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Fourteen weeks pregnant, Kat Robinson-Williams says she must help while Australia is "in flames".

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has urged National Youth Service Corps members to shun acts of corruption especially cybercrime.

Magu made the call on Tuesday at the Lagos State NYSC Orientation camp, Iyana Ipaja, during a sensitisation lecture.

Represented by Public Affairs Director, Lagos Office, Dolapo Adeniran, Magu said rather than engaging in criminal activities that will always lead to regret, youths should focus on building a beautiful future and corrupt-free Nigeria by upholding hard work, integrity and discipline.

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The Nigerian Union of Journalists, FCT Council, has condemned the Department of State Services for assaulting journalists and destroying their gadgets during a protest calling for the release of Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare in Abuja on Tuesday.

The union warned that it was a dangerous time to be a journalist in Nigeria given the near-daily intimidation, harassment and detention of practitioners in the country.

In a statement by Chairman of the council, Emmanuel Ogbeche, the NUJ described as unfortunate and deeply troubling the conduct of operatives of the DSS against journalists that had gone to cover a protest.

The statement reads, “From reports and videos from our members who were on the ground to cover a sit-out at the SSS Headquarters in Abuja, it could be seen that they were harassed, intimidated, tear-gassed and even arrested and detained. This speaks to a more sinister and perilous time to be a journalist in Nigeria. See Also Breaking News #OcuppyDSS: Security Operatives Infiltrate Media Ranks 0 Comments 13 Hours Ago

“What is even more troubling is that security operatives now believe that they have official backing of the state to maliciously assault journalists.”

Speaking further, Ogbeche condemned the attack on Richard Oludare of Guardian Newspapers, who was left with scars on his body after being assaulted by DSS operatives.

He urged journalists not to be intimidated by the DSS and government in trying to discharge their responsibilities to Nigerians.

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Pro-democracy campaigner and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has continued his hunger strike in protest of his continued detention by the Department of State Services.

Sowore was arrested on August 3, 2019 for planning a series of protest against bad governance in Nigeria.

His lawyers say he has vowed not to eat until his rights are respected and he is released from detention. See Also Breaking News Sowore Begins Hunger Strike To Protest DSS' Refusal To Release Him Despite Court Order 0 Comments 4 Days Ago

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Nigerian Customs Service The Eagle Online

The closure of Nigeria’s land borders by the government since August appears to have forced importers of frozen food items to turn attention to the Lagos airport in order to continue their nefarious business.

Relying on intelligence, the Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Mohammed International Airport Command, intercepted two consignments of frozen foods like pork, turkey, meat and other perishable items on Sunday and Monday.

The first consignment was intercepted on a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg through the tarmac operatives of the command.

The second consignment was abandoned at Gate 13 of the airport by the importers.

The two consignments had the total duty paid value of N68.850m.

The Customs Area Comptroller, MMIA, Mr Wale Adeniyi, told journalists that the first consignment containing meat, chicken, turkey and other frozen food items were discovered on South African Airways on November 10, 2019.

He explained that officers of the command discovered the items after insisting on inspecting the consignments.

He said, “Though the airway bill described the goods as fresh vegetables but they were frozen food items, which are contraband in the country.

“It became obvious that the importer through his agents had prepared pre-release documentation purporting the import to be fresh vegetables with the sole intention to evade the import prohibition order.”

Adeniyi declared that the seizures were warning to importers of contraband goods into the country, reiterating that the command would make it extremely difficult for such persons to use the airport to perpetuate their criminal activities.

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The 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigeria Army on Tuesday said it had commenced a field training exercise that will nib in the bud all security challenges in Ondo State.

The training tagged "Exercise Crocodile Smile IV" was also part of the move by the Nigerian Army to rise against security threat and civil disobedience in the state.

Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Major Victor Olukoya, made the disclosure in a statement.

Olukoya noted that the exercise was also in tandem with the constitutional role of the army to aid civil authority.

He revealed that the exercise, which began since November 8, would end by December 23, 2019.

He said, “The exercise will be conducted in conjunction with other security agencies to further sustain the existing synergy between the Nigerian Army and other sister agencies in the state.

“This is a military exercise aimed at curbing various security threats such as kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, pipeline vandalism, hooliganism and banditry.

“The exercise which is people oriented, shall be conducted in line with the Nigerian Army rules of engagement and code of conduct, guiding exercises of this nature.”

