Unarmed Iranian drone takes 'precise' photos of US ship

US navy said surveillance drone flew over American and French aircraft carriers on 12 January but could not verify if footage on Iranian TV was from that incident. The US navy said an unarmed Iranian drone flew over USS Harry S Truman on 12 January, but could not confirm if it was the same incident Iranian television reported Friday. Iran flew a surveillance drone over a US aircraft carrier and took "precise" photographs of it as part of an ongoing naval drill, state media has reported. The US navy said an unarmed Iranian drone flew near a French and American carrier earlier this month, but couldn't confirm it was the same incident.
The reported overflight by the unmanned aircraft came after a series of naval incidents between Iran and the US in the greater Persian Gulf, including test rocket fire by the Islamic Republic and its brief capture of American sailors who strayed into its territorial waters.

Flood: Danger looms in Lagos, Ogun

Dr. Akintola Omigbodun is an expert in flood management. In this interview, he says the floods ravaging many states in Nigeria are avoidable. Omigbodun, who fielded questions from Vanguard editors during a visit to the media house, last week, also deplores the Ministry of Water Resources' handling of the crisis and warns that there are grave dangers ahead for Lagos and Ogun states should the water in Oyan Dam not be properly managed. You are an expert on environmental issues, particularly flooding. What got the flooding story in Nigeria started and was it avoidable? There is a dam across the River Benue in Cameroon called Lagdo Dam. This dam is about 40meters high. Its storage capacity is about half of what is found in Kainji Lake Dam. And at full flow, if equipment was installed in it, it could possibly generate 700 megawatts of electricity. But the equipment is limited and is only generating about 20 megawatts.
They are also supposed to have an irrigation scheme in that dam. The result is that the dam is storing a huge amount of water and is not being used for any purpose. In the event of so much rainfall like what we have now, the people around the dam would become terrified that it might be overtopped. So the authorities release additional water from the dam. What we get now is a lot more than what we would get. If there was no dam, the water will continue to flow day in day out. But when you put a dam, you are controlling the flow of water; when you now suddenly release the water because you are afraid your dam will overtop, then it will result to releasing much water. The Lagdo Dam has been flooding every year, just that this year is exceptional. Communities in Cameroon are also flooded. There is a town called Garua; every year, that place is flooded. But in order to save Nigeria, the Cameroonian government should lower their operational level, otherwise, every year, most Nigerian communities will continue to be flooded.

Climate Change: Lagos may vanish in 50 years - Experts

This sounds like a dooms day prediction. But it is serious! Experts say in 50 years to come, Lagos risks being washed away by tidal waves. It is the only Nigerian costal city that might go under if nothing serious is done to stop it.Climate Change and the poor environmental attitude of the residents are already assisting this prediction to come true.
Earlier, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) based in France, had, in a study entitled Ranking of the world's cities most exposed to coastal flooding today and in the future, revealed that Lagos was at risk of being submerged in the next 50 years. Lagos was among cities in the developing world facing similar fate. Cotonou, Liberia and Abdijan in West Africa were in the number.
OECD said that "in the 20th century, sea level rose by an estimated 17 centimetres but conservative global mean projection for sea level rise between 1990 and 2080 ranges from 22-34 centimetres. Oceans which have been absorbing 80 per cent of the temperature increase attributable to global warming are expanding as ice sheets in the North and South poles melt. These events have led to a rise in sea levels and increasing flooding in coastal cities. The projected rise in sea levels could result in catastrophic flooding of coastal cities.

Murder of Newlywed: IG’s team visits family of deceased

The Investigative team set up by the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the killing of a 36-year-old man who was shot dead five days after his weeding in Gbagada area of Lagos, weekend, paid the bereaved family a visit.

There had been controversy over the killing of Ugochukwu Ozua, an engineer, following an eyewitness account that said he was allegedly shot dead by a policeman, while the Police said his killers were robbers.

The team, led by Mr. Chris Ezike, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, assured the family during the visit that they would carry out the IG's order to the latter, vowing also to unearth the circumstances surrounding the late Ugochukwu's death as well as fish out the killers.

