23 Banks Got N28.7bn Inflows from Dubious MMM Transactions-Ndubuisi Francis

No fewer than 23 Nigerian banks received inflows amounting to N28.7 billion executed in 460,000 transactions through the Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM) Ponzi scheme within six months, the 2016 annual report of the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) has revealed.
The amount, which was moved between June and December 2016, is 61 per cent higher than the budget of the Federal Ministry of Education and almost six times over the budget of the Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in the 2017 budget, the report erroneously stated.

A quick fact-check by THISDAY of the 2017 budget, as passed by the National Assembly, showed that N139.3 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Defence for its capital spending programme for the year, while N330.54 billion was allocated for recurrent expenditure.
In the case of the budget of the education ministry, the National Assembly passed a provision of N398.70 billion for recurrent spending and N56.72 billion for capital expenditure for the year.

The report disclosed that by the time the scheme “crashed” on December 13, 2016, over N11.9 billion had been lost by gullible subscribers.
The NeFF report, which was unveiled in Abuja Tuesday at a stakeholders workshop on cybercrime, organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), disclosed that since the MMM scheme had a 30-day cycle before return-on-investment (RoI) was realised, everyone who put money into it after November 12, 2016 did not get their money out.

“No fewer than 23 banks received inflows amounting to N28.7 billion executed in 460,000 transactions through the MMM Ponzi scheme. The amount put into the scheme between November 13th and December 15th, 2016 (through interbank transactions) totals over NGN11.9bn. This amount was largely not recovered.

“To put this amount into perspective, the 2017 budget for Defence Headquarters is N4.7 billion. This implies that the amount transferred by Nigerians under the MMM Ponzi scheme would have funded the Nigerian Defence HQ almost six times over.
“Majority of the transfers made by customers of banks that participated in the MMM Ponzi scheme were made through the account-to-account transfer platform.

“This was followed by the mobile channel, and lastly, through the web channels of other transfer platforms in the industry,” the report said.
It added that 34 financial institutions paid out money for investments into the MMM Nigeria Ponzi scheme, adding that the customers included those of commercial banks, mobile payment operators as well as mortgage banks.

“By the side are the amounts, in terms of volume and value for each financial institution that money was paid out from. Fewer banks received inflows of MMM transactions than the number of banks from which outflows occurred,” the NeFF report stressed.
It also stated that MMM followed the usual pattern of Ponzi schemes, pointing out that “they continue to build momentum and crash when the maximum amounts are already invested in the scheme”.

The NeFF report added that the peak of the MMM investment was in November 2016, when over N13 billion was transferred among the participants, pointing out that the CBN had in the middle of 2016 warned about the dangers of the scheme.
In a related development, the volume of fraud reported in 2016 indicated an 82 per cent increase in reported cases, with an estimated N2.19 billion losses.

The NeFF 2016 annual report titled, “A Changing Payments Ecosystem: The Security,” said the financial industry recorded an 82 per cent rise when compared to 2015 and over 1,200 per cent rise when juxtaposed with the situation in 2014.
According to the report, despite the 82 per cent increase in reported fraud cases, the industry was able to reduce fraud by 2.7 per cent when compared to the 2015 figure.
“Comparing the attempted fraud against the actual losses, the industry was able to salvage 49.7 per cent of the total amount attempted by these fraudsters within the year.

“These figures informed us that there are more attempts on a yearly basis with different innovation tricks or modus operandi to take advantage of the system,” the NeFF report said.
The report also noted that 2016 witnessed a significant transaction increase across all payment channels in both volume and value in spite of the economic recession.

“In contrast with 2015, there was a 71.43 per cent spike in the volume of transactions processed through the NCS (Nigeria Central Switch),” it said.
In his address at the unveiling of the NeFF 2016 annual report, CBN’s Director, Banking and Payments System and NeFF Chairman, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, stated that the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) report of the Nigeria fraud landscape for 2016 indicated that fraud cases grew by 82 per cent over the 2015 figures, attributing the trend to the increased usage of new payment platforms.

Meanwhile, the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has called on stakeholders to ensure that the Cybercrime Act is effectively enforced, to serve as a deterrent and constant reminder to those who may wish to engage in illicit activities targeting the financial technology infrastructure.
“It is now about two years into the commencement of the Act, and so it is not too early to conduct a holistic review of its implementation, hence the theme of this workshop: ‘Tackling Enforcement Challenges under the Cybercrime Act’,” Emefiele said.

