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  • Human right groups urge police neutrality in Rivers LGA crisis 

    Human right groups urge police neutrality  in Rivers LGA crisis
    Police
    By Femi Ogunshola
    Abuja, June 20, 2024(NAN) A coalition of human rights groups and the Human Rights Advocacy Crusaders (HRAC), have urged the Police and other security agents in Rivers State to maintain neutrality and impartiality in the ongoing local government crisis.
    Pastor Jerry Nicholas, the group spokesperson in a statement on Thursday in Abuja said that taking sides could escalate the crisis.
    He added that it could lead to further violence and clashes between supporters of different parties, resulting in deaths and destruction of property.
    According to Nicholas, the expiration of the tenure of local government chairmen and other officials is a constitutional matter, hence security agents should help to maintain the peace in the state.
    “The law is clear: the 1999 Constitution and Section 9(1) of the Rivers State Local Government Law No 5 of 2018 provide for a 3-year tenure for local government chairmen, with a possibility of a second term,” he said.
    He urged the security agents to prevent violence and maintain peace while allowing the democratic process to unfold, and ensuring that the rule of law is upheld.
    Nicholas urged the former chairmen and others who are still eligible to seek re-election into the councils whenever elections are scheduled by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
    He reiterated that security agents must remained neutral and not take sides with any party.
    It would be recalled that after the expiration of the tenure of LG chairmen, vice and councillors, Gov. Siminalayi Fubara ordered heads of administration in the 23 local government areas to take over the administration of the LGA’s.
    He subsequently swore in caretaker chairpersons in accordance with the law.
    However, some LG chairmen have insisted on holding on to their offices.(NAN)www.nannews.ng
    ODF/EAL
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    Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

  • Male shooter charged after death of woman in Australia’s Queensland

    Male shooter charged after death of woman in Australia’s Queensland

    Shooter

    Sydney, June 20, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) A male was charged on Thursday after he fatally shot a woman and seriously injured one man in the Australian state of Queensland.

    Police were called to the Robb Place address in South Mackay just after 4:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

    A woman was found deceased at the scene and a man suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

    According to Queensland Police, the 34-year-old South Mackay woman was sitting in a parked vehicle, when she was approached by the 31-year-old South Mackay man armed with a firearm.

    It was believed that the duo were not known to each other but resided on the same street.

    There were two children inside the vehicle when the incident occurred.

    They ran away from the scene on foot and were not physically harmed.

    Police noted that a 66-year-old man, who lived nearby, approached the man a short time later and was also shot.

    He sustained non-life-threatening wounds to the hand and sternum, before being taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.

    At approximately 5:20 p.m. local time on Wednesday, police made an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA), as the shooter fled the scene in a car.

    He was later taken into custody at a service station along the Bruce Highway near Hilton Street, with the PSPA revoked on Wednesday evening.

    Police have confirmed that there was no ongoing threat to the public.

    The police said that the 31-year-old shooter has been charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder.

    South Mackay is a coastal suburb of Mackay City, 970 km north of Brisbane. Australia’s 2021 Census suggested that the suburb had a population of 6,918. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/YEE
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    (Edited by Cecilia Odey/Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Ukraine’s energy infrastructure targeted in latest Russian attack

    Ukraine’s energy infrastructure targeted in latest Russian attack

    Infrastructure

    Kiev, Jun e 20, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Several Ukrainian energy facilities have been hit in a severe Russian aerial attack, Ukraine’s national energy provider, Ukrenerho said on Thursday morning, while Ukrainian drones targeted fuel depots in Russia overnight.

    Ukrenerho reported damages from the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Kiev regions, saying that the exact extent was still being investigated.

    The damage in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region was caused by debris from a downed Russian combat drone, regional governor Serhiy Borsov said on Telegram.

    A power line and an unspecified industrial plant were hit in the Kiev region, according to the regional administration.

    Explosions were reported overnight from the city of Dnipro and the Zaporizhzhya region.

    According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia used four cruise missiles, two guided missiles and 27 combat drones in the combined attack.

    All drones and five of the other missiles were intercepted, according to Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.

    According to the Ukrainian army, three Iskander-M ballistic missiles could not be intercepted.

    Iskander missiles, which have a range of up to 500 kilometres, were rarely intercepted.

    Meanwhile Ukrainian drone attacks caused fires at two fuel depots overnight, according to Russian authorities.

    A fuel depot in the town of Enem near Krasnodar in southern Russia and a depot in the Tambov region south of Moscow were affected.

    According to the Russian Defence Ministry, 15 drones were shot down.

    It was not possible to independently verify the claim from either warring party.

    Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years.

