Release of list of 'Bridgegate' co-conspirators delayed

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The George Washington Bridge toll booths are pictured in Fort Lee, New Jersey January 9, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - A New Jersey federal judge has extended the deadline to Tuesday for U.S. prosecutors to release a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the "Bridgegate" scandal, while she weighs a request from an individual on the list to keep it sealed.

U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton in Newark earlier this week had ordered the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman for New Jersey to file the list by noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Friday after a consortium of media companies filed a motion seeking the information.

The court document could reveal how many individuals in the administration of Governor Chris Christie were aware of the scheme to close down lanes at the George Washington Bridge, a major commuter link to New York City, in what prosecutors say was an act of political retaliation against a local mayor.

Christie, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for his party's presidential nomination this year, has denied knowledge of the plot.

The people on the list have been described in court filings as individuals who joined the conspiracy but have not been criminally charged.

In conspiracy cases, prosecutors do not always charge every person they believe had knowledge of the crime. Investigators may feel they do not have enough evidence to secure a conviction, or the individuals may be cooperating with prosecutors to build a case against others.

The list of names, long a subject of speculation, previously has been provided to defense lawyers.

One of the unindicted co-conspirators late Thursday filed an emergency motion to stay Wigenton's order, arguing that the release of the list "brands him as a criminal without due process of law." The individual did not reveal his name in the court filing.

Wigenton said she would consider the individual's request for a hearing and gave the media companies until 12:30 EDT Friday to file a response. The new deadline for the list's release is noon on Tuesday.

Prosecutors have charged three people in the case.

Two of them, William Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, are scheduled to face trial on charges of wire fraud and civil rights deprivation in September.

The third, David Wildstein, also a former Port Authority official, has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors.

Kelly and Baroni arranged for the September 2013 lane closure in Fort Lee, New Jersey, to pay back the Democratic mayor for refusing to endorse Christie's re-election bid, according to prosecutors.

While Christie has not been implicated in the scheme, the release of the list could be an embarrassing distraction for the governor, who is heading up the transition team for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The trial could unfold during the presidential campaign, with the general election set for Nov. 8.

The list may not include every person who prosecutors believe was aware of the scheme. In court filings, prosecutors have distinguished between two lists of names: unindicted co-conspirators who "joined" the conspiracy, and others who may have known of the plan but did not actively join.

It is not clear how many individuals might fit into the latter category.

Bruce Rosen, a lawyer for the media companies, said on Friday he has asked prosecutors to hand over the second set of names. If the request is denied, the companies are prepared to file a motion asking Wigenton to order the government to comply, he said.

Police try to determine uncle's motive for taking niece

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In this arrest photo made available by the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office, TN., shows Gary Lewis Simpson, 57, on Friday, May 13, 2016. Simpson was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping of his 9-year-old niece. (Hawkins County Sheriff's Office via AP)

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities were trying to determine why a Tennessee man charged with aggravated kidnapping disappeared for more than a week with his 9-year-old niece.

The uncle, 57-year-old Gary Simpson, is being interviewed to determine what transpired over the last eight days, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn told news outlets.

Two men searching the back country of northeastern Tennessee on Thursday found Carlie Trent, who had been missing since Simpson signed her out of school May 4 under false pretenses.

Gwyn said Donnie Lawson and Stewart Franklin were acting on law enforcement appeals to search isolated areas on all-terrain vehicles when they found the two in a barn. Franklin held Simpson at gunpoint while Lawson went to call police.

Gwyn said there were no indications that Carlie was harmed, but she was being checked as a precaution.

The TBI said Simpson is being held without bond in the Hawkins County Jail.

"Carlie is safe tonight because of an entire community pulling together and working with law enforcement to bring her home," Gwyn said after Simpson was arrested Thursday. "Anytime someone is taken like this — kidnapped — we know time is not on our side, and we have to act and react very quickly. ... Thank God she was rescued safe."

Earlier Thursday, the TBI had added Simpson to its Top 10 Most Wanted list and warned that Carlie was in imminent danger.