He noted that as the regulator of the financial sector, the CBN is constantly confronted with issues raised by operators who occupy the unenviable position of first line of defence against cyber attacks on the systems, networks and infrastructure through which financial services are carried out in the country.

“While the issue about cyber security is not wholly legal in nature, and while considerable efforts have been made by the CBN and banking operators, especially through the Bankers’ Committee and other bodies, leading to reduced incidents of fraud on the one hand, and very high consumer confidence in our payment system on the other, we are nevertheless desirous that the Cybercrime Act is effectively enforced, to serve as a deterrent and constant reminder to those who may wish to engage in illicit activities targeting our financial technology infrastructures,” he said.

Culled from Thisday

Ex-Panamanian leader, Manuel Noriega dies

Former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, who spied for the CIA before his drug trafficking and brutal regime sparked a U.S. invasion in 1989, has died aged 83.
President Juan Carlos Varela announced Noriega’s death on Twitter late on Monday, and said his passing marked the closing of a chapter in Panama’s history.
Noriega, who ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989, spied for the Central Intelligence Agency until the United States invaded and toppled his corrupt government, ending a criminal career that saw him working with drug traffickers like Pablo Escobar.
Noriega was initially sentenced in the United States in 1992 but was serving a sentence for murder in Panama when he died.
The wily military ruler of the Central American nation made world headlines as his relationship with Washington soured, culminating in the United States sending nearly 28,000 troops to seize Panama City and capture him in a house-to-house hunt.
Noriega spent the rest of his life in custody between the United States, France and Panama for crimes ranging from murder to racketeering and drug-running.
The former dictator had undergone an operation in March to remove a brain tumor but suffered a hemorrhage and had been in a coma since a second surgical intervention.
A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Noriega died at around 11 p.m. local time after his condition suddenly worsened.
With the knowledge of US officials, Noriega formed “the hemisphere’s first narcokleptocracy,” a US Senate subcommittee report said, calling him, “the best example in recent US foreign policy of how a foreign leader is able to manipulate the United States to the detriment of our own interests.”
After his capture, Noriega tried to turn the tables on the United States, saying it had worked hand in glove with him.

Culled from Sun

Okorocha Rejects FG Appointment Given To His Daughter

Here's an official press release from the governor;

RE: THE APPOINTMENT OF MRS UJU ROCHAS ANWUKA INTO THE BOARD OF FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECH) OMOKU

-His Excellency Governor Rochas Okorocha Rejects the Appointment.

The attention of the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been drawn to the publication listing one of the daughters, Mrs. Uju Rochas Anwuka as a member of the Board of the Federal College of Education (Tech), Omoku.

And it is important to swiftly state, with every sense of concern, that the governor had read about the appointment like every other Nigerian because he was never consulted or briefed on the appointment and that is why the whole thing looks suspicious.

To the governor, the appointment was obviously not done in good faith. Whoever was the brain behind the appointment did so out of unbridled mischief. Otherwise, the person behind the appointment would have had the courtesy of either informing the father or the mother.

The truth of the matter is that the governor’s daughter does not need the appointment. The governor has therefore asked whoever was behind the appointment to withdraw it since the daughter would not have needed the appointment, even if he had not become governor.

Indeed, the governor has the feeling that whoever was behind the appointment did it with something else at the back of his or her mind, otherwise the person would have acted well his or her part by informing him or the mother or even the daughter herself.

The daughter and the entire family reject the appointment.

Sam Onwuemeodo
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.

Trump meets EU chiefs in Brussels

United States President Donald Trump met the heads of European Union institutions in Brussels on Thursday ahead of a summit of NATO leaders at the military alliance’s headquarters in the city later in the day.
Trump, on the fourth leg of his first foreign trip since taking office, was greeted by European Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who chairs meetings of the 28 EU leaders.
Also joining the talks will be the bloc’s chief executive, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Trump, who voiced scepticism while campaigning about the EU’s value and hailed Britain’s Brexit vote to quit the bloc, will hear a call from European leaders for him to maintain Washington’s longstanding support for integration on the continent, as well to support free trade and efforts to combat climate change.
Trump questioned the relevance of the NATO military alliance as a presidential candidate, and is considering pulling the US out of the Paris agreement on climate change, a huge concern in Europe.
The EU was also a party to the Iran nuclear agreement, which Trump has criticized sharply.
“We expect him to recommit to NATO’s founding rule that an attack against one ally is an attack against all,” said a senior European diplomat at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
“Words matter and there is a huge expectation on that.”
Trump will also meet Europe’s chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk, who chairs EU summits, in the morning.
He will then go to NATO’s new, billion-dollar headquarters where he will unveil a memorial to the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
There Trump, in his only scheduled public remarks before a dinner with NATO leaders, is expected to pledge his full support to the alliance he once called “obsolete” because he said it was not doing enough to stop terrorism.
NATO hopes to impress Trump with military bands, allied jets flying overhead and a walk through the glass-and-steel headquarters, which replaces a leaking, 1960s prefab structure.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump would press NATO leaders hard to spend more on defense and take on more of the burden of paying for the alliance, a message Trump has reiterated repeatedly before and after entering the White House.
Trump wants NATO to join the battle against Islamic State, Tillerson told reporters on Air Force One.

