Startech Safety And Security News Blog

  Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed in a 2004 Hollywood movie as a hero who helped save Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide, on Friday September 25 admitted to forming an armed group but denied any role in their crimes.   The 66-year-old former hotel manager who was arrested after being lured into a private jet under false pretences, had co-founded the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), an opposition party based abroad.   While in exile, he had also expressed support for the National Liberation Front (FLN) which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Nyungwe, near the border with Burundi, but his exact role has been unclear.   Dressed in a pink prison uniform for his bail hearing on Friday, Rusesabagina told a Kigali court that he helped to form the National Liberation Front to assist Rwandan refugees but never supported violence.   He said;    "We formed the FLN (National Liberation Front) as an armed wing...

  At least eleven persons travelling for a funeral ceremony have died in a ghastly motor accident in Cross River State, while two people are said to be critically injured   The accident, which involved a white-coloured Hiace bus number plates EDA28XA, occurred around 10 a.m on Thurday, September 24, along the Calabar-Ikom Highway in Mbarakom Community, Akamkpa Local Government Area of the State.   According to an eyewitness, the crash was caused by brake failure while the vehicle was on high speed. Another witness, Albert Asuquo, who helped in the rescue operation, said that the injured passengers were taken to the General Hospital in Akamkpa alongside the corpses.   A neighbour of the some of the deceased persons who gave his name as Mr. Effiong, said they were in a chartered bus going to a burial of another neighbour who passed away. “I know some of them very well, they are my neighbours and we stay in the same yard. Someone in the area died and they were goin...

  Two suspected fake soldiers who specialised in robbing and terrorising people were resued from being lynched by an angry mob in Sagamu, Ogun State.   It was gathered that the young men suddenly alighted from a sienna bus at Sabo Market, Sagamu and started beating up an elderly market woman and disrupting commercial activities in the market.   While they were causing havoc at the market, a serving soldier arrived at the scene and demanded the identity of the suspects. Instead of identifying themselves, they tried to flee the scene on  commercial motorcycles.   The suspects were caught and an angry mob descended on them before a team of policemen arrived the scene and rescued them.    Spokesman of Ogun State Police Command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident on Thursday, September 24, said that the suspects, identified as Joseph Uzor and Obadeyi Quadr, were arrested on September 22 in Shagamu area of Ogun State, following a distress ...

  Staff of the Federal High Court across the country have announced plans of engaging in a two-week strike from Monday September 28, 2020.   The judicial workers under the aegies of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) revealed that they are engaging in the strike in line with the industrial action planned by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over the increased prices of electricity and petroleum products.   The notice read;   “Please be informed that the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Federal High Court chapter shall, in collaboration with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), commences a two-week indefinite strike action from Monday the 28th day of September 2020. “All offices shall remain closed within this period. You are required to comply.”

  Rtd. Colonel Bah Ndaw, has been sworn in to head a transitional government in Mali following a coup last month by the Malian military.   He was sworn in during a ceremony held in the capital Bamako today, September 25, 2020.    The ceremony occurred with government officials dressed in military attires while senior judges, and foreign diplomats were also present.               A committee appointed by the military junta which seized power on August 18, after removing president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, selected Ndaw, a 70-year-old retired colonel, as interim president.    Ndaw alongside Colonel Assimi Goita, who led the military junta, will now transitionally lead for a maximum of 18 months before organising national elections.     During the ceremony, Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor Boya Dembele said the challenges facing both men were “enormous”. “It will truly require a reformulation of the state,” said the jud...

  Six Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials who were recently released from their abductors have accused Nasarawa Police spokesman Ramham Nansel of lying about their release.    Ramham had said that no ransom was paid for their release. He was quoted saying;    "They were rescued by the security agencies comprising police and soldiers supported by vigilante groups and hunters."   However speaking to  BBC Hausa Service, the FRSC officials accused the police spokesperson of lying and also revealed that they paid between N5-6m each to secure their freedom.    One of them said;    “What the police are saying is a big lie, there is no element of truth in it, the kidnappers established contact with our relatives, the money was withdrawn in Nasarawa town. “They instructed that only the driver should come with the money; when the driver brought the money, they kept us aside and counted it to ensure it was complete, but b...

Zainah Ahmed   Minister of Finance, Zainah Ahmed has described former members of the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) as an embarrassment to the federal government.   Ahmed said this during the swearing-in ceremony of Azi Isaac as chairman of the tribunal, and Nosa Osemwengie as a member.   She said;   “The tribunal has in the last five years suffered many setbacks due largely to poor administration. These setbacks have blurred, if not completely wiped out, whatever modest achievements the Tribunal might have recorded in its adjudicatory role.  “We may recall that in November 2015, the tribunal was dissolved and the chairman and its members relieved of their jobs. A new panel of the tribunal, which includes many of the members here seated, was inaugurated in 2017. “Again, barely two years into your tenor, the chairman of the tribunal was removed. The problems with the tribunal had been infighting amongst members, lack of industrial harmony and...

  A woman's skull caved in after she survived a horrifying freak accident when a chair fell on her from the 12th floor of a penthouse.   Annabel Sen, 24, is "lucky to be alive" after the lounge chair crushed her as she was out with her partner.   The University student had to have two brain surgeries and step back from her studies after the traumatic accident, according to her lawyer.     The New Yorker's survival has been deemed a "miracle" as she sustained life-threatening injuries, reports NewYorkPost.   The 24-year-old was heading for a lunch date with her partner when a "heavy wooden lounge chair fell from the terrace of the 12-floor penthouse" and struck her, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday, September 24.     The papers, said Sen, from Midtown, sustained a "severe, life-threatening, traumatic brain injury".   Attorney Benedict Morelli said his client suffered cognitive deficits following the i...

  The Lagos state police command has reacted to allegation of some of its operatives harassing music producer, Superwozzy and his friends.    The police debunked the allegation of excessive use of power and attempted extortion, and further urged the general public to regard the video as mischievous, baseless and an attempt to paint the police black as the police recovered Indian hemp and charms from the suspects.    Narrating what happened, the Lagos state police said in a statement by its spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi;    The Lagos State Police command has come across a trending video alleging the police attached to Ogudu Area command of Lagos State of harassment, excessive use of power and attempted extortion, released by some young men today, Friday, 25th September, 2020. The Command wishes to debunk the allegations and urge the general public to regard the video as mischievous, baseless and an attempt to paint the police black. To set th...

  A man has been arrested in Uganda after he allegedly stabbed his 20-year-old sister to death during an argument.   It was gathered that the incident happened on Thursday, September 24, at Nakulaye Zone 5, a Kampala city suburb in Lubaga Municipality.   The Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, who confirmed the incident, identified the suspect as Ashim Kyomuhendo, 28,.   Owoyesigyire said Kyomuhendo allegedly stabbed and killed his sister Aminah Namara, during an argument at around 4am, on Thursday morning. It is purported that Namara visited her brother a month ago and they have been staying together at his home.   "Our officers have conveyed the body of the deceased to the City Mortuary in Mulago for a postmortem as we continue with further investigations to ascertain the exact cause of the murder," Owoyesigyire said.   According to one of the eyewitnesses, Kyomuhendo picked a knife and stabbed his sister in the c...

  A man was beaten up by mob in Abaji Area Council of Abuja after he was allegedly caught with a vehicle loaded with stolen goats.   The incident happened on Thursday morning, September 24. According to an eyewitness, who posted the photos on Facebook, the suspect confessed to have stolen the goats from Kogi State.   See more photos below...    

The Federal Government has secured a fresh injunction barring the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on a planned strike scheduled to begin on Monday, September 28.   Justice Ibrahim Galadima of the National Industrial Court issued the order in Abuja in an ex parte application by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.   Recall that on Thursday, September 24, Justice Galadima also issued the same restraining ex parte order for Peace and Unity Ambassadors Association.   The NLC and TUC last week threatened to embark on an indefinite strike beginning from next week Monday if the Federal government fails to reverse the recent increase in electricity tariff and petrol pump price.  

  the incident.    This comes a month after rapper Megan Thee Stallion accused him of shooting her in the feet following a party in the Hollywood Hills in July.   The Canadian rapper shared his side of the story on a new album "Daystar" in which he denied shooting Megan.    Making his return back to Twitter since the July 12 shooting, Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, told his fans on Thursday:  "To my fans… I’m sorry for my silence… but respectfully… I got time today… 9 PM PST."   As promised, the rapper took to Instagram to promote his new 17-song album.      " There is a time to stay silent. And a time to speak,"  he captioned a photo of the album's cover art to his 10 million followers.  "I said all I could say on this."   Lanez opened his album with the diss song "Money Over Fallouts," where he addressed the shooting allegations and claimed that  "Megan people trying to frame me for a sho...

