JUST IN: Appeal Court Nullifies David Mark’s Election

A Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State has nullified the election of former senate president, David Mark.

The Makurdi division of the Court of Appeal on Saturday, ordered a re-run of the poll within 90 days.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Benue South, Mr Donald Onjeh, had challenged the decision of the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld the victory of Senator Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Onjeh’s lawyer, Adetunji Oso, also urged the Appellate Court to allow his appeal and set aside the decision of the Tribunal.

He said the court erred when it held that the papers tendered by his client were mere documentary hearsay.

The documents, according to Mr Oso, demonstrated that while the collation of results for the Benue South senatorial district’s election on March 28 was still ongoing in seven of the nine local government areas, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared Senator Mark winner of the poll.

Protests as France’s Hollande calls on UK to join Syria campaign

French President Francois Hollande has urged British MPs to back an air campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria, as thousands prepared to march on London Saturday to oppose the plans.

Hollande made the appeal after a tribute to the 130 victims of the Paris attacks, during which he vowed to destroy the “army of fanatics” behind the violence that rocked the French capital two weeks ago.

“On November 13, a day we will never forget, France was hit at its very heart,” Hollande told a sombre commemoration in the Invalides, the 17th-century complex housing Napoleon’s tomb on Friday.

“To all of you, I solemnly promise that France will do everything to destroy the army of fanatics that committed these crimes,” he said.

Speaking later at the Commonwealth summit in Malta, where he flew after the ceremonies in Paris, Hollande called on British lawmakers to support France’s intervention in Syria.

“I can only call on all British members of parliament, in solidarity with France but, above all, conscious of the fight against terrorism, to approve this intervention,” he said.

Hollande has already been backed by Germany, which has offered Tornado reconnaissance jets, a naval frigate, and 650 soldiers to relieve French forces in Mali.

– Memories of Iraq –
British Prime Minister David Cameron made his case for air strikes to parliament on Thursday ahead of a vote expected next week.

But many MPs are still troubled by the memory of unpopular British interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan under then Labour prime minister Tony Blair.

The Stop the War Coalition — which also led demonstrations against British intervention in Iraq — has organised a major rally in London to protest the move, with thousands expected to march on Downing Street on Saturday afternoon.

“We are calling on all our groups to organise protests in their towns and cities on the same day. We need to resist this brutalising and dehumanising spiral of violence,” the group said on a Facebook page to advertise the event.

Spanish activists also called for peace protests on Saturday, with the country still scarred from extremist attacks following its involvement in the Iraq war.

The 2004 attacks saw Al-Qaeda-inspired bombers blow up four packed commuter trains and kill 191 people in retaliation for then prime minister Jose Maria Aznar’s decision to join the US-led Iraq invasion.

Leading personalities, including Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and Pilar Manjon, head of an association for victims of Madrid’s attacks, have called for nationwide peace protests to denounce the use of further force.

Their online manifesto has been signed by more than 28,000 people and demonstrations are planned in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Valencia and other locations.

France has said that all 27 of its EU partners have pledged to help in some way to strike at the Islamic State group, but Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has so far remained evasive on the issue.

The Paris attacks — claimed in response for French air strikes on the jihadists in Iraq and Syria — inflicted the worst-ever toll on French soil, leaving 130 dead and 350 wounded. Most victims were under 35.

Philippines goes supersonic again with S. Korean fighter jets

The Philippines took delivery of two South Korean-made FA-50 aircraft on Saturday, marking the country’s return to supersonic fighter jet status after almost a decade, amid growing tensions with China.

The two new aircraft are the first of an order of 12 and signal a new readiness by Manila to assert itself militarily.

The two fighters, flown from Seoul by South Korean pilots, were met in Philippine airspace by two S211 jets which escorted them to the former US airbase of Clark where they were received by Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

“We’re glad. We are finally back to the supersonic age,” he told reporters as he inspected the “Golden Eagle” jets.

Gazmin has said the aircraft could serve as both trainers and fighters, and that among the areas they would be posted will be the western island of Palawan, the country’s closest point to the South China Sea where the Philippines has a territorial dispute with China.