    Its attacks on targets in the Russian hinterland are primarily intended to disrupt fuel supply to Moscow’s forces. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/BHB
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Buhari Bolaji

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  • Israel pounds central Gaza camps, deepens invasion of Rafah

    Israel pounds central Gaza camps, deepens invasion of Rafah

    Pounding

    Cairo, June 20, 2024 (Reuters/NAN) Israeli forces pounded areas in the central Gaza Strip overnight, killing three people and wounding dozens of others, according to medics, while tanks deepened their invasion into Rafah in the south, residents said.
    Israeli planes struck a house in Al-Nuseirat camp, killing two people and wounding 12 others, while tanks shelled areas in Al-Maghazi and Al-Bureij camps, wounding many other people, health officials said. Nuseirat, Maghazi, and Bureij are three of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps.
    In Deir al-Balah, a city packed with displaced people in the central Gaza Strip, an Israeli air strike killed one Palestinian and wounded several others on Thursday, medics said.
    The Israeli military said on Wednesday forces were continuing their operations across the enclave targeting militants and military infrastructure in what it described as “precise, intelligence-based” activities.
    More than eight months into the war in Gaza, Israel’s advance is now focused on the two last areas its forces had yet to storm: Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge and the area surrounding Deir al-Balah in the centre.
    The operations have forced more than a million people to flee since May, the vast majority already displaced from other parts of the enclave.
    In Rafah, near the border with Egypt, Israeli tanks stationed deep in the western and central areas of the city stepped up bombardment, forcing more families living in the far coastal areas to flee northward. Some residents said the pace of the raid has been accelerated in the past two days.
    “The tanks took control of most of the areas in Rafah. People living by the beach have also started to leave toward Khan Younis and central areas in fear because of the continued bombardment,” said Abu Wasim, a resident from Rafah’s Al-Shaboura neighbourhood, who quit his home over a week ago before tanks rolled in reaching the heart of the city.
    Rafah housed over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people until May 7 when Israeli forces began the ground offensive into the city. Fewer than 100,000 are now believed to be left behind.
    There has been no sign of let-up in the fighting as efforts by international mediators, backed by the United States, have failed to persuade Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire.
    The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said fighters battled Israeli forces with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs, and have in some areas detonated pre-planted explosive devices against army units.
    On Thursday, Israeli authorities freed 33 Palestinians who had been detained during the past months by Israeli forces in different areas of the enclave.
    The freed detainees were admitted into Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip after they complained of torture and mistreatment by Israeli jailers.
    Israel denies mistreatment of Palestinian detainees.
    Palestinian and international human rights groups have criticised what they say is Israel’s ill-treatment of Gaza detainees and repeatedly demanded it discloses their whereabouts and information about their well-being.
    Israel’s ground and air campaign was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
    The offensive has left Gaza in ruins, killed more than 37,400 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and left nearly the entire population homeless and destitute.
    Since a week-long truce in November, repeated attempts to arrange a ceasefire have failed, with Hamas insisting on an end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will agree only to temporary pauses and will not end the war until Hamas is eradicated and the hostages are freed. (Reuters/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    YEE
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    (Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Scholz to consult German state premiers on irregular migration

    Scholz to consult German state premiers on irregular migration

    Migration

    Berlin, June 20, 2024 (dpa/NAN) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz would discuss the problems arising from irregular migration with the leaders of the country’s state governments in Berlin on Thursday.

    The premiers would first meet for separate talks at midday, before meeting Scholz later in the afternoon.

    The states led by the conservative CDU/CSU parties are primarily pushing for asylum procedures to be carried out in third countries outside the European Union.

    Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has had this idea examined by experts on the subject, many of whom are skeptical.

    The results are to be discussed at the meeting on Thursday.

    The meeting is also likely to focus on the chancellor’s support in lifting a ban on deporting serious criminals from Afghanistan and Syria.

    The problem is that Afghanistan is ruled by the hardline Taliban and Syria by the dictator Bashar al-Assad.

    Both regimes have gruesome records of serious human rights abuses. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/EAL
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ekemini Ladejobi

  • Depressed German tourist arrested after violent outbursts

    Depressed German tourist arrested after violent outbursts

    Arrest

    Jakarta, June 20, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A German citizen has been arrested on the Indonesian resort island of Bali after a string of assaults and property damage, fuelled by depression over family turmoil back home, police said.

    Police said the suspect, 37, has been in Bali for the past seven months seeking solace from his parents’ divorce and his father’s subsequent death.

    He is accused of slapping a motorcyclist on June 12, causing minor injuries to the woman.

    He reportedly later vandalised a villa in the popular resort area of Kuta on Saturday, where he also allegedly threatened an employee with a knife.

    He’s admitted to being depressed due to his parents’ divorce and his father’s passing,’’ Kuta police chief I Ketut Agus Pasek Sudina told reporters.

