, 44, was allegedly ordered by the gunmen to wind down his window and he appeared to have refused before he was shot and dragged out of his car.

I Handed over Discovered Arms to Police, Says Alaafin

Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III has said that a cache of ammunition found at the abandoned Aremo house close to his palace was handed over to the Police on his instruction. The Alaafin who spoke through his Media Assistant, Alhaji Azeez Fehintola, said that the ammunition was discovered in the age-long abandoned Aremo house while clearing refuse dumped on the site.

Police Foil Robbery in Lagos

A team of policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) on Wednesday foiled an attempt by suspected robbers to snatch a car along the Badagry Expressway.  The bandits were forced to abandon the car before escaping. One locally-made pistol and one live cartridge were recovered from the scene. In a related incident, another RRS patrol team, on routine patrol, arrested four persons at Lagos Island who allegedly robbed victims of cash, telephone handsets and other valuables.

Robbers Kill Seven Persons in Ogun

Armed robbers went on the rampage on Wednesday afternoon at Ogbere junction on Ijebu-Ode Ore-Benin expressway, Ogun State, killing seven people, who are staff of Omo Wood, a Chinese company dealing in importation of logs of wood and a mobile police man. The workers of the firm were said to be returning from a bank in Ogbere after withdrawing the salaries of the casual workers due to be paid. Two people who escaped the robbery with gunshot injuries were being treated at a hospital in Ijebu-Ode.

Four Freed Ekiti Prisoners Still Behind Bars

Four prisoners at the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti, granted amnesty on October 1 by the Ekiti state governor, Olusegun Oni, as still in detention 20 days after. The four prisoners are still in prison custody because the governor is yet to sign the necessary documents that would facilitate their release.

Woman Beheads Husband, Dumps Body in Pit Toilet

A woman in Ogun state is being held in police custody for allegedly beheading her husband and attempting to hide the severed body in a pit toilet. The lid was blown off the dastardly act when the lower part of the deceased which could not be forced into the latrine was sighted by a neighbour. On a search of the apartment she shared with the deceased, blood stains were found on the walls and the bed, while the suspected murder weapon, a machete, was discovered in her room.

Robbers with Stick Rifles Nabbed

A gang of armed robbers which specialises in robbing their victims with sticks designed like rifles has been smashed by the police. The four suspects were arrested by policemen on patrol, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, while on their way to an operation at Shagamu, Ogun state. Four other are still at large.

Armed Robbers Trigger-off Explosion in Ogun

Alagbole, a border town between Lagos and Ogun states, was thrown into a state of confusion, Monday, when an explosion from a gas plant, Elo Gas Company, in the area triggered off a disaster that claimed five lives, destroyed houses and a church within the vicinity. A group of armed bandits, in a bid to scare attendants at the gas plant located in Ajayi Farm, Alagbole, near Oke Aro, Ogun State, shot at a gas cylinder thereby triggering a big explosion that resulted in a fire that ravaged the neighbourhood. After frantic efforts by the residents to put off the fire failed, they immediately made distress calls to both Lagos and Ogun States fire service offices, alerting them of the disaster. The fire that started at about 8.30am did not stop until about 2.30pm.

Lagos Airport Police Parade Suspected Ticket Racketeers

The Lagos Airport Command of the Nigeria Police has arrested members of a gang, which specialises in faking travel documents and duping unsuspecting travellers of huge sums of money. Commissioner of Police at the Command, Mr. Hashimu Argungun, who paraded the suspects during the week, said the scam was worth N1.9 million. The suspects were arrested after collecting money from three people, having promised to procure travel documents to London and Georgia for them.

Ondo Launches Social Security Scheme For Elders In Oil Areas

Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), has instituted a social security scheme for the aged persons in the two riverine councils of Ilaje and Ese-Odo. Under the initiative, the commission has budgeted an initial N30 million for the aged who are over 70 years.