  The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested five men who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl and gave her N700.   Spokesman of the command, DSP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, September 25, gave the names of the suspects as:   Sagir Ahmed, 22, Muhammed Tukur, 24, Haruna Baba Babayo, 32, Musa Dahiru, 30, and Bappah Garba, 24, all of Unguwar Baba and Unguwar Chadi Gamawa respectively.   According to Wakil, the suspects were arrested in Udubo village Gamawa Local Government Area of the state.   "The suspects have been raping one Hauwa (not real name) ‘f’ aged 14yrs of the same address at different times and occasion and given her N200, N500 respectively," Wakil said.   "When interrogated all the suspects confessed to the crime. The victim was taken to General Hospital Gamawa for medical attention. Sagir Ahmed mentioned above is wanted for another case of rape. Investigation is in progress after which the suspects will be ch...

  Mary Trump, US President Donald Trump's niece who recently wrote a book revealing unsavoury details about her uncle, has filed a lawsuit accusing the President and his siblings of committing fraud in order to deprive her of her interests in the family real-estate empire built by Fred Trump Sr, Trump's father . In the Thursday September 24 lawsuit, filed in New York state court against the President, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry and the estate of their late brother Robert Trump, Mary states that to the Trumps, "fraud was not just the family business—it was a way of life."   She accuses her two uncles and her aunt, a retired federal judge, of conspiring amongst themselves and with several other parties, including a trustee appointed to act on Mary's behalf, to give her "a stack of fraudulent valuations" and force her to sign a settlement agreement that "fleeced her of tens of millions of dollars or more."   "Rather than protect Mary...

  A boy hawking in Aba reportedly fell into a gutter after a heavy rainfall and drowned.   The boy's body was reportedly found in a gutter in Amaogbonna, Aba, Abia state.    The boy's death is blamed on the blocked drainages in Aba that resulted in flooding after a heavy rainfall in the state.   See below. ??????

  British high commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing has responded to the federal government's statement on UK government's threat of visa restriction on perpetrators of electoral violence.    Speaking at an orientation programme for people with disability seeking Chevening scholarship opportunities in the UK on Thursday September 24, Laing said the issue of visa restriction on perpetrators of electoral violence was her country's policy.   The high commissioner who expressed surprise with the federal government's reaction to the the visa restriction threat, stated that prior to the 2019 general election the federal government welcomed its policy.   Laing said;    “It is our visa policy, the UK, and we can determine who comes to the UK. So, that is a non-sovereign right.  “And all we are saying is that in line with the Nigerian policy, that those who commit violence or who incite violence, there may be an implication...

  Famous Indian singer and Guinness World record holder, SP Balasubrahmanyam has died of COVID-19 at the age of 74.    The Legendary singer who is a Guinness World Record holder for his more than 40,000 songs over 50 years, died today after spending days in intensive care following his COVID-19 diagnosis.    He was admitted to MGM Healthcare in Chennai in the first week of August after testing positive for coronavirus.   SPB’s son SP Charan confirmed his death to reporters at MGM Healthcare this afternoon, “SPB belongs to everyone. He will live on in his songs. My dad passed away at 1.04 pm,” he said.   A statement from the hospital read,  “Thiru S P Balasubrahmanyam had been admitted at MGM Healthcare on August 5th and commenced on life support measures since August 14th for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.”   “He continued to be closely monitored by our multidisciplinary team in the critical care unit. He tested negative for COVID-...

  A Metropolitan Police custody sergeant has been shot dead inside a custody centre in south London.   According to Mail Online, the sergeant was shot at 2.15am on Friday September 24, by a 23-year-old suspect who was being detained for possession of ammunition at Croydon custody centre in South London.   Officers and London Ambulance Service paramedics treated the unnamed officer at the scene before he was taken to hospital where he later died.   After shooting the officer, detectives said the suspect turned the gun on himself but is still alive. He was arrested by officers at the scene and taken to hospital with a gunshot wound, where he remains in a critical condition.   Commissioner Cressida Dick said: 'This is a truly shocking incident in which one of our colleagues has lost his life in the most tragic circumstances. My heart goes out to his family, direct colleagues and friends.   'We are currently supporting his family and also have a dedicated ...

Mr Rauf Aregbesola Interior Minister   The federal government has ordered the deportation of 10 Egyptians and 7 Sri Lankans for violating the conditions for their entry.    Sunday James, spokesperson of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) who made the announcement in a statement released on Friday September 25, said the Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola signed the deportation order in pursuant to section 45, subsection 2, section 46, subsection 1 and section 47, subsection 1 of the Nigeria Immigration Act 2015.   He said;    “Seven Sri-Lankans that were jailed for petroleum product related offences after serving their jail terms were ordered by the court to be deported to their country as well.  “The minister also signed the deportation order of one Ali Mahamat Taher to France and one Kasinathan Ramasamy to India who were found to be involved in activities violating the conditions of their entry into Nigeria. “Taher was found to be engag...