China claims most of the South China Sea even up to the coastline of its neighbours. Other countries have conflicting claims and the Philippines has been the most vocal in opposing China despite its overwhelming military superiority.

The cash-strapped Philippines, which is also battling internal communist and Muslim insurgencies, has long neglected external defence, relying on ageing ships and aircraft to patrol the disputed waters.

It retired the last of its supersonic fighter jets, US-made F-5 Freedom Fighters, in 2005 due to their age and since then has relied on propeller-driven planes and the Italian-made S211.

The S211s are intended for training new pilots and are not capable of supersonic flight. But the military has been forced to use them for other roles such as patrolling territory and conducting bombing missions on insurgents.

However, as the country’s economy improved, Philippine President Benigno Aquino has been upgrading the military, acquiring two surplus frigates from the United States and new aircraft from different sources.

FG, States, LGs share N473.8bn for Oct.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, on Friday said N473.8 billion was shared among the federal, states and local governments as revenue for October, 2015.

Adeosun announced this when she addressed newsmen on the outcome of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in Abuja.

She said the shared amount comprised the month's gross statutory revenue of N400.3 billion.

"Also, there is the exchange gain of N6.9 billion which is proposed for distribution.

"Therefore, the total revenue distributable for October, including VAT of N60.1 billion, is N473.8 billion", she said.

Adeosun said N6.3 billion was refunded to the federation by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and was also proposed for sharing.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that N389.9 billion was shared to the three tiers of government as revenue for the preceding month. This shows an increase of N83.8 billion between the two months.

Giving the breakdown of revenue among the three tiers of government, Adeosun said the Federal Government received N191.9 billion, representing 52.68 per cent; states, N97.3 billion, representing 26.72 per cent.

The local governments, she said, received N75 billion, amounting to 20.60 per cent of the amount distributed.

Adeosun announced that N24.1 billion representing 13 per cent derivation revenue was shared among the oil producing states.

On VAT, she said N60.1 billion collected for the month showed an increase of N3.7 billion from what was collected in the preceding month.

She said that the country generated N187.2 billion as mineral revenue and N213 billion as non-mineral revenue.

She noted that this showed a decrease of N25.8 billion and increase of N104.2 billion from what the country generated as mineral and non-mineral revenues in the preceding month.

She puts the balance in the Excess Crude Account as at Friday, at 2.25billion dollars, which showed that nothing had been removed or added to it since July.

She expressed satisfaction with the leap in non-mineral revenue for the month, which she attributed to sound financial policies.

Adeosun decried the low revenue generation for the month, saying:

"Intermittent shut down and shut-in of production for repairs and maintenance at different terminals during the month continued to impact crude oil and gas revenues negatively.

"Also, there was revenue loss of 1.3 billion dollars as a result of drop in average price of crude oil from 47.3 per barrel to 46.9 per barrel in Sept. 2015", she said.

Egypt: Four police killed in drive-by shooting in Cairo

Four Egyptian security personnel have been killed in a drive-by shooting, security officials say.

The shooting happened in the Saqqara area, some 35km (22 miles) south of the capital Cairo.

The unidentified attackers were riding a motorbike when they opened fire on a police checkpoint, Reuters reports.

Egypt has seen regular attacks on security forces since the army ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.

I’ll complete all projects before my tenure ends –Aregbesola

By Femi Makinde and Jesusegun Alagbe

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said all projects embarked on by his administration will be completed before the end of his tenure.

Aregbesola said that he was not bothered by politicians “fabricating lies over the state of finance of Osun State.”

The governor spoke in Osogbo, Osun State capital at the opening of a new privately-owned radio station, Rave FM, by the immediate past Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Yemi Farounbi.

Farounbi is a veteran journalist turned politician.

At the event, Aregbesola said all “detractors and opposition will soon come to appreciate my administration when all projects embarked on are completed before the end of my tenure in office.”

Though he acknowledged that things were financially tough for the state, he said help was on the way for the state.

He said the Gbongan-Akoda Road project and others in the state would commence before the first quarter of 2016 and that no project would be abandoned by his administration at the end of its tenure.

He said, “I will not be disturbed by bad comments from some people about my policies because I believe in God who sent me to Osun and supports me.