GENERAL

ICPC to Probe Govs, Creates Special Office for Investigation

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will no longer wait for the expiration of immunity enjoyed by sitting governors before putting them to task on allegations of corruption levelled against them.  To this effect, the commission has created a special office to accommodate independent counsel who will be saddled with the task of investigating sitting governors.

NDLEA Introduces Anti-Drug Education

The chairman of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Alhaji Ahmadu Giade has disclosed that the agency has identified anti-drug education as a necessary tool to resist the temptation to indulge in drug cultivation, trafficking and abuse.  Speaking at the opening ceremony of a training workshop for the state principal officers on drug demand reduction held at the narcotic training academy Katon Rekkos near Jos, Alhaji Giade said, the agency will continue to work tirelessly towards reducing the problem of illicit drug to the barest minimum.

Fed Govt to Resume Oil Exploration in Lake Chad

The Federal Government will next month resume work on the suspended oil exploration in the Lake Chad area of Borno State. The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Engr. Abubakar Yar’Adua, disclosed this in Maiduguri yesterday when he visited the Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. He said it will cost the Federal Government between US$300 million and US$500 million to explore the area.

Police May Lose Power to Try Suspects

A major restructuring of the Nigeria Police being pushed by the House of Representatives may disrobe men and officers in black uniforms the power to prosecute suspects in court. If the move scaled legislative hurdles, the function may henceforth be performed by lawyers in the Federal Ministry of Justice, who will be attached to each police division across the country.

Growth of Africa’s Oil Exporting Countries to Decline –IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the economic growth of Africa’s oil exporting countries was expected to fall by half a point to an average 8 percent in 2008. This, it said, is due to the “lower-than-expected output in the Niger Delta and Equatorial Guinea plus weaker non-oil growth in Chad due to insecurity ” as well as  global financial turmoil. In its latest outlook for Africa, the IMF also said that economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will dip to 6 percent in 2008 and 2009 due to tough global conditions, while inflation is seen rising to 12 percent this year.

Mutiny Trial: Court-martial Restricts Officers’ Movement

Four military officers standing trial for alleged stealing and negligence by the court-martial trying 28 soldiers for mutiny have had their movement restricted to within Akure, the Ondo State capital, pending the final determination of their cases at the court. The President of the court-martial, Brig.-Gen. Ishaya Bauka, gave the order after taking evidence from one of the respondents, Lt.-Col. Paul Baba, who gave his evidence-in-chief on Wednesday.

Oil Slides Below $70, Pressure On OPEC To Cut Production

Oil well below $70 and mounting evidence of a global economic slowdown has destroyed demand and piled pressure on OPEC ministers to cut back world supplies. The Minister of Energy (Petroleum), Odein Ajumogobia said on Wednesday that Nigeria would be comfortable with oil at $80 a barrel but that it did not want to cut its own production to defend that price. He also confirmed that Nigeria had lowered the benchmark price in its draft 2009 budget to $45 per barrel from an initial $62.5.

SNEPCO, Appoints New Managing Director

Chike Onyejekwe has been appointed as the new Managing Director for Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo). Chike until his new appointed was Onshore & Shelf Exploration Manager.

736 on Death Row in Nigeria —Amnesty International

The human rights organisation, Amnesty International (AI), said on Tuesday, that about 736 Nigerians are currently on the death row in Nigeria. This comes as two condemned Nigerians who were pardoned by President Yar’adua narrated their ordeals in the condemned cell under what they called a deficient justice system.

Court Convicts Foreign Firm, over Dumping of Toxic Waste

Western Atlas International Nigeria Limited has been convicted for illegally dumping toxic waste in Nigeria. The court, however, acquitted Shell Petroleum Development Company over the crime. The trial judge ordered the convicted corporate organisation to pay a fine of N1.5 million to the Federal Government within 30 days. Western Atlas had pleaded guilty to the four-count charge.