Simpson is married to the sister of Carlie's father. The families live close to one another in rural Hawkins County. The uncle and his wife had custody of Carlie and her little sister while their father was jailed on drug charges, but the girls went back to live with their father in 2015, TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said earlier Thursday. Investigators had not been able to find any work history for Simpson.

Authorities issued the call to check remote areas or campgrounds based on surveillance video showing Simpson stocking up on items from an area Wal-Mart including a bikini, two tubes of colored lip gloss, nail polish, an outdoor chair and a child's nightgown.

Franklin told the Kingsport Times-News that he, Lawson and two others who were searching in the vicinity had prayed about where to look for the pair.

"We each had a feeling like that was the direction she might be in," Franklin said, adding that it was a relief to find the girl.

"I said to myself, thank you Lord, that we finally found her," Franklin said. "It was a shock, and it still kind of is. It seems like a dream. It seems unreal that we could finally find her."

Facebook launches investigation into report of political bias

REUTERS - Facebook Inc, the social networking powerhouse, is conducting a full investigation into allegations of political bias, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement late Thursday.

The company has come under fire after an unnamed former Facebook employee told technology news website Gizmodo that workers often omitted conservative political stories from the company's "trending" list of topics that it says spiked in popularity.

The accusation sparked an outcry on social media and prompted a U.S. Senate inquiry into Facebook's practices.

Facebook has "found no evidence that this report is true," Zuckerberg said in a post published on his Facebook page, but added that the company would continue to investigate.

"If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it," Zuckerberg said.

The Facebook chief added that he planned to invite "leading conservatives" to share their points of view.

The allegations against Facebook prompted the company to reveal more about how it selects and displays news to its users.

In a post published on Facebook's media relations section on Thursday, a senior company official outlined its "Trending Topics" guidelines at length.

"Facebook does not allow or advise our reviewers to discriminate against sources of any political origin, period," wrote Justin Osofsky, vice president for global operations.

Facebook claims it had over 1 billion daily active users, on average, in March.

Trump Reacts To 'Bombshell' Report That Bill Clinton Charity Gave $2 Million To Friend's Company

Donald Trump has called Friday’s New York Post cover story “a bombshell” that may cause a big headache for former President Bill Clinton.
The New York tabloid has reported that Clinton’s charity gave $2 million to a company owned by a "friend" of the former president.
Read: Sydney Leathers Responds To Anthony Weiner Documentary: 'I Feel Like I Had PTSD' From Scandal
On Fox and Friends Friday, Trump called in to give his opinion on the cover story: "It's a bombshell. There's no doubt about it."
The GOP frontrunner said: "It's a rough story and a lot of people have been talking about it for years."
The woman is wealthy divorcee Julie Tauber McMahon, a neighbor of the Clintons in Chappaqua, New York.
The 54-year-old business executive is described as the so-called "Energizer," a nickname given to her by the Secret Service for her supposed frequent visits to the Clinton home.
Citing a 2010 Clinton Global Initiative statement, The Post reports that the charity “commits $2 million to support the work of Energy Pioneer Solutions, a company founded to deliver energy savings to communities in rural America.”
Energy Pioneer Solutions is partially owned by McMahon.
IE spoke to Ron Kessler, author of The First Family Detail.
“Unlike Hillary, ‘Energizer’ is very nice to Secret Service agents,” the author said.
Read: Paul Ryan 'Encouraged' After Meeting With Donald Trump, but Still Won't Endorse Him
Kessler alleges that McMahon and the former president had “timed arrivals and departures to Hillary’s schedule” for rendezvous at the Clinton home.
He said: “In my book. I purposely stuck with what the Secret Service knew and what they saw with this woman, ‘Energizer.’”
McMahon has repeatedly denied any intimate relationship with the former commander-in-chief.
Hillary Clinton's campaign has not responded to the story.
Watch: Re-Live Donald Trump's Most Memorable TV Show and Movie Cameos