“What we are doing in Osun may not be appreciated now, but it will become what people will praise later; we came here and all we have been doing has been inspired by God.”

Aregbesola described as shameful the exaggeration of the debt profile of the state by some parties.

He said, “If we borrowed N800bn, like some (people) said, how could we have been able to pay the loan interest? How could we have survived? Though we took loan, and that is the only way we could have brought development to the state; as tough as it is, God and His help is on the way and Osun shall overcome.”

Farounbi thanked the governor for his support even though they belonged to different parties.

He said, “I remember when I was nominated as an ambassador and I needed the support of two senators from my state. I went to Senator Adeyeye, who is my brother, and all the senators in my state were from the Action Congress of Nigeria.

“It was Adeyeye who told me that I needed not to be bothered as the governor (Aregbesola) had instructed all the senators from the state to support me. Without meeting you (Aregbesola), you made me proud. I am grateful for all you have done, even though, I did not see you and despite the fact that we are not from the same political background.”

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NEMA Delivers Relief Materials, Drugs To 20, 000 Dikwa IDPs

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has completed arrangements for the deliveries relief materials to recently liberated
towns of Borno state.

The Zonal Coordinator of the agency in Northeast, Alhaji Mohammed Kanar disclosed this Friday in Maiduguri, while briefing newsmen on
the modalities of distributing relief materials to liberated captured towns in the state.

His words: “The distribution of these relief materials to over 20, 000 displaced persons in Dikwa local government of Borno State, included food and non-food items of tents and blankets. We are moving to Bama, Gwoza, Askira-Uba, Marte and Baga local government areas to distribute relief materials to liberated people in the areas.”

The team from NEMA, who were greeted on arrival at Dikwa by thousands of visibly elated residents that lined the streets to welcome them,
erected camps in the town.

Kanar, while addressing the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), pledged that as soon as final clearance is received from the military,
rehabilitation of structures destroyed by insurgents will be done to enable the displaced persons to return to their homes.
He said this was the second time that the agency was sharing relief items to people of Dikwa in recent time.

On the entourage of agency to Dikwa were other stakeholders in emergency management including UNICEF and local government health
workers who went about erection of tents, immunization of children, and administration of drugs to those requiring medical attention.

Buhari travels too much: Divergent Views On Buhari’s Incessant Overseas Trips

VARIOUS views have trailed the incessant global trips of President Muhammad Buhari.

Those who spoke with The Guardian included a top member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State and two-time member of the Imo State House of Assembly, Oliver Enwerenem; the President of Imo Youth Movement (IYM), Ambrose Amadi; the Imo State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Hyacinth Emele; and an aide of Governor Rochas Okorocha, also of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nze Steve Ahaneku, a lawyer.

For Enwerenem, the trips of Mr. President are fueling suspicion whether he is well. He is also not happy that issues of non-payment of workers salaries, insurgency, and fuel crisis among others that are prevalent are unaddressed, while he continues to move around.

He said: “We are beginning to doubt if he is well. May be he is moving for treatment. The problem is why he is moving around when there are problems of non-payment of salaries of workers? There is so much money spent on these trips which should have been channeled into solving other problems.”

On his part, Amadi wants Nigerians to be patient for at least one year to properly assess his movements. He said he was not speaking for Buhari and his administration.

Said he: “May be he wants to negotiate for good things over there for Nigeria. May be after one year, we would have had stand to assess him. We cannot criticise him yet.

Emele, could not make out the reasons for the President’s trips, while problems of insurgency, salaries issues, fuel crises among others persist. He wants the president to settle down, supervise and monitor the performance of the newly appointed and sworn-in ministers.

“We had expected the president to have settled down to work after appointments of ministers. The constant travels abroad do not show sign of seriousness. There are problems of insurgency, non-payment of workers salaries and others. He should have settled down to supervise ministers appointed. Some of them are not conversant with public job. He needs to look unto all these.”

In Asinobi’s views, who spoke glowingly about Buhari, he would not disappoint Nigerians as a seasoned administrator, anti-corruption crusader and implementer, adding that he would deliver the goods for Nigerians both in terms of the travels to international community, asking for support and cooperation.

