The dailies today. ** Customs accused of killing 30-year-old car dealer - PUNCH The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigations into the murder of a 30-year-old car dealer, Uririnke Onojorhoevwo, who was allegedly killed by officials of the Nigerian Customs Service in Iyana Ipaja area of the state. According to the police, the Delta State indigene was shot to death on June 16, 2013, after being pursued by customs men attached to the Federal Operation Unit. Some policemen attached to Gowon Police Division, who witnessed the incident, said after the killing, the customs men fled. A policeman, who craved anonymity, said, “On June 16, around 5am, we saw customs men in a Toyota Hilux van with registration number, CS307A01, chasing a white unregistered Audi Station wagon. The customs men shot the tyre of the vehicle and also shot its driver. “The driver, who was bleeding profusely, came out of the vehicle and attempted to run. One of the customs men alighted from the Hilux, moved close to the car dealer, and shot him again. They did not touch the corpse but entered into their vehicle and fled immediately.” ---------------------------------------------------------- ** State of the nation address bill: Uproar in Senate •Senators in near fistifcuffs - TRIBUNE WHAT could have been a major brawl between two senators was averted, on Wednesday, as the Senate had a heated debate over observations raised by President Goodluck Jonathan on the State of the Nation Address Bill 2013, which seeks to compel him to address a joint sitting of the National Assembly on the state of the nation. Majority of the lawmakers argued that the president’s observations amounted to a veto of the bill, while some others advised that it should be reviewed to reflect observations of the president. Confusion, however, started when Senator Ita Enang drew the attention of his colleagues to the contradictions between the Senate Rule and the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in respect of the bill that had been processed by the National Assembly Conference Committee. -------------------------------------------------------------- ** Fed Govt approves purchase of 17,000 voter card readers for 2015 elections - THE NATION To check multiple voting, the Federal Government yesterday approved the procurement of 17,000 voter card readers at N459million for the 2015 general elections and subsequent ones. Information Minister Labaran Maku told State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan. Maku, who attended the briefing with the Minister of Youth Development, Abdukadir Inuwa, said the Council gave the approval based on the proposal submitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to FEC. He said two additional batches would be purchased to cover the country, adding that the first batch–17,000 smartcard readers would be acquired in the next six months. He said: “In its desire to ensure free, fair and credible elections, the INEC is to procure, customise and configure 17,000 smart card readers that will be deployed during elections for voters authentication.” “The Smart Card Readers will be used to verify the rightful owner of the voter card presented for identification during elections.” ---------------------------------------------------------------- ** Rivers to Police Boss: You Can’t Ban Protests - THISDAY The war of attrition between the Rivers State Government and the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, continued Wednesday, with a call by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Worgu Boms, that the embattled police boss should act within the law. Boms, in a statement a day after the state Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, called on the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to redeploy Mbu from the state, told the police boss that he lacks the power to ban protests. Abubakar, in an apparent response to Amaechi’s call said at a forum Wednesday in Abuja, that there was nothing he could do about the call for Mbu’s redeployment because he had no petition from the state on which he could act. Boms urged Mbu to discharge his responsibilities without fear or favour, adding that he should not allow himself to be used by Amaechi’s political opponents to undermine the security of the state. He bemoaned Mbu’s utterances and conduct, which he said, could lead to anarchy and decried his ban on street processions. According to him, the police commissioner lacks the legal power to ban protests as the Public Order Act authorises only the state governor to grant permission for any street procession. He said: “The commissioner of police is a commissioner of police and not a lawmaker or a law interpreter – functions that statutorily and constitutionally belong to the parliament and the judiciary, respectively. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ** State To Restrict General Hospitals To ReferralsRivers to Police Boss: You Can’t Ban Protests PATIENTS seeking treatment for non-referral primary ailments in Lagos State General Hospitals may have to look elsewhere. The state governor, Babatunde Fashola, has disclosed that the government in the nearest future will begin to restrict access to its General Hospitals, as a move to encouraging the use of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs). According to the governor, General Hospitals would only attend to patients referred from the PHCs. He cited the example of the United Kingdom, saying that no specialist doctor would attend any patient without a referral from a general practitioner. “Very soon, no doctor will attend to you at the General Hospital, except you have a referral from a primary healthcare centre. What you seek in the UK is now here with you. You do not need to travel long distances anymore.” He urged residents of the area to utilise the facility, saying it has been well equipped with facilities and personnel to diagnose ailments, including hypertension, cancer and diabetes.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 05:14:38 +0000
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