He told the family to avail them with necessary information, informing that the investigation would include visiting the incident scene, the mortuary and carrying out forensic investigation.

 

Source: Vanguard

NNPC filling stations below standard – Safety officer

Majority of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations (NNPC)’s filling stations are far below safety standards, the General Manager in charge of Health Safety and Environment (HSE) of the Corporation, Engineer Rabiu Suleiman has said.

Speaking at HSE workshop organised for the filling station owners by the NNPC’s Group HSE Division in Abuja, Suleiman said audits report of the stations conducted by the Corporation revealed that safety compliance of all the major filling stations is totally below standard. He said the essence of the workshop is to bring the owners of the stations and see how they can improve standards.

Police allay fear over security situation in Lagos

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos command, Mr Umaru Manko, on Thursday, assured residents of crime-free ember months, disclosing that necessary security arrangement had been put in place.
The command said it had mapped out strategy at ensuring successful hosting of National Sports Festival scheduled to hold in November.
Speaking shortly after the weekly State Security Council (SEC) meeting, the commissioner allayed fear of visitors, especially contingents from various states of the federation, assuring that security operatives in the country were up to the task.
He said: “The festival will come and be conducted under a peaceful atmosphere. We have put measures in place under the security agencies to ensure that.”
He added that traffic laws were already on ground and were being enforced, adding that police expected the citizens to obey the laws because those who disobeyed them would be adequately punished for them.”
“We expect that everybody by now should have known that those laws are there.”

Source: Tribune

State Police or state social security

I have three inter-related historical and contemporary concerns. The first is our colonial and immediate post-independence experience with Native Authority Police established, for example, in Northern  Region. The Police were instruments of reactionary local despots. Anyone who disagreed with those in control of the police could be banished in the land. Opposition political parties found it extremely difficult to operate.
Permits for holding political rallies were denied. The police became synonymous with the state and vice versa. Individual liberties and rights were trampled upon. All forms of trumped up charges were brought against individuals for no other reason but for belonging to different political parties.

US man wins $7.2m (£4.4m) in damages after developing "popcorn lung" disease from artificial butter on microwave snack

A US man has been awarded $7.2m (£4.4m) in damages after claiming he developed "popcorn lung" from inhaling the artificial butter in microwave popcorn. A Colorado jury agreed with Wayne Watson that a popcorn manufacturer should have had warning labels that the bag's fumes were dangerous to inhale. Defence lawyers argued that Mr Watson's problems stemmed from years of working with carpet-cleaning chemicals.

Killing of American Ambassador: Nigerian Police tightens security at US Embassy

Following the killing of the United States of America’s [USA] Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens and three others by some Islamist gunmen in Benghazi, the Nigerian Inspector General of Police [IGP], Mohammed Abubakar yesterday tightened up security around US Embassy in Nigeria.
The killing of the American Representative in Libya was said to have been caused by a mob, who are blaming an American Film for releasing a video that allegedly insulted Prophet Mohammad.

US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens

FRSC faults okada union on ban

Okada on duty in Lagos

The Federal Road Safety Corps on Tuesday dismissed claims that banning  commercial motorcycles in most cities across the country was threatening national security.

The President of the  Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhd Hassan had riased the alarm that the ban could force commercial motorcycles to become ready tolls in the hands of Boko Haram.

Delta Assembly to support anti-accident scheme

SPEAKER of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Victor Ochei, yesterday in Asaba assured the Delta State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of the lawmakers' total commitment to the execution of the Child Accident Prevention Initiative (CAPI).
Ochei, who spoke when the new Sector Commander, Mrs. Susan Ada Ajenge, visited him, explained that the support stemmed from his belief in supporting life-enhancing programmes that are in tandem with the three-point agenda of the state government.

Police’ll restore peace to North soon – IGP

Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar

The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar has assured Nigerians that the prevailing security challenge facing some part of the northern states of the country will soon be over.

Abubakar, however, lamented the shortage of equipment for his officers and men to confront the security challenges facing the nation.