SUN

2019: Sule Lamido kicks off presidency race

Unveils plan to 36 PDP state chairmen at Abuja dinner
By Ismail Omipidan
Immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has kickstarted the 2019 presidential race, with two years left in the administration of the All Progressives Congress.
Lamido unveiled his presidential bid on Monday, at a dinner for the 36 state chairmen of the Peoples Democractic Party (PDP), in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The dinner/meeting, Daily Sun gathered, held at a highbrow facility in Abuja’s affluent Maitama district.
Lamido’s declaration came barely two weeks after he was released on bail, from prison, over allegation of incitement, preferred against him by the Jigawa State Government, and 24 hours after three former commissioners and three ex-local government area  chairmen who served in his administration were also released from prison.
Lamido was said to have unveiled his plans to the 36 state chairmen and all the six national zonal vice chairmen, at the Abuja dinner.
One of his close confidants, confirmed the development to Daily Sun, yesterday. He disclosed that the former governor told the gathering that Nigeria, as a country, has done him a lot of good and the only way he could pay back is to offer himself to serve the country, come 2019.
Lamido was quoted to have said: “For now, what we are doing is internal; that is why I believe I have to start from home. I am aware a lot of people are likely to indicate interest in running on the platform of our great party. Please, we must make sure we go for the best.
“After series of consultations across the length and breadth of Nigeria, when the time comes, I will be offering myself for the presidency. I may not be the only aspirant, but please, when the time comes, only the best should be allowed to emerge on the platform of our great party, the PDP.” Lamido had, in January this year, declared that no matter the level of oppression and intimidation, if God wishes for him to be president in 2019, nobody would stop him.
He had made the declaration then after dozens of heavily armed policemen were deployed to his home country in Bamaina, to prevent hundreds of youths, who had besieged the town to call on the former governor to contest the 2019 Presidency.
Lamido had said: “Those in power today must know the same God that made Balewa, Ironsi, Gowon, Murtala, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida and Jonathan presidents can do the same for me if He so wishes.
“All the coercion and intimidation were because of my aspiration, and I must tell them that no matter what, if Allah has destined that I will be president, they cannot stop me because that will amount to fighting the will of God.
“Leaders should beware of the consequences that follow tyranny, impunity and abuse of human dignity.”
He had equally told the youths who defied police barricades to access his country home that “if your prayers for me to be president of this country is the wish of Allah, let it be, for Allah is the One that made others like Jonathan, Tafawa Balewa, Obasanjo and Buhari President.”
In the build up to the 2015 election, but for his principled stance to stand by the PDP’s decision to field former president Jonathan, some party stakeholders, including former president Olusegun Obasanjo, had preferred him as the party’s candidate, ahead of Jonathan.
For instance, former president  Obasanjo had, in May 2013, two years to the 2015 polls, described Lamido as a good ‘repairer,’ saying any society desirous of change needs Lamido’s type to bring about such a change.
Apparently making reference to Jonathan’s handling of the country’s affairs at the time, Obasanjo further said while it was easy to help someone to find a job, it was impossible to help the same person to do the job, insisting that it was “utter rubbish” for anyone to say one man could not bring about change.
The former president, who said he was proud of the Lamido administration further said: “With Lamido, you know where you stand. When he says he will do, he will do. And when he says he will not do, he will not do. Let’s all pray he doesn’t say he will not do, because if he says he will not do, not even I, Obasanjo, can pressurise him. And you need a man like that.”
Last weekend, the former Jigawa governor told the current governor, Mohammadu Badaru, that no amount of intimidation from him would make the PDP lose focus towards winning the forthcoming Council poll in the state.
He had gone to Kiyawa Prison to sympathise with three former commissioners and three ex-LGA chairmen who served in his administration, who were last Thursday remanded in prison custody.
after their arraignment before a Dutse Chief Magistrate Court II.
They were charged for criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by public servants, disobeying direction of the law with intent to cause injury to the public, theft and forgery when they held sway as public office holders.
But Lamido said: “It’s simply a ploy to intimidate, terrorise, malign and demean our supporters so they can be broken in terms of their courage to toe the line of the APC before the coming election.
“No power on earth can avert what God ordained. Those who are there now, before them there were others who were there.”
As at the time of filling this report, all the six accused persons had been released on bail.