Youths Drink Embalmment Chemical, LG Boss Cries Out

Federal and Kaduna State Governments have been alerted over the alleged large scale consumption of chemicals used for embalmment of dead bodies as alcohol by youths in Kaduna State. The chemical which is known as Gosgolo in local parlance is said to have ruined the lives of thousands of youths, most of who have become “living corpses”, according to Chairperson of Sanga LG council in Kaduna State. Apart from use of other drugs, youths in the state are known to inhale adhesive used for patching vehicle tubes as well as inhaling the steam that oozes out from pit toilets especially early in the morning, to get intoxicated.

Police Service Commission Assures on Security

With its present staff strength of 377,000, the Nigeria Police is capable of providing adequate security to Nigerians, Chairman of the Nigeria Police Service Commission (PSC), Mr. Parry Osayande has said. According to Osayande, a retired AIG of police, the immediate task of the commission was to give Nigerians a proactive Police Force.

Crimes: Okiro Meets with Police Commissioners, Others

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, is to meet with senior police officers from the rank of commissioners of police and above t appraise the rising crime rate in the country and strategise on how to combat it before the end of this year. A police source said the police top hierarchy was very disturbed with the number of robberies that had taken place between September and now.

Bankole Condemns Overseas Medical Care

Hon. Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives has decried the resort to medical attention overseas by the elite due to shortcomings in the health care delivery system in the country. He called for concerted efforts by all tiers of government to revamp the deplorable health care system to cater for the average Nigerian.

Police Launch Operation Stop and Search

The Adamawa State Police Command has embarked on operation stop and search to check the high rate of kidnapping and missing of children in the state. A statement signed by the PPRO, Altine Daniel, called on the public to report suspicious characters to any police station in the state. The statement also advised parents to always monitor the movement of their children, and advised school proprietors to ensure that only parents and trusted persons pick their children after school hours.

Doctors Seek Passage of Mental Health Act, Others

Doctors have decried the absence of laws to regulate certain areas of medical practice and the non-passage of the Mental Health Act by the National Assembly eight years after its presentation. The doctors said inadequate legislation on medical practice could be responsible for the high mortality rate in the country and the inability of the system to check the excesses of some doctors. The Mental Health Act, when passed into law, is expected to provide guidance and advice to registered medical practitioners, approved clinicians, managers and staff of hospitals and approved mental health professionals in course of their practice.

World Bank to Fund Abuja, P'Harcourt Airports Fence Projects

Plans by the Federal Government to build perimeter fencing at some major airports in the country have received a boost as the World Bank has undertaken to fence the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, Abuja and the Port-Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa. Although an official confirmation of the projects' cost could not be ascertained, a source in the aviation sector put it at over N500 million.

SEC: Capital Market Loses N3trillion in 6 Months

As a spiral effect of the global economic downturn, the Nigerian capital market has lost an estimated sum of N3trillion in the last six months when market capitalisation declined by 23.5 percent. The market crashed from N12.1 trillion at the beginning of the slide in March 2008 to N9.26trillion by last week. Also on Monday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that the banks had no plans to bail out the Nigerian stock market from crashing, claiming that the reports in the media were mere “speculations.”

Nigeria Loses $5.1bn to Environmental Degradation

President Yar’Adua on Monday put Nigeria’s annual losses from environmental degradation at $5.1billion. Yar’Adua said improper exploration and exploitation of Nigeria’s natural resources was having negative impact on Nigerians' social and economic health, the resources and ecosystem integrity.  Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Halima Tayo Alao, while highlighting the dangers posed by environmental degradation to national development, said the threat of desertification is assuming frightening proportion, adding that about 43per cent (397,219.81 Sq.Km) of our land is in danger of the scourge.

Security: PSC Wants Role for Monarchs

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has called on traditional rulers in the country to play active roles in checkmating the activities of criminals. Chairman of PSC, Parry Osayande, who decried the deplorable working condition of the police and their bad image, assured that the PSC under his leadership was poised to change things for the better in its commitment “to police the country in a modern way.”

EFCC Seeks to Probe People ‘Living Above Their Means’

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has proposed amendment to the EFCC Act 2006. The amendment if passed into law will empower the commission to investigate and prosecute persons living above their incomes.  The EFCC boss, Mrs Farida Waziri also raised the alarm that her detractors were still working to undercut her in her task of exposing corruption and its perpetrators in the country.