    “We plan to conduct a psychological evaluation and further investigation.’’

    Ketut said the German had also shoplifted a beverage from a mini market prior to these incidents.

    He also resisted arrest, throwing stones at officers before being subdued.

    Police said the man was facing charges of assault, property damage, and making threats, offences punishable up to 10 years in prison under Indonesian law. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/EAL
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ekemini Ladejobi

     

  • ECA, partners train experts on modelling tools for energy efficiency

    ECA, partners train experts on modelling tools for energy efficiency

    Energy

    By Lucy Ogalue

    Abuja, June 20, 2024 (NAN) The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) have trained 83 national experts on modelling tools for energy efficiency.

    Ms Mekalia Paulos, Research Officer, Energy Transition and Climate Finance in the Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resources Division of ECA, said this in a statement on the commission’s website.

    Paulos said the training was designed to create optimised investments for energy transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient development in Africa.

    “Co-convened by the ECA and the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG), the Energy Modelling Platform for Africa (EMP-A) is a capacity-building initiative.

    “It is designed to create optimised investments for the energy transition in Africa and to meet its growing demand for low-carbon development.

    “The EMP-A became necessary as African countries found themselves at a critical juncture, where global decarbonisation efforts are gaining pace, demanding a holistic, system-wide shift towards low carbon development pathways,” Paulos said.

    Paulos said there was an urgent need for strategic long-term energy planning on the continent.

    He said especially as Africa strived to meet the considerable energy requirements of its rising population, attain the SDGs and realise its industrialisation ambitions enshrined in Agenda 2063.

    “Harnessing open-source modelling tools, the EMP-A can support African governments analyse policies and challenges specific to their respective countries.

    “This will be done in such a way as to ensure their energy resources meet national imperatives towards sustainability and climate-resilient growth.

    “This is crucial as local ownership and sustainability of the process is essential for continuity and real developmental impact,”she said.

    The CCG programme is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to support investment in sustainable energy and transport systems to meet development priorities in the Global South.

    The training brought together the energy planning and modelling community in Africa to share experiences, models, and data in climate, land, energy, and water systems.

    The ECA organised a panel session on the Africa Energy Dialogues to stimulate open, evidence-based discourse across Africa.

    It aims to stimulate public and private sector stakeholders, research institutions, civil society, and development partners on issues related to the design and implementation of African countries’ energy pathways.

    Titled “Data-Driven Policymaking in Africa’s Energy Transitions”, and moderated by Paulos of the ECA, the panel brought together experts from Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa.

    “It delved deeper into the challenges and opportunities the energy transition presents as well as shared perspectives on how data and the modelling tools provided by the EMP-A can inform their respective transition plans.

    “There was consensus for African voices to converge in the development of energy transition and crucially, the urgent need for strengthened international cooperation increasing concessional finance and de-risking facilities.

    “Which will be pivotal for amplifying private investment on the continent. Notably, mobilising domestic sources of capital and local currency funding will be vital.

    Mercy Kimwa, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya said, “The training will greatly contribute to my work as we embark on implementing the Kenya Energy Transition and Implementation Plan.

    “Considering the priorities for the current government, we will be able to run scenarios that relate to the BETA agenda and see how best to adopt the strategy to meet the current government priorities,” KImwa said.

    Imaculada Dos-Santos, from the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), Mozambique said “MIREME was already developing an integrated planning platform.

    According to her, the results of the training will be useful in supporting the decision-making on which (energy) technologies will be implemented in the country.

    Similarly, Alison Hughes, a researcher from the University of Cape Town, said, “The training sessions placed firm deliverables on the various teams, and it was an opportunity to interrogate and present model results.”

    According to Hughes, improving energy access in Africa in the context of SDG7 goals requires game-changing policies and investment.

    She said the goal should be pursued within the context of a transitioning energy system that leveraged the continent’s immense clean energy potential while phasing out carbon-intensive technologies and resources.

    The EMP-A continues to gain interest and momentum, growing year on year in participant numbers.  The first EMP-A training took place in 2018 in Addis Ababa. The 2024 iteration is the fifth.

    The course attracted participants from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

    The training which ended in a high-level meeting attracted collaboration with World Resources Institute, Africa, Sustainable Energy for All, the African Union Commission, and the African Energy Commission. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    LCN/EAL

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    Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

  • Troops arrest alleged mastermind of attack on  Taraba community  

    Troops arrest alleged mastermind of attack on  Taraba community

    Attack

    By Martins Abochol

    Jalingo, June 20, 2024 (NAN)  Troops of 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), has arrested  the  alleged mastermind of  the  deadly attack on Mararaban Azagwa village,  in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that scores were killed last week, including a 92-year-old man at  Mararaban Azagawa village of Bali.