Police record major breakthrough in fight against crime •Smash 3-man syndicate, recover 19 stolen vehicles

The Nigeria Police said on Sunday, that they had, in the renewed determination to rid the society of crimes, recorded a major break-through between August 22 and 28, saying operatives of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP)'s special task force on heinous crimes successfully raided some notorious criminal hide-outs in Kaduna.

Guarantee our territorial integrity, Mark urges armed forces

President of the Senate, David Mark, has reminded the armed forces of its sacred duty of holding in trust for the Nigerian people the nation's military might and be the ultimate defender of its territorial integrity as well as independence against all adversaries.

A proposal for a middle path for America, between confronting China and giving way to it

"THE Pacific is big enough for all of us," declared Hillary Clinton, America's secretary of state, on August 31st. Or is it? Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, countered this week that the ocean is also "small enough to create conflicts that can threaten peace in the region and the world at large". Certainly, America and China have recently been bumping heads in the western Pacific. And a visit by Mrs Clinton to Beijing this week served only to underscore the difficulty in managing their rivalry.

State police: NASS to adopt open ballot as govs intensify lobby

Abuja—With governors of the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria sharply divided over the issue of state police, the two sides have begun serious lobbying of their lawmakers to key into their positions on the controversial matter.
However, in a bid to ensure equity and fairness in arriving at an acceptable position on the matter, it was learnt that the National Assembly might adopt open ballot system during the vote to end the lingering controversy over the matter.

3 policemen, 4 others die as robbers, police clash in Lagos

LAGOS—Agege and Ikeja areas of Lagos State were literally turned into a theatre of war yesterday after a gang of robbers engaged a team of policemen attached to the Lagos State Security outfit, Rapid Response Squad, RRS, in a marathon shootout.
The gun battle which eye witnesses said lasted for more than 30 minutes resulted in the death of three policemen, a commercial bus driver and three civilians.
An official of Lagos State Transport Management Authority, LASTMA, was also badly wounded around Anthony area by the fleeing robbers.
Sources said the bandits started operation by invading a bureau-de-change at Oke-Koto, Agege where they reportedly killed three civilians.  A team of RRS men on routine patrol in the area reportedly raced to the scene but encountered the fleeing bandits around Oba Akran Avenue and Medical road in the ever-busy Ikeja roundabout.

EX-MILITANTS AND PIPELINES SECURITY DEAL

The controversy surrounding the award of contracts by the Federal Government to some ex-militant leaders for the protection of oil pipeline facilities in the Niger Delta has been dominating public discourse for a while. In the absence of any official position on the issue, it doesn't appear as if the controversy will go away. The speculations are that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) awarded contracts in the sum of about N5.6Billion to some former Niger-Delta militants to guard the oil pipe-lines within the region. Report of the security engagement with the ex-militants was first published in the American Wall Street Journal and was then rehashed by the local media. The report gave a break-down of the militants involved in the contracts as Mr. Government Ekpumopolo (aka Tompolo) ,N3.6bn; Mr. Asari Dokubo, 1.44bn; Mr. Ateke Tom, N560m and Mr Ebikabowei Victor Ben (aka Boyloaf), N560m. 

Govs ‘ll abuse state police, says Okiro

FORMER Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, has disagreed with state governors and others canvassing for state police, saying it would not help the nation.
Meanwhile, former Edo State Commissioner for Information, Chief Charles Idahosa, weekend, said state police was the only solution to security challenges facing the nation, noting that those against the creation of a state police were being economical with the truth.

SCAMMERS: Their antics and victim

September 2012

The evolution of technology has made the operation of scammers very easy. Sulaimon Olanrewaju examines some of the antics used by scammers to suck in their victims.
CYNTHIA Okosogu's alleged killers might have drawn their inspiration of luring the former Nasarawa State University's postgraduate student to Lagos to defraud and kill her from an incident that occurred in Ottawa, Canada, last year.
As the story goes, a group of three teenage girls; two of whom were 15 years old, while the third was 17, lured three of their teenage peers, ranging in age from 13 to 17, and sold them for sex to some randy men.
According to Ottawa police, the teenagers used the social media to lure and ambush their victims under the facade of hanging out and cavorting.