He the inauguration of the exercise would take place at the Brigade Super Camp on Lawyer Oke Street, Okitipupa, Ondo State.

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Yobe has arrested a policeman and a drug trafficker (names withheld) for allegedly conniving and supplying 59kg of prohibited Tramadol tablets to Boko Haram insurgents in Gwoza, Borno State.

NDLEA state commander, Mr Reuben Apeh, while addressing journalists in Damaturu, said the suspects were arrested on November 7.

Apeh said the drug traffickers had confessed to buying the prohibited substance from an unnamed customs officer in Lagos.

Apeh said, “He confessed hiring the policeman to convey the drugs to Maiduguri before proceeding to Gwoza to supply suspected terrorists.

“He claimed that the drugs were part of consignment seized by the Nigeria Customs Service during its operations in Lagos, and were sold to him at the cost of N6m while the actual market value stands at N24m.

“We are still working on him to provide us with the details of the alleged customs officer and another accomplice he claimed was based in Ijora, Lagos.

“The drugs were transported from Lagos to Jos and handed over to the policeman for delivery to Maiduguri, where he (trafficker) will take it to suspected terrorists in Gwoza.”

He said that the suspects would soon be charged to court with the exhibits.

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A middle-aged woman, Modupe Kolawole, has protested the sudden disappearance of her one-year-old child at a popular church in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The child, Gold Kolawole, was declared "missing" during a special service held on Sunday at 'Sotitobire Miracle Centre' in Akure.

The church, located at Oshinle Quarters in Akure South Local Council Area of the state, is popular for his spiritual healings.

Speaking on Tuesday, an enraged Mrs Kolawole explained that he disappeared after he was dropped at the crèche inside the church.

According to her, the prophet of the church and his workers are behind the disappearance of her child.

She said, “Church members had always been advising me that I should take my son to the crèche whenever there was service in the church.

"I listened to their advice with the aim that the boy could play with the other children and be able to stand and walk easily.

“When I dropped him that morning during the service, I registered his name on number 87 on the list of the children in the crèche.

“But when I went back later, I noticed that his chair had been turned to a particular lady which I thought was a worker in the church.

“I saw him eating some snack and I told them that if it was not the church that provided it, they should not give my child to eat again.

“I told the HOD of the children's department that my child had his own food in a bag and they could easily feed him from there.

“When it was 11:45am, I went back to check on my child but he was no longer there.

“I was told to look for him among the 200 children that were there or maybe someone had taken him out.

“When it was 3:00pm, they still could not find my son and the service was still ongoing. I began to search for him personally within the congregation.

“I later informed the pastor shortly after the church service at 5:30pm and he told me and my husband to stay calm, that the child would be found.

“I slept over in the church, and the next day I was shouting on top of my voice, hoping that they would bring back my child but he is still nowhere to be found.

“Nigerians should help me ask the pastor of Sotitobire to bring out my child. This is day three that I have been looking for my son.”

Temitope, father of the missing boy, told SaharaReporters that they had been devastated since the disappearance of their child.

Officials of the church refused to speak during a visit to the place by our correspondent.

It was gathered that the incident had been reported at the B Division Police Station of the Ondo State Command.

Spokesperson for the police in Ondo, Femi Joseph, could not be reached for comments on Tuesday over the issue as calls placed to his telephone lines failed to connect while a text message sent to him has yet to be replied as of the time of this report.

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Residents of Isheri community in Ogun State have accused the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority of turning the Oyan Dam installed with three turbines for the purpose of generating electricity and commissioned by President Shehu Shagari In 1983 to a fish pond, which has led to flooding in the area.

The Isheri community under the leadership of Mr Abayomi Akinde while briefing journalists on Tuesday, explained that due to the illegal activities of some fish ponds within the dam area, water that supposed to be released during the dry season are not allowed to flow away by the pond operators so as to preserve the fishes.

Akinde said the affected neighbourhoods were ready to refute a statement by the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority that their houses are located on flood plains sold to residents of Isheri by land grabbers.

Managing Director of OORBDA, Olufemi Odumosu, had in October said that due to the floods caused by yearly rains, they opened the dam on May 22, 2019 to create room for proper flood control.

He blamed the flooding of the Isheri area on the impact of global climate change, which had “resulted in exceptionally high and prolonged rainfall experience”.