CBN Officials Urge Nigerians To Promote Nation’s Cashless Economy

Nigeria’s foremost Banker, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.

…Rewards Bank Customers With Monetary Prizes

IN its bid to promote electronic banking in Nigeria, officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday in Kaduna rewarded 10 users of electronic payments options under its Electronic Payments Incentive Scheme (EPIS).

The winners emerged in the 3rd and 4th draws for the months of September and October this year and were rewarded with a total sum of N1.4 million for the two months.

The first winners went home with N250, 000 each, while the second, third, fourth and fifth winners got N200, 000, N150, 000, N100, 000 and N50, 000‎ each.

Presenting the winners with their cheques, CBN’s Deputy Governor, Operations, who also doubles as Chairman of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIPBSS), Alhaji Suleiman Barau, said EPIS was conceptualised to reward users of electronic payments options as part of efforts to strengthen the adoption of the system in Nigeria.

“The CBN is particularly poised to collaborate with stakeholders to incentive the culture of electronic payments within Nigeria.

“EPIS was, therefore, designed to recognise and reward various categories of users of electronic payments, including cardholders, merchants, sale persons and service providers.

“The raffle draw, which is targeted at the cardholders, commenced earnestly with draws drawn and winners rewarded in both Lagos and Abuja.”

He noted that the benefits of electronic payments to users go beyond the money prizes, but also in terms of safety and convenience of usage of the cards at the Point of Sale (PoS) in merchant location.

He stated: “To further enhance the services, we have implemented, under EPIS, the purchase with Cash Back option, which enables users of cards at POS to make cash withdrawals over the PoS at a merchant location for a token fee.

“This is in addition to making payments at the PoS, thereby providing extra convenience to users.

“The CBN, in conjunction with banks and payments service providers, is committed to improving the availability of the electronic payments services‎ across various channels.

“Merchants are assured of availability of PoS for their usage at the various locations.”

Barau, however, assured that users of the electronic payments have no reason to be afraid, stressing that the CBN has consistently issued directives to forestall the activities of fraudsters and strengthen the security of electronic payments in Nigeria.

“We are also collaborating with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that no fraudster gets away with the funds of electronic payments users,” he added.

Earlier, CBN’s Director Banking and Payment System Department, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, said the EPIS idea was first conceived in March 2013 and was followed by workshops in December that year.

He noted that it was driven by NIBSS, amongst other key stakeholders, adding: “The incentive scheme is to reward and appreciate usage across all channels with emphasis on channels of electronic payments that promote financial inclusion by aiming to identify and reward the cardholders, merchants and sales persons.”

Nigerian gang defrauds British woman of N480m

Gbenro Adeoye with agency report

It may not necessarily cut across but it has been argued that there seems to be an increasing rate of divorce in many climes around the world.

A visit to any of the (functioning) customary courts around the country, especially within the Lagos metropolis, would suggest an increase in the rate of divorce, as both old and young couples visit the courts to seek the dissolution of their marriages. And the reasons could range from shocking to ridiculous.

Regardless, with about 50 per cent of marriages ending in divorce in the United States and no fairer situation in many other places the world over, it has become imperative to identify certain mistakes couples make in marriage that could lead to a divorce.

Some marriage counsellors have argued that a perfect marriage is hard to come by because couples tend to disagree on issues from time to time, but they note that the success or otherwise of marriages, depend largely on how couples handle their differences.

Usually, when talking about divorce, one of the factors that readily come to mind is infidelity, which simply means being unfaithful to a spouse. But beyond that, there are other things that lead to divorce, such as spousal abuse, bad manners, peer influence, unrealistic expectations, lack of quality time with one’s spouse, inadequate communication, deceit and unsatisfactory sex life.

According to a seasoned marriage counsellor in the United Kingdom, Elly Prior, common relationship problems that often lead to divorce include cheating (be it one-night stands, internet relationships and long- and short-term affairs), excessive reliance on social media, sexual problems, significant differences in core values and beliefs, traumatic or life changing events, response to (work-related) prolonged stress, infertility, boredom, jealousy, family issues and domestic abuse.