US diplomats walk out of Uganda president's inauguration

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. delegation to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's inauguration walked out of Thursday's ceremony in protest against his disparaging comments about an international war crimes tribunal and the presence of Sudan's leader, whom the court has indicted, the State Department said.
Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac and a visiting Washington-based official, along with several European and Canadian diplomats, abruptly left the inauguration after Museveni made negative remarks about the International Criminal Court in his inaugural address. She added that the U.S. also objected to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's participation in the inauguration. Al-Bashir has been charged by the court for atrocities in Sudan's western Darfur region.
Trudeau did not identify the European or Canadian diplomats involved. She said Museveni's comments were "insulting" to both the court and to victims of war crimes and genocide.
"We believe that walking out in protest is an appropriate reaction to a head of state mocking efforts to ensure accountability for victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly when his country has committed to accountability as a state party to the Rome Statute" that established the court, she said.
In his address, Museveni called the court "a bunch of useless people" and said he no longer supports it. Uganda is a member of The Hague-based International Criminal Court and as such is obligated to detain and turn over suspects wanted by the tribunal. The United States is not a member of the court, but supports it and has called on other countries to live up to their commitments under the treaty that created it.
The walkout was preceded by expressions of concern about al-Bashir's presence from the U.S. delegation to Uganda's prime minister and foreign minister, Trudeau said. She added that the delegation decided to attend the inauguration despite al-Bashir's attendance out of respect for U.S.-Ugandan bilateral relations, but made the decision to leave after Museveni's remarks.
Al-Bashir faces two ICC indictments for atrocities linked to the conflict in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have died and 2 million have been displaced since 2003, according to U.N. figures. He rejects the ICC's authority and had been able to travel relatively freely in Africa and the Middle East — even to countries like Uganda and South Africa that are parties to the Rome Statute and are required to carry out ICC arrest warrants. Al-Bashir also recently attended the inauguration of Djibouti's president, an event attended by U.S. officials.

Top Hezbollah Commander, Badreddine Killed

A man believed to be Hezbollah’s most senior military commander in the Syrian war has been killed in Damascus.
The Lebanon-based militant group says in a statement that Mustafa Amine Badreddine died in a large explosion near Damascus airport.
Badreddine is charged with leading the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri in Beirut in 2005.
Hezbollah supports Syria’s president, Bashar Al-Assad and has sent thousands of fighters into Syria.
The US Treasury, which imposed sanctions on Badreddine last July, said at the time he was “responsible for Hezbollah’s military operations in Syria since 2011, including the movement of Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon to Syria, in support of the Syrian regime”.
The group said it was working to “define the nature of the explosion and its cause, and whether it was the result of an air strike, or missile (attack) or artillery

Brazil Impeachment: New Leader Calls For Trust

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In a televised address to the nation, Brazil’s new Interim President, Michel Temer, has asked the people to trust his government’s ability to rebuild the economy.
He has named a business-friendly cabinet that includes respected former central bank chief Henrique Meirelles as Finance Minister.
Meanwhile suspended president, Dilma Rousseff, denounced her removal as a “farce” and “sabotage”.
Mr Temer was Ms Rousseff’s vice-president before withdrawing his party’s support in March. She has accused him of involvement in a “coup”.
After Wednesday’s all-night session that lasted more than 20 hours, senators voted by 55 votes to 22 to suspend her and put her on trial for budgetary violations.
In her final speech on Thursday afternoon, she again denied the allegations and vowed to fight what she called an “injustice” by all legal means.

Mix Feelings As Yobe Government Closes IDP Camp

It was mix feelings as the Yobe State government closed the Bukar Ali IDP camp located south of Damaturu, the state capital.
The closure of the camp according to the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) was sequel to request by the IDPs to return to their ancestral home, owing to relative peace being enjoyed across the state and the northeast as a whole.
While it was a thing of joy for the people to go back home after the return of peace in the troubled areas, especially for the parents, the children were sad that their educational development have been truncated.
The area of concern in the return of the IDPs was that it would greatly affect the curriculum of children who have within the period been enrolled into the educational system at the camp being run by the Army Education Corps.
The children, according to their teacher, Oke Eke of the Army Education Corps, have greatly improved over the period of their stay but their return would deal a big blow to their educational development.
Similarly, the President of the Yobe State chapter of the National Council of Women Society, Halima Joda, expressed sadness over the return of the children to their ancestral homes saying it would have adverse effects on their education.
They called on government to make the educational development of the children a top priority by ensuring that as they return to their villages, teachers also resume at their duty posