IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The National Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has announced what it called “general amnesty” for its members who it said participated in the crisis that engulfed the party in the last 14 months. It said while it would overlook the sins committed by those set of people, it nevertheless warned that anyone who participates in fresh plot against the former ruling party would not be forgiven. The Chairman of National Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, stated this in an interview with reporters in Abuja on Thursday. The former governor of Kaduna State was reacting to a question on whether the party would sanction the sacked National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and those in his camp who took the party to court over the outcome of its May 21, 2016 national convention.

Apart from Sheriff, some of those in his camp were the party’s former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; Sheriff’s deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and the acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Bernard Mikko. Makarfi, who described the last 14 months as very worrisome for the party, however, said there was no need punishing those who made the party to experience the setback. Speaking through the spokesperson for the caretaker committee, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, Makarfi called on those with pending cases against the party at state levels, to withdraw them. Adeyeye, a former Minister of State for Works, said the PDP would provide a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2019 General Elections.

He stated, “No, we won’t punish anyone for what had happened in the past. Our doors are open for everyone, including those who are not members of the PDP. “It is general amnesty for all. It is when you begin to commit fresh sins or causing fresh troubles that we will then look at it.

Grandparents and other relatives of people living in the US cannot be barred from entering under President Trump's travel ban, a judge has ruled. The order, by District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii, is a fresh legal blow to Mr Trump's immigration crackdown. The judge said the ban had interpreted a Supreme Court ruling too narrowly.

That decision, made last month, partly reinstated the ban on refugees and travellers from six Muslim-majority countries. It said only those with "bona fide" family ties would be let into the US. But the Trump administration decided that did not include grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins.

Judge Watson, however, disagreed - and ordered that those restrictions should not be enforced.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Retail and the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, traded words on Thursday over the diversion of N11.1bn petrol from the facilities of Capital Oil. The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) is investigating the diversion of the product, which NNPC-Retail stored in Ubah’s facilities under a “throughput  agreement” the two signed in December, 2016.

The committee, which is chaired by Mr. Akinlaja Joseph, had summoned Ubah earlier on Wednesday to appear before it on Thursday. But, as the testimonies were being taken by the committee, Ubah and officials of the NNPC-Retail disagreed on several issues, including the quantity of fuel diverted and the procedure the NNPC adopted in trying to recover the product.

For instance, while the NNPC-Retail put the total quantity of petrol diverted by Capital Oil at 84 million litres, or N11.1bn at N131 per litre, Ubah told the committee that his verified figure was 82 million litres.

Seven alleged members of the murderous Badoo cult, accused of bestial killings in Ikorodu area of Lagos, were, on Friday, docked at an Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court. They were charged with conspiracy and membership of an unlawful society. The accused, Afolabi Kessington (25), Ismaila Shaibu (36), Mutiu Nurudeen (26), Ibrahim Bello (25), Lukman Mohammed (35), Gift Itafa (50) and Sheriff Adewunmi (23), all pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, ASP Fidelis Dike, said the accused committed the offences between July 3 and 5 at Powerline, Agbala area of Ikorodu and also at Irawo Estate, Owode Onirin in Lagos. He said the accused members of the reprehensible Badoo cult had conspired and gathered in the aforementioned areas to have their meeting, which was deemed illegal.

The offences, the News Agency of Nigeria reports, contravened Section 42(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

Manchester City have completed the signing of Tottenham and England right-back Kyle Walker for an initial £45m. Walker, who has 27 caps and spent eight seasons at Spurs has signed a five-year deal with City. The deal, which comes to £50m including £5m of add-ons, could make him the most expensive English player ever.

"I am thrilled to be signing for City and can't wait to get started," said Walker. "Pep Guardiola is one of the most respected managers in the world." Walker, who joined Spurs from Sheffield United in 2009 and made 183 Premier League appearances, added: "I feel he can help me take my game to a new level."

Walker, who will wear the number two shirt, is expected to travel with City on Monday for their tour of the USA.

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday disclosed that 2.3 million youths have so far applied for the 300,000 jobs that are still available under the Federal Government’s N-Power scheme since the portal was reopened in June. Osinbajo disclosed this to journalists when he visited the scheme’s Response Centre in Abuja. Under the scheme, which is one of the components of the government’s Social Investment Programme, 500,000 youths are expected to be engaged. While 200,000 were employed in the first phase, the portal was reopened on June 13 for applications to fill the remaining 300,000 vacancies.

Despite the high number of applications, however, Osinbajo said the government would stick to the 500,000 target for now. He said a decision on whether to increase the figure in the future would depend on government’s resources. The Acting President said, “Already, 200,000 young people have been engaged. And since the programme was opened, another 2.3 million have applied and we are looking at the next phase of engagement. Osinbajo said there was no truth in the reports of alleged backlog of salaries as far as the scheme was concerned.

He said once the Bank Verification Numbers of beneficiaries are confirmed, they are paid. “There is a problem if your BVN does not match the records you gave. If there is a problem with any of your records, you cannot be paid.