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NUT, NLC hail Fayose on teachers’ welfare

By Tunde Ajaja

The zonal leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Edo, Delta, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Kwara, Oyo and Ekiti states has commended the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, for giving priority to the welfare of teachers in the state and for boosting their morale through the provision of incentives.

The state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Ade Adesanmi, also commended the governor for promising not to retrench workers or slash their salaries in spite of the financial challenges confronting the state. He commended the governor for the provision of N20m to buy instructional materials for primary schools in the state.

A statement on Friday noted that the Zonal Chairman M. O. Fanimokun, and Secretary, Mr. Joe Iyalekhue, had in a letter to the governor on November 11, 2015 thanked him for the successful celebration of the 2015 World Teachers’ Day in the state.

According to the statement, the letter partly read, “We are grateful and encouraged by your full participation, presence, love, gifts and rewards given to identified hardworking teachers to boost their morale and add value to the teaching profession.

“The union will continue to partner with you so as to bring in the much needed improvement in the living and working conditions of the teachers which are synonymous with the learning conditions of the pupils.”

Police private ATMs "Lagos sex workers"

In the early 1960s up till the late 1990s, the area used to be very popular among revelers from within and outside Lagos. Day and night, it was the place to be. Ask anybody around Yaba, Ojuelegba and even other parts of mainland Lagos and you won’t miss your way.

 Empire – a cluster of streets in the heart of Mushin, one of the city’s most densely populated areas, housing several chalets and offering plenty of cheap sex, drugs and alcohol was the name on many people’s lips.

 The arrival of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, around 1962, increased traffic to the area. In those days, the area known as Empire which derived its name from Empire Hotel situated on Oguntokun Street, could be likened to a modern day ‘Sodom’ – immorality thrived at every corner.

Though, still playing host to a number of hotels, drinking joints and spots where drugs of all kinds are experimented, Empire has lost some of its spark over the years, with only few people turning to it today for entertainment. But even with such reduced traffic, commercial sex workers operating in the community remain one of the most patronised in Lagos. Charging as low as N500 for a round of sex in some cases, clients from far and near ensure the industry is well and alive.

However, some of the ladies in the illicit profession told our correspondent who visited the area earlier in the week that much of what they earn these days go to policemen who come in weekly to collect compulsory ‘settlements’. According to a handful that interacted with our correspondent after they were assured their identities won’t be revealed, each lady pays between N7000 and N8000 every week to the leader of the hotel where they ‘hustle’. 

The fee, they revealed, covers rent for the week and ‘tax’ for the police among other such bills. The pressure of meeting up with such weekly obligation is taking its toll on many of the prostitutes who prospect for clients in Empire.

“Whether you work in a week or not, you must pay the regular dues to the head of the hotel,” said one of the ladies whom our correspondent chatted up at ‘White House’, one of several chalets dotting the community’s landscape. “Each of us who ‘hustle’ here pays N8000 every week to our boss who then ‘settles’ the police from it after removing money for rent and other levies. We are over 15 ‘hustling’ here and if you calculate what the police is making from each of us every week, then you’ll see that they are the ones benefiting from our ‘hard work’. If we fail to ‘settle’ them, they’ll come in to harass and intimidate us.

“For the eight months that I have worked here, I have seen a lot of things. It is just as if we have become ATMs for the police; we are like a source of income or a money pot for them. Just to meet up with their demand and avoid harassment, most of us now have to work more than we should. It has not been easy in recent times,” she said.

At ‘Cool Corner’, another hotel in the community where ladies of different ages and sizes flaunt their ‘assets’ in wait for prospective customers, one commercial sex worker who told our correspondent that she was 24 years old and had been servicing ‘clients’ who visit the place since 2012, revealed that the constant demand by police officers has become a big source of worry for many of them. According to her, at least each lady ‘hustling’ at the hotel pays around N5000 as ‘settlement’ to law enforcement officers every week aside from what they churn out for rent. She told Saturday PUNCH that the situation makes them feel like cash cows to the police.