But disagreeing with Odumosu’s position, the Isheri community said, “The late Chief S.O Fadahunsi in his book indicated that the initial design of Oyan Dam was to store water for supply to Abeokuta township and to the Lagos State Water Corporation and that the dam’s height was subsequently increased to its present 30.4m to accommodate water for irrigation and for incorporation of turbines for 9MW power generation.

“Fadahunsi’s son, Engr Tolu, held the position of MD at OORBDA in the 2000s at which time the communities remained flood free.

“So, there are people available who can testify that the Oyan Dam reservoir can be operated without causing flooding in Lagos and Ogun states.

“The management of OORBDA should inform the public how many surface water engineers it has in its employ that manages water release in line with scientific and technical standards of international best practices.

“We want to put it on record that Ogun and Lagos state governments sold and put us in possession of our land, we didn’t buy from land grabbers or speculators. OORBDA should stop its false narrative.”

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Huge blazes continue to rage in two drought-hit states, amid warnings of a dangerous summer.

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Several places experience record-breaking low temperatures as an Arctic air mass hits the country.

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A Nigerian father who used to chase health workers away from his home has a change of heart.

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Fashion bloggers are covering up and sales of modest clothes are up in high street stores.

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Yarsan is of one of the Middle East's oldest faiths and has more than one million followers in Iran.

The Office of the Permanent Secretary in the Niger State Government House was gutted by fire caused by electrical fault.

The office was under renovation when the fire started and it took more than 15 minutes before men from the state Fire Service arrived to put the situation under control.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, workers at the place were seen running for their lives before firefighters arrived with three trucks.

Office equipment, valuables, and sensitive documents were destroyed in the fire incident.

Deputy Controller in the Niger State Fire Service, Malam Salihu Bello, who spoke with journalists, said that the quick intervention of the firefighters helped in reducing the damages.

He said that lack of firefighting trucks in the government house was not intentional as arrangement were on to station one there.

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The hearing on defamatory charges against the Managing Editor of BIGPEN Online newspaper, Joe Ogbodu, and another journalist in Delta State, Prince Amour Udemude, billed for Tuesday at the Magistrate Court 5 Asaba, the capital, was stalled following the absence of the trial magistrate, B.N Anumadu, who had proceeded on annual leave.

Recall that on October 24, 2019, the two Journalists were arraigned by the Delta State Police Command following a report of alleged involvement of one Sam Ogrih in funding and sponsoring armed Uzere community youths, who unleashed terror on the town over a N20m oil largesse by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company.

The two journalists charged for misdemeanour to wit defamatory had earlier after listening to the five-count charge, pleaded not guilty while their counsels applied for their bail. See Also Sahara Reporters Police Arraign Two Journalists In Delta Over Report On Ex-CDS, Ogomudia, One Other 0 Comments 2 Weeks Ago

Following the absence of the trial judge, the case was adjourned until January, 6, 2020 for hearing.

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Armed operatives of the Department of State Services on Tuesday in Abuja opened fire at the protesters, who gathered to demand the release of detained activists Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare.

The operatives fired live ammunition and teargas canister at the protesters and journalists at close range injuring many of them.

The peaceful protest commenced at 12:00pm at the Aso Drive Junction.

Trouble started when a vehicle belonging to the DSS rammed into the protesters, injuring many in the process. See Also Breaking News BREAKING: #FreeSowore Protest: DSS Fires Gunshots At Journalists 0 Comments 11 Hours Ago

Shortly afterwards, the operatives began to shoot at protesters and journalists, who also vandalised several vehicles around the vicinity.

Two journalists with Guardian Newspaper and Galaxy TV, Richard Oludare and Walter, were beaten and seriously injured by the DSS officials.

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Jeanine Áñez is condemned by ex-leader Evo Morales who says it is the "sneakiest" coup in history.

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Mikhail Galin is stripped of his air miles after sneaking his overweight cat on an Aeroflot flight.

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When two people bumped into each other, a tale of death threats, hijack and escape emerged.

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Christian Bale and Matt Damon on fighting for roles, as they team up in new movie Le Mans '66.

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Ranniel dives into one of Manila's most polluted rivers for less than two dollars a day.

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The BBC's Orla Guerin meets a family waiting to cross to Europe from Libya with orphaned children whose mother died on the way.