sun

Kachikwu: FG to Maintain N145 Pump Price of Petrol

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu

1

• NNPC now sole importer as oil price rallies

Ejiofor Alike

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has stated that the federal government would re-visit the pricing modulation model introduced in 2016 and remove the multi-layer charges on importation of petroleum products to maintain the pump price of petrol at the current N145 per litre.

This is coming as the Chief Operating Officer, Downstream at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Henry Ikem-Obih has stated that the July 1, 2017 target for the importation of higher grades of petroleum products with lower sulfur content into the country, has been shifted to September 2017.

Kachikwu further stated that the federal government would also find a way to ensure that the modulation model allows Nigerians to enjoy a windfall when the price of crude oil goes down and limited exposure when the price goes up in the international market.

Speaking yesterday in Lagos at the 20th anniversary lecture of Rainoil Limited, the minister disclosed that the government was working to ensure that NNPC reduces its charge on the pro-forma invoice, which is the allowance for ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations on imported cargoes from the current five per cent to one per cent, so as to reduce the burden on fuel marketers.

He noted that when the non-availability of forex and inability to raise letters of credit forced private oil marketers to stop importation in the first and second quarters of 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari encouraged the petroleum ministry to take the bullish decision of partially liberalising the downstream sector and eliminating subsidy by adjusting to the N145 pump price.

Kachikwu noted, however, that the country is at a turning point today where the required urgency for the repositioning of the downstream sector is more critical than ever.

According to him, when the N145 pump price was fixed, the price of crude oil in the international market was between $25 and $30 per barrel.

“Today, the environment has changed since we took those steps because back then, crude was selling between $25 and $30 per barrel. But today, crude is over $50 per barrel, which means that the federation’s revenue stream is improving.
“But whenever the price of crude goes up, as a fuel import dependent country, we see the prices of refined products go up and this comes with systemic challenges.
“Again, at this time, as crude oil rallies, we begin to see the gap begins to return, as our refined product imports become more expensive.

“Today, NNPC has almost gone back to importing almost 100 per cent to ensure supply stability in the country and this means it is obviously absorbing the cost implications resulting from the increase in crude oil prices,” Kachikwu explained.
Kachikwu said the country was about to enter two years of emergency as it moves towards fixing the refineries and identified infrastructure as a major challenge, saying that the refineries have continued to experience downtime as a result of years of little or no investment on maintenance.

“But we plan to get investments to repair them and inject best practices and to build transparency into the management of these assets.

“Hopefully, we will make them stand alone as commercial entities, making and sustaining profits. Our aim is to get to a point where we can reduce product importation by 60 per cent in 2018 and, in fact, eliminate importation of petroleum products by 2019-2020.

“Apart from the NNPC refineries, we are also looking at co-locating refineries, where the NNPC will not have equity. This entails identifying individuals who can come in and build refineries within the premises of the existing refineries and share existing infrastructure for efficiency.

“In addition, we are working with the private sector, the state governments in the Niger Delta and other stakeholders to build modular refineries of 20,000 barrels per day in each of those states to create capacity over time, create jobs and contribute to government’s revenue,” Kachikwu added.

He described refining as key, stressing that any country that continues to import its entire petroleum products without local processing is no different from a country that exports all its agricultural products and gets very little margins and no value added.

Kachikwu said to encourage investment in refining, incentives must be provided and fiscal conditions improved.

According to him, one of the key elements is pricing, adding that “a lot of time, we control pricing at the pump and the market because it is convenient”.
The minister, who was represented by Ikem-Obih, said price control has created an air of insecurity on investments and ultimately turmoil in the market.

Kachikwu also stated that if the federal government had continued with the price modulation it introduced last year, there would have been stability in the market.
The minister argued that the government would look into price modulation to allow Nigerians enjoy a windfall when oil prices drop and limited exposure when the price rises.