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Ojukwu’s spirit guiding Biafran protests’

Chukwuemeka Ojukwu

Gibson Achonu, Owerri

A chieftain of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Chief Chris Uche, says the spirit of the late Leader of the defunct Republic of Biafra, Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, is behind the recent pro-Biafran agitation.

He said this in Owerri on Thursday at the third memorial anniversary of Ojukwu.

Uche added that Biafra would be declared a sovereign state without the shedding of blood.

He also noted that those who died for the Biafran cause would never be forgotten.

Uche, who is also a former Commissioner for Housing in Imo State, said that the time for the realisation of Biafra was drawing near.

He said, “Ojukwu gave us a template. He is still alive in our minds. Chief Uwazuruike’s yearly remembrance ceremony in his honour is bringing the time closer for the realisation of Biafra. We shall keep the flag flying and we shall achieve it without shooting of gun.”

Also speaking, the founder of the Oodua People’s Congress, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, said there was nothing wrong with the recent protests for the creation of a Biafran state.

The 80-year-old politician thanked Biafran agitators for going about their protests peacefully and urged the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra to continue to protest peacefully.

Also speaking, the leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, said that the essence of the anniversary of Ojukwu was to rekindle the consciousness of Biafra among the people.

He said that MASSOB was a non-violent group but regretted that the Indigenous People of Biafra, which recently emerged, was using threats of violence to achieve its aim.

He called for the unconditional release of Radio Biafra Director, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

Uwazuruike said, “They (IPOB) believe that since MASSOB has not achieved Biafra through non-violent methods for 16 years, they will achieve it through violence. They threatened fire and castigated some Igbo leaders.”

Family cries for justice as bus conductor kills woman over N20

Ero

Alexander Okere

Aggrieved family and friends of the late Mrs. Helen Ero, a 52-year-old woman who was allegedly killed by a conductor last week over a N20 bus fare, have called on the Nigeria Police to identify and arrest the culprits behind her gruesome death.

The relatives, who were accompanied on a protest by sympathisers and residents from Efehi Street, in Oredo Local Government Area of the state, on Friday, lamented over what they described as a delay in police investigation.

It was learnt that the 52-year-old had boarded a bus from New Benin to Uselu and had offered to pay for two other women on the bus.

A heated argument was said to have ensued between the bus conductor and the deceased over the collection of N20 bus fare.

The conductor was said to have later ordered the woman out of the vehicle, which led to a confrontation between the two, as he tried to forced her out.

She was said to have slumped, when the conductor suddenly hit her with a wheel spanner and died before she could get any medical attention.

According the family, her body was later dumped on a walkway, beside Eghosa Grammar School.

Her eldest daughter, Maris Ogbevuon, told Southern City News that the mother of nine children and the family’s bread winner had been feared missing on Saturday.

Ogbevuon said that she was shocked to discovered her remains on a walkway around Okhoro junction, after she got a call from a woman, suspected to be one of the passengers on the bus.

She also noted that the deceased was found almost naked, with all her jewellery taken away.

“On Saturday evening, my mother told me to take some items to my younger ones at Ekosodin and tell them that she was coming home. At about 7:30pm, she passed through my shop.

“Two hours later, someone called to say that she could not find my mother. We searched several hospitals that day but did not find her. On Sunday morning, I heard some people talking about a dead woman on the road and when I got, there I saw her lying dead with only her underwear. Her body was cold when I touched it.”

Ogbevuon, who wept bitterly as she spoke to our correspondent, appealed to relevant security agencies and the state, to assist the family to unravel and arrest the culprits behind the death of her mother.

“I want justice; I want the police to look for the bus driver and the conductor. Please, we need help; her children need help. I do not know who did this to my mother and took her away from us. I have no father and mother. She told me that she was coming and that was the last time I heard from her,” she added.

A brother-in-law to the deceased, Henry Ero, urged the leadership of the state Drivers Welfare Scheme to aid police investigations by identifying the driver and bus conductor.

A crowd of sympatisers during the protest march

The Police Public Relations Officer, AbiodunOsifo, maintained that investigation on the incident was ongoing and urged the family to remain calm.

“You are aware that the police is already investing this case and the two ladies who witnessed the incident are also assisting the police to identify the culprits.

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