19 years old girl in imostate was caught by police for kidnapping robbery

The Imo State Police Command has apprehended a 19-year old girl, Chidimma Nwoke and a 40-year-old bus driver with Peace Mass Transport Company, Samuel Nkemjika for allegedly taking part in kidnapping and armed robbery activities.

The state commissioner of police, Chris Ezike told our correspondent that the bus driver, an indigene of Bende Local Government Area in Abia State who used his bus in abducting his victims was arrested in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Nkemjika who confessed to the crime, said he got N200,000 from the N2m ransom which his gang made from their kidnap operations .

In another development, 19-year-old girl, Nwoke, a native of Umuaka in Njaba Local Government Area of the state was nabbed by the operatives of the command together with her two male gang members .

Ezike disclosed that the gang was notorious and specialised in robbing motorcyclists and traders at gun point.

Ezike said that luck ran against the gang when they robbed a victim which forced the police to swing into action and arrested the three-man gang, immediately.

He said that the two motorcycles which the gang used in robbing their victims, one locally made shot gun with three live cartridges were recovered as exhibits from the gang.

Ezike asserted that his command had tightened all loopholes, adding that the major reshuffle he made at the command recently was yielding positive results.

The female robber said that she had got N45,000 from her gang in five operations.

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Lawmaker commends Senate for passing whistle -blower protection bill

A member of Osun House of Assembly, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has commended the Senate for passing the Whistle-blower Protection bill, saying it would strengthen government’s efforts against corruption. Whistle-blowers Oyintiloye in an interview with the journalist on Thursday in Osogbo said the bill would serve as a morale boosters for whistleblowers, since they are assured of adequate protection. The lawmaker said the bill would also go a long way in assisting Federal Government in its fight against corruption and also protect faithful Nigerians who will be risking their lives in exposing corrupt practices.

Oyintiloye (APC-Obokun State Constituency) applauded members of the Senate for given the bill accelerated passage. He said the way and manner the bill was passed by the lawmakers was another indication that the National Assembly was fully in support of fight against corruption in the country. The lawmaker also commended the Senate for approving five per cent of loot recovered for whistle-blowers, saying it would serve as a source of encouragement. Oyintiloye, who is the House Committee Chairman in Information and Strategy, however, sound a note of caution to whistleblowers. 

According to him, since there is a punishment of a five -year jail term or N10 million against fake whistle blowing, whistle-blower should exercise caution by ensuring that the information they are providing to the government are genuine. ” I must commend the Senate for passing this bill. No doubt, it will help government’s campaigns against corruption. ” And most importantly, this Bill will protect the lives of those who risk themselves to expose corrupt practices in Nigeria.” “Nigeria is a great country and we must move forward but for us to move faster, we must kill corruption and with the passage of this bill, corruption would no longer strive as before. ” 

The Senate on Wednesday passed the the Whistle-Blowers Protection Bill. Under the newly passed Bill, a person who makes a disclosure shall not be subject to victimisation by his or her employers or by fellow employees. Also, a person who makes a disclosure has the right to take legal action if he or she is victimised, dismissed, suspended, declared redundant, transferred against his or her will, harassed or intimidated in any manner. The bill, however, recommends a five-year jail term or N10m fine against persons who raise false alarm on hidden loot.

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2017 Budget: FG appropriates N12.9bn to mines, steel ministry

 The Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development is to spend about N12.9 billion for capital expenditures in 2017, against N7.3 billion appropriated for similar projects in 2016.
This is part of its fiscal allocations approved by the Federal Government in the year’s budget.
According to the 2017 Appropriation Act concerning the ministry, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, there is a significant difference of N5.6 billion between the appropriations in the years to the ministry.

    mining
 A source in the ministry, however, told NAN that one billion naira was appropriated as capital budget to the sector in 2015 and only N419 million was released to the sector from the amount.
“The ministry was given N4.3 billion from the N7.3 billion appropriated to the sector as capital budget in 2016; the amount appropriated to the ministry this year is encouraging to address some projects.

“This is a clear vision that government is committed to achieve its diversification plan through the sector; though the amount is not enough, it is better than the previous years,’’ the source said.
NAN learnt that some of the challenges and constraints of the 2016 budget comprised inadequate fund to projects, delay in the procurement process among others.
The source said that lessons learned by the ministry include early release of adequate fund for construction and installation of projects to facilitate early mobilisation, appreciable progress and performance of the budget.

The source also said allocation and release of adequate fund for procurement projects early in the year would allow completion of projects in the budget year.

The breakdown of the capital budget of the sector to its parastatal agencies are N6.4 billion for the main ministry; Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geosciences got N43.5 million.

The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) got N2.5 billion; the National Steel Raw Material Exploration Agency in Kaduna got N1.319 billion and National Metallurgical Development Centre in Jos got N308 million.

A total of N402 million was appropriated to Metallurgical Training Institute, Onitsha, Anambra; the National Iron Ore Mining Project, Itakpe, in Kogi got N176.4 million and Nigeria Institute of Mining and Geosciences got N187.9 million.

The Nigeria Mining Cadestre Office and Centre got N484 million; Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited got N354.1 million and Solid Mineral Development Fund Office got N113.5 million.

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