The United States has sanctioned several Iranian officials and entities for alleged gross human rights violations, including the recent execution of an athlete. Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler accused of murdering a security guard, was executed on Sept. 12 in spite of international appeals for him to be spared. U.S. Secretary of State, Mr Michael Pompeo, announced the sanctions in a statement on Thursday. Those affected include two judges identified as Seyyed Sadati and Mohammad Soltani, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, and the Vakilabad Prisons. Pompeo alleged that they were responsible for “torture or cruel, inhuman or…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to compromise the credibility of Ondo Governorship election with the contemplation of using the Z-pad technology in voter accreditation process. The Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee, PDP National Campaign Council for Ondo Governorship election, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, gave the advice in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja. Ologbondiyan said the campaign recalls that the Z-pad technology had failed during a test-run deployment for voter accreditation in Nasarawa by-election. The situation, according to him, informed its rejection by INEC for voter accreditation in the Sept. 19, Edo state governorship election, where…
The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mohammed Umar Abbah has disclosed that the Commission recovered over N4.16 billion from lottery companies, being revenue owed to the government, which they refused to remit. He made the disclosure on September 24, 2020 at the EFCC Headquarters while hosting a delegation from the Ministerial Task Force for recovery of unpaid revenues from lottery businesses, led by its chairman, Willaims Alo. Mohammed noted that lottery companies operating in the country were not forthcoming in remitting revenues that were due to the government hence the need for the EFCC to…
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, has emerged winner of the 2020 Zik Prize, in the Professional Leadership Category. Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC Director, Public Affairs, made this known in a statement, on Thursday in Abuja. Adinde said that the NCC boss was informed of the development through a letter dated July 2020, which was jointly signed by the Chairman of the Board, Sen. Jubril Aminu, and Prof. Pat Utomi, who were members of the Advisory Board of the prestigious award. In his remarks, Utomi said that telecommunications’ contribution to the Gross Domestic…
Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello, has ordered the immediate suspension of all mining activities in six areas in the state over continued bandits’ attacks. This is contained in a statement by Alhaji Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the State Government, issued in Minna on Thursday. He listed the areas affected to include: Gurmana in Shiroro Local Government Area, Anguwan Kampani, M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate, College of Education, Army Barracks and Lapan-Gwari in Chanchaga Local Government Area of the state. Matane said the decision become necessary following security, health and environmental hazards, as well as illicit drug peddling in the areas. He…
Almost 500 senior military officials and national security experts, including some who worked under U.S. President Donald Trump, have signed an open letter endorsing Democratic Party nominee, Joe Biden for president. The letter, published on Thursday, argues that the current president has demonstrated that he is “not equal to the enormous responsibilities of his office’’. It also says that Biden has “the experience and wisdom necessary to navigate America through a painful time’’. “We are former public servants who have devoted our careers, and in many cases risked our lives, for the U.S. “We are generals, admirals, senior non-commissioned officers,…
Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) says that 30 per cent of truck drivers in the country have failed vision tests conducted by the commission. Oyeyemi made this known at the 2020 Truck Renewal Conference in Abuja on Thursday. The conference with the theme: ‘Truck Renewal System: Ensuring Road Transportation Safety’ was jointly organised by the Major oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAM), and Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO). He said that most of the truck drivers had eyesight challenges and it had made it more dangerous…
Russian opposition politician, Alexei Navalny’s bank accounts were frozen and his Moscow apartment seized under a lawsuit while he was recovering from suspected poisoning in a Berlin hospital, his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said on Thursday. “This means the flat cannot be sold, donated or mortgaged,’’ Yarmysh said in a video posted on Twitter. Navalny was flown from Russia to Berlin in August after falling ill on a domestic flight in Siberia. The West has demanded an explanation from the Kremlin, which has denied any involvement in the incident and said it has yet to see evidence of a crime. Yarmysh…
By Gami Tadanyigbe, Abuja The Dayo Keshi Literacy Prize For Storytelling initiative recently awarded top three winners in the maiden edition of storytelling competition founded by Mrs Dayo Keshi, president of AfriGrowth Foundation. The award presentation which held in Abuja had in attendance friends and families of top three winners of the competition, Ifeanyichukwu Alum, from Rosa Mystic Academy in first place, Elijah Dayisi from Local Education Authority Primary School, Azahayapi second place and Joan Ogeh from Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model School in third place. In addition to prizes of school bags, storybooks, exercise books and hampers of provisions.…
A family source has confirmed that tight schedules of both Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster management, Sadiya Farouq would have further delayed their marriage. The source further said that the plans for the marriage had been on for some time before it finally held last Friday. According to the source, pressure from family members finally compelled Sadique and Sadiya to tie the knots at the time they did, otherwise their tight official engagements would almost further delay it. PRNigeria gathered from reliable family sources that the decision not to make the wedding public…