He said the government would review the pricing template to remove multi-layered charges on product importation, working with the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

On the movement of the July 1, 2017 take off date for the importation of higher grades of petroleum products with lower sulfur content into the country to September 2017, Ikem-Obih argued that if the importation of the new specifications is implemented in July, it could cause supply disruptions.

He said the NNPC was engaging the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to ensure smooth and orderly transition from the importation of the current grades of fuels to the new specifications.

Thisday

Pictured: Pilot, mum and two sons in plane which vanished over Bermuda Triangle as Coast Guard finds debris-Mirror

Pilot Nathan Ulrich and Jennifer Blumin and sons Phineas, four, and two-year-old Theodore were on board

BySteve Robson Patrick Lion

• 
  

Jennifer Blumin (Photo: WireImage)

 

A small plane vanished in the Bermuda Triangle with a mum and her two young sons on board.
The US Coastguard said it has found a field of debris after the plane disappeared about 40 miles east of the Bahamas after leaving Puerto Rico on Monday.
Those on board were pilot Nathan Ulrich, passenger Jennifer Blumin and her sons Phineas, four, and two-year-old Theodore.
Air traffic control in Miami lost radar and radio contact with the twin-engine MU-2B plane east of the island of Eleuthera, the coastguard said.

Pilot Nathan Ulrich (Photo: Instagram/nulrich34)

Ms Blumin's husband James Ramsey with their sons Theodore and Phineas (Photo: Instagram/jameswramsey)

The plane was said to be bound for the small city of Titusville on the east coast of Florida.
"There's no indication of significant adverse weather at the time, "said Lt Cmdr Ryan Kelly, a Coast Guard spokesman.

A map showing the island of Eleuthera near where the plane went missing (Photo: Google)

Authorities were concentrating the search effort Tuesday about 40 miles east of Eleuthera, NBC New York reports.
The Bermuda Triangle is a region in the western Atlantic Ocean off Florida, USA, where planes and ships have disappeared, sparking claims the area is cursed or subject to paranormal activity.
It is also called the Devil's Triangle.

Air traffic control in Miami lost radar and radio contact with the twin-engine MU-2B east of the island of Eleuthera (pictured) (Photo: Mirrorpix)

Could mysterious hexagonal clouds in Bermuda Triangle caused by 170mph 'air bombs' be behind centuries of bizarre disappearances?

Mother sells baby for N250,000 By Odita Sunday

 

• She connived with her mother to conceal the pregnancy from her strict father
A Twenty-two-year-old lady along with six other suspects have been arrested by the decoy team of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command over the sale of a day-old baby for the sum of N250,000.
The lady, Miss Onyinyechi Osoneye, was arrested on Wednesday by the operatives, who were working on intelligence over the sale of her baby to Mr. and Mrs. Ike Nwata.
It was gathered that Onyinyechi with the connivance of her mother, Mrs. Joy Osoneye, concealed the pregnancy from her father knowing her father’s strict position on a child born out of wedlock.


It was further revealed that the man, who impregnated Onyinyechi had on being informed of the pregnancy, declined to be the one responsible for it.A source revealed that Onyinyechi was admitted to Peninsula Hospital, Ikota, Lekki-Ajah Expressway, Lagos, where Mrs. Glory Ehinmi, 35, delivered the lady of a baby boy on March 1, 2017. The source said Onyinyechi when arrested had declined the fact that she was pregnant and sold her baby. She was reported to have thereafter burst into tears on further interrogation.
She disclosed that Ehinmi took the baby from her at the point of delivery and gave him to Mrs. Prisca Okocha, 45, her sister and owner of Peculiar Hospital, Orile, who offered Onyinyechi’s mother N250,000 as cost of the baby.
The source disclosed that Okocha thereafter contacted Mrs. Regina Anyanwu, 59, who subsequently brought the buyers, Mrs. and Mr. Ike Nwata. Okocha confessed to investigators that she sold the baby for N850,000 but gave the mother N250,000.
It was further learnt that the buying couple, who were desperately in need of a child, organised a huge party to celebrate the baby’s arrival.Nwata was reported to have stayed away from her husband’s residence on doctor’s advice while the search for a baby lasted. She added that she was pretending to be pregnant each time she was at home.
Onyinyechi could not be interviewed as she wept all through the period of investigation.  Ehinmi disclosed that what she did Onyinyechi was a favour, adding that the concealment was enough to suffocate the baby, but she enrolled her for antenatal and catered for her till she was delivered of the baby.
Efforts to arrest the man who impregnated Onyinyechi, her mother and father proved abortive as they were reported to be on the run.The baby has been handed over to the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs while five suspects have been transferred to Gender Office, State Headquarters, Ikeja for further investigations.