    This is contained in a statement by Lt. Olubondunde Oni, Acting Assistant Director of Information of the brigade in Jalingo on Thursday.

    He said the troops acted swiftly following the attack on June 16, which resulted in the tragic loss of five lives and numerous injuries.

    Oni said that the troops of 20 Model Battalion Sub-Sector 3A OPWS, stationed at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Bali Local Government Area, launched a special operation to arrest the suspects.

    He said that based on credible intelligence, the troops were able to arrest the ringleader, Hassan Ibrahim, also known as Godu, 39 years old.

    Oni said that during the arrest, a Dane gun, cartridges and a motorcycle belonging to one of the victims were recovered from him.

    “Ibrahim has admitted his involvement in the heinous act and has provided valuable information to the troops.

    “He is currently in custody, cooperating with authorities to help arrest his collaborators.

    “The commander of 6 Brigade Sector 3 OPWS, Brig.-Gen. Kingsley Uwa, has applauded the public for providing useful information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

    “He urged the public to continue to support the Brigade’s efforts to eliminate criminal activities in Taraba.

    “The successful arrest of the terrorist mastermind is a significant achievement for the troops and a step towards restoring peace and security in the affected community.

    “The Nigerian Army remains committed to protecting the lives and property of the citizens and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the safety of Taraba ,” he  said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    MK/JPE

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    Edited by Joseph Edeh

  • Kano Police urge peace, patriotism ahead of court’s sitting

    Kano Police urge peace, patriotism ahead of court’s sitting
    Emirship
    By Aminu Garko
    Kano, June 20, 2024( NAN) The Kano State Police Command has called on the public to remain peaceful and patriotic as the Federal High Court prepares to hear sensitive cases related to the Emirship tussle.
    This is contained in a statement issued by the command spokesman, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, in Kano on Thursday.
    Kiyawa reiterated the commitment of the command to protect lives and property, while warning against any attempt to incite violence.
    “In collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, the command will strictly enforce the ban on public protests, processions and unlawful gatherings imposed by the state government.
    “Violators and their sponsors will face legal consequences.
    “Adequate security personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order.
    “The public is urged to cooperate with the security forces and provide actionable information to preserve peace and detect deviants.
    “Non-state actors, including vigilantes and hunters, are advised to refrain from participating in security operations under any guise,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    AAG/BRM
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    Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

  • Psychiatrist seeks teaching of mental health literacy in schools  

    Mental health

    By Olajide Idowu

    Osogbo, June 20, 2024 (NAN) A Clinical Psychiatrist and a lecturer Dr Olanrewaju Ibigbami, has called for the teaching of mental health literacy in primary and secondary schools to solve mental challenges of young adolescents.

    Ibigbami made the call on the sideline of a stakeholders’ dissemination meeting and mental health literacy training for school counsellors in Osun.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was organised by ‘The Mehlit Project’ in Osogbo on Wednesday.

    Ibigbami said there were ways students with mental health challenges could be spotted in schools stating, “once a student is noticed not doing well academically,it could be a sign of a mental health challenge.”

    According to him, it is not only those mentally ill walking on the streets that have mental health challenge.

    He, however, listed some of the signs of mental health challenge in young people especially the students to include; not sleeping properly, not eating well, eating too much and getting unnecessarily afraid or unnecessarily sad.

    Also, unusually happy, being hyper active, staying alone, stealing and having destructive behaviour in school.

    Ibigbami said that through ‘The Mehlit Project’, school counsellors were trained on mental health literacy in order to detect the mental health challenges their students exhibit and to stop the situation from getting to the level of crisis.

    “The Mehlit project is a mental health literacy training programme for school counsellors in Osun, supported by the Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH).

    “We have been able to train over 100 school counsellors.

    “We already have data from 81 of them who responded to the test we did and It showed that the training actually improved their counseling self efficacy.

    “Also, mental health literacy with regards to understanding what mental health problems are and how to manage them among the young people who are in secondary schools.

    “We have also been able to work with the Counseling Society of Nigeria, to develop a template for us to scale up this training so that more counsellors in the state and beyond Osun can actually receive a similar training,” he said

    Dr Olayinka Oderinde, a mental health practitioner and Special Adviser to Gov. Ademola Adeleke, on Special Needs, who chaired the programme, stated that the mental health literacy training commenced in September 2023.

    Oderinde said the focus of the project was to train educated school counsellors on mental health and how they can be of help to young adolescents having mental health challenges.

    She said the training has, however, equipped the participants to identify a child that has a mental health problem, what to do and where to refer a student where it was beyond their capacity.

    She said that steps were being taken to ensure that all the schools in the state have counsellors that would be included in the mental health literacy programme (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    ID/MAM/BRM

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    Edited by Modupe Adeloye/Bashir Rabe Mani