Armed Conflicts Frustrate Peace Initiatives –ECOWAS Boss

President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has warned parties in the various conflicts in the region to sheathe their swords, saying armed conflicts will never lead to the development of the region. The ECOWAS boss, who identified poor resource management and exclusion from development as major causes of conflicts in the region, said hostility is antithetical to conflict resolution.

Pirates Kill 2, Take 108 Hostages

Dare devil pirates, operating within the Nigeria’s territorial waters, have killed two fishing trawler captains and taken about 108 hostages in a renewed onslaught against sea farers within the past two weeks. Nigerian Fishing Trawlers Association chieftain, Margaret Orakwurusi expressed regret that despite the assurances and pledge of protection from the Nigerian Navy, the fate of sea farers, particularly the fishing operators, had remained the same, with the pirates daily becoming more daring since not even once had any of them either been caught or challenged.

FG Ratifies UN Instrument on Terrorism

The Federal Government has ratified nine of the United Nations Universal Instruments against Terrorism. Ms Ifeyinwa Nworgu, a minister at the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, said this when she stated Nigeria’s position at the 63rd UN General Assembly Debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism. She said that the ratification also included the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials which was ratified in 2007. According to her government will rely on relevant constituent elements of criminal and penal codes and Criminal Procedure Act (CPA) for the prosecution of terrorism offences.

INTERNATIONAL

UN Court Refuses to Free Congo War Crime Suspect

An appeal panel of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has refused to free a Congolese warlord and restart his suspended trial. Meanwhile, the appellate judges agree that the suspect, Thomas Lubanga, was not getting a fair trial because the prosecution was withholding crucial evidence it had obtained from the United Nations on condition it remain confidential. Lubanga is accused of using child soldiers in a brutal conflict in eastern Congo from 2002-2003.

Zimbabwe's War Veterans Threaten Tsvangirai over Deal

Militant war veterans in Zimbabwe have threatened to take action against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and urged President Robert Mugabe to form a government without him.  Jabulani Sibanda, who chairs the militant grouping, said the Movement for Democratic Change leader was stalling a power-sharing deal, which has hit deadlock over cabinet posts. The MDC, which has accused the war veterans of attacking its supporters, said, Tuesday, that Tsvangirai could boycott further power-sharing talks and that fresh elections may be needed to break the political impasse.

Nuclear Body Warns Against Global Arms Proliferation

The world is on the brink of an avalanche in the spread of devastating weaponry, according to a new global non-proliferation group. Gareth Evans, co-chair of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, said the Middle East, particularly Iran, is a potential tipping point.

France Captures Somali Pirates

Nine suspected Somali pirates have been captured by the French navy and handed over to regional officials in northern Somalia, the authorities there say. It was gathered that patrolling French marines arrested the pirates in the Gulf of Aden after intercepting two boats on Wednesday. The arrest comes as the International Maritime Bureau said the waters off Somalia were the World's worst for pirate attacks.

Two Jailed over Ivorian Pollution

A court in Cote d'Ivoire has sentenced two people to 20 years and five years, respectively, to jail for dumping hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste in Abidjan in 2006. Seven others were acquitted. The Dutch company, Trafigura, that shipped the waste avoided prosecution by paying the government a $200m out-of-court settlement. The company, Trafigura, never admitted liability, saying the payment was made out of sympathy for the Ivorian people. Seventeen people died and thousands suffered breathing problems and nausea.

Iraqi Minister Escapes Assassination

A suicide bomber, Thursday, targeted an Iraqi minister, in Baghdad, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 20, officials said. The Shiite minister, Mahmoud Mohammed al-Radhi, escaped unharmed but three of his guards were killed. Meanwhile, the U.S. military handed over to the Iraq government security responsibilities for Babil province south of Baghdad. Babil is the 12th of 18 Iraqi provinces to be handed over and a sign of the improved security situation in the country.