PHOTOS: DISASTER HITS GHANA, FLOOD, EXPLOSION KILLS 78 AT FUEL STATION

About 78 persons were killed after a gas station they ran to for shelter during heavy downpour went up in flames in Acrra, Ghana yesterday June 3rd. According to Ghana's Fire Service spokesperson, Billy Anagate, the fire started at the Neoplan Bus station at about 5.00pm and then quickly spread to the Goil gas station, causing an explosion which killed all the people taking refuge there. Bodies of the victims are still being evacuated from the scene of the incident.

Flood that resulted from the heavy downpour submerged some buildings and vehicles causing people to take refuge in the gas station. Most buildings that had caught fire from the explosion burned away into the night as 'floodwater around the site hindered recovery attempts.

ALLEGED N300B FRAUD: SHERIFF SURRENDERS TO EFCC, FACES GRILLING

After three years former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff last nigh surrendered himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) for interrogation over alleged mismanagement of N300billion. He was a governor between 2003 and 2011.
The anti-graft agency had invited Sheriff for questioning since 2012 but he always found one legal excuse or the other.
On April 23 it threatened to declare the ex-governor wanted if he failed to show up for questioning.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that Sheriff voluntarily walked up to EFCC headquarters at about 6pm yesterday for interrogation on the allegations against him.
It was gathered that Sheriff surrendered following EFCC’s intense surveillance which may lead to the engagement of INTERPOL to locate him.
It was learnt that the allegations border on misappropriation, embezzlement of funds and abuse of office while in office between 2007 and 2011.
A source in EFCC said: “The ex-governor showed up “miraculously” on Wednesday at our headquarters at about 6pm.

ONDO POLICEMEN KILL DRIVER IN CUSTODY, LABEL HIM ARMED ROBBER

A member of the Ondo State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, identified as Gbenga Omolo, has died after being allegedly tortured by some policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state Police Command.
A source in the union told our correspondent on Wednesday that the 70-year-old man was arrested by SARS last Thursday following a misunderstanding between him and a police officer, whose name was not disclosed, leading to the duo engaging blows at the Arakale area of the town.
The source explained that the following day, the policeman, who fought with the motorist, mobilised six men of the SARS to arrest the deceased and some other people in the area and detained them in their custody, where Omolo was allegedly being tortured.
In detention, the source alleged that Omolo was tortured by the policemen until he died in their custody.

MAJOR-GENERAL TUKUR BURATAI APPOINTED FORCE COMMANDER OF JOINT TASK FORCE

Nigerian Major General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has been appointed the Force Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF). He has assumed duties at the new Headquarters in N’Djamena, the Capital of Chad Republic. The reorganised MNJTF arrangement is in line with the decisions of member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) which include Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroun, with Benin Republic as a honorary member. The arrangement has the backing of partners in the fight against Boko Haram namely; France, the UK and the USA.
The MNJTF has now been sectionised into 3 Sectors to achieve more effect in its operations with one of the sectors Headquarters retained in Baga.

SENATE PRESIDENCY: TENSION AS APC PICKS CANDIDATE

 THE criteria recently announced by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on how the Senate President in the 8th Senate will emerge is generating ripples among senators.
Meanwhile, it was learnt last night that the meeting between the APC leadership and senators-elect where a consensus on the issue of the Senate President was to be resolved may have been shifted.
One of the two camps was said to have pressed for the shift because of the insufficiency of the support it was expecting to show to the party leadership.
The APC NWC, at its meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday night, had listed certain criteria which the next Senate president must possess.
Some of the criteria stipulated that the party’s candidate for the post must come from the geopolitical zone with the second highest number of votes after the North-West during the Presidential election held on March 28.
It also said that the next Senate president must not have any corruption charges hanging on his or her neck and should be one of the most ranking senators in the current Fourth Republic.
A senator privy to the meeting said the leadership of the party was mandated to, within three days, present the most eligible aspirant as consensus candidate for the post based on the listed criteria during inauguration next week.

Two Anambra State University students allegedly die after an all night romp

Two students, a male and female of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, COOU, Igbariam, Anambra State, have reportedly died in a hostel room located near the school.

The students according to their counterparts who spoke to journalists said the girl who is from Imo state and a student of the institution visited his male friend who is also a student, and had gone to bed on Saturday but never awoke the next day.

One of the sources who spoke to our reporter said that they awoke on Sunday morning and there was no sign of the student, who is said to be a 300level student of public administration.

It was gathered that the students had both died after sex romp together unknown to their neighbors who never knew of their fate until their bodies started decomposing.

The bodies were said to have been found on Tuesday by another student who lives in the hostel and had promptly raised alarm, leading to the police being invited.

Gunmen Invade Orient Petroelum Refinery , Kill 3 Burnt 10 Caterpillars

Three persons were feared dead and property worth millions of naira, including 10 caterpillars and houses,
were destroyed when gunmen suspected to be from Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State invaded the facilities of the controversial Orient Petroleum Resources at Aguleri Otu in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The three dead persons were staff of the oil company, while several others injured in attack are receiving treatment in hospitals.
Orient Petroleum, commissioned by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012, had been in dispute between the neighbouring communities in Kogi and Anambra states, with both sides laying claims to ownership of the oil rich land.

AMBODE READS RIOT ACT TO LASTMA, KAI

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has read the riot act to officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA and the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI to brace up to the task of traffic management and environmental hygiene.
Ambode who addressed LASTMA and KAI officials at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria on Wednesday, said the feedback out there is that traffic had worsened in recent times.
He said LASTMA and KAI were the face of Lagos as whatever they do would affect the image of his government.
Ambode stated that all traffic blackspots must be identified and dealt with, saying that he wanted the LASTMA officers to offer 24-hour service to ease traffic gridlock in busy areas
He added that places like Third Mainland Bridge, Abule Egba, Dopemu, among others which had constituted traffic black spots must be decongested immediately to allow traffic flow.

NIGERIANS WON’T REGRET ELECTING ME, SAYS BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday assured Nigerians that he would do all within his powers to ensure that they do not regret entrusting national responsibility to him by electing him during the March 28 Presidential election.
He said his administration was capable of fixing the nation’s problems. 
Buhari made the submission in an address he delivered to members of the Nigerian community in Niger during his visit to the country.
A copy of his speech was made available to journalists in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
Buhari told the Nigerian community that his government is just coming on board and is still in the process of setting out appropriate modalities on how to actualise its agenda of revamping Nigeria as contained in the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress.
He noted that Nigerians voted for him based on the party’s manifesto.
He however urged them to exercise patience because the task of rebuilding Nigeria is an arduous one.
He reiterated his position that to ensure accelerated development, his administration would concentrate on challenges of insecurity, near economic collapse, pervasive corruption and power shortages among others. 

TANKER DRIVERS BANNED FROM NIGHT TRAVELS

The Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday banned its members from driving at night. It said any member who flouts the order may have their vehicle impounded.
A statement by PTD’s National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Atanda Adebayo, warned drivers to stop night travels.
He said: “In the light of the worrisome increase in accidents
involving petroleum tankers, all branches of the union have been directed to impound any petrol tanker operating at night. This directive has long been in existence, we have always been warning our members to stop driving at night but we would now take it more serious.”
He added that all measures would be put in place to deal with the menace.
According to him, PTD believes it is safer for petrol tankers to move at daytime because such would always minimize casualties anytime an accident happens.