Guardian

Tension in Abia over Supreme Court verdict — Okey Sampson

Palpable tension has enveloped Abia State, as the Supreme Court gives final verdict on the legal battle between the incumbent  governor, Okezie Ikpeazu,  Dr Uche Ogah and Dr Alex Otti, over who should be the rightful governor of the state.
While  Ikpeazu and Ogah belong to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Alex Otti is of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
As a result of this,  security has been beefed up in the commercial town of Aba and its environs  to forestall any breakdown of law and order a result of the judgment.
As early as 7.00am yesterday, when Daily Sun moved round the city of Aba, there were presence of security personnel at strategic locations, with patrol teams moving  around.
Security agents who spoke with Daily Sun said the security measures were meant to ensure that noone  capitalised on the judgment to disrupt the peace in Aba and its environs.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Geoffrey Ogbonna, warned both Ikpeazu and Ogah’s supporters to avoid acts that could jeopardise the peace in the state, stressing that anyone that distrupts the peace in the state would be dealt with by the police.
Ogbonna said Abia Police Command decided to dispatch its personnel as a proactive step to stem the activities of hoodlums and mischievous persons.
“The Abia State Police Command has put all necessary measures in motion to ensure there would be no breakdown of law and order in the state, no matter the outcome of the verdict of the Supreme Court. Divisional Police Officers have been advised to ensure adequate security of lives and property in their areas of jurisdiction, to avert any ugly incident  as a result of the court verdict.
“Our men have been deployed at various strategic points as well.
“The youths in the state should not be allowed themselves to be used for any form of thuggery during, before and after the Supreme Court judgment. Parents are as well advised to warn their children, especially the youths to maintain the peace and stay away from any act capable of bringing violence into the state.”
Before today, supporters of the main actors in the legal battle had been claiming they would have victory at the Supreme Court, with some of them buying drinks in advance with which to celebrate the day’s victory.

Sun

N11bn Stolen Oil: Tanker Drivers Debunk Allegation Of Sabotage

Amid controversy trailing N11 billion stolen oil, Petroleum Tanker Drivers yesterday denied rumour making the rounds alleging that they were part of the economic sabotage,In a statement signed by the national PTD chairman, Comrade Salimon Oladiti, they insisted that the claim is baseless and untrue. According to the statement, leadership of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers wishes to categorically deny the allegation of Ifeanyi Uba or any other individual, inciting the tanker Drivers to cause any economic sabotage.  The allegation is baseless, unfounded and totally untrue.
“Our responsibility as a Trade Union is solely to promote, project and protect the job security and welfare of workers most especially the petroleum tanker drivers in Nigeria.
“We have no further relationship with any capitalist/employer beyond the precinct of promoting, projecting and protecting the security of jobs and welfare of our members,” it added.
The union stressed that it unequivocally support the on -going war against corruption by the current government and that any  capitalist/employer found culpable of stealing, diversion or  embezzlement of government funds should be appropriately dealt with in accordance with the law.

Leadership

Aaron Lennon has been 'detained under Mental Health Act and is receiving treatment'-Liam Prenderville

The former England and Tottenham winger hasn't featured for Everton since the draw with Middlesbrough on February 11

Aaron Lennon of Everton warms up (Photo: Getty)

Everton winger Aaron Lennon is receiving treatment for a stress-related illness, the club has confirmed.
Lennon, 30, joined the Toffees from Tottenham in 2015 after a successful loan spell but hasn't featured since the draw with Middlesbrough on February 11.
He was again left out of the matchday squad by Ronald Koeman for Sunday's defeat to Chelsea.
A club statement read: "Aaron Lennon is currently receiving care and treatment for a stress-related illness.
"The club is supporting him through this and his family has appealed for privacy at this time."

Lennon in action earlier this season (Photo: Alex Livesey)

Lennon celebrates after scoring for Everton (Photo: Liverpool Echo)

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police told the Mail a 30-year-old man had been detained under the Mental Health Act amid concerns for his welfare.
"Police were called at around 4.35pm on Sunday, April 30, 2017 to reports of a concern for the welfare of a man.
"Officers attended and a 30-year-old man was detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and was taken to hospital for assessment."
Lennon, who started his career at Leeds, won 21 caps during his time with England.
He has one year remaining on his contract at Goodison Park.

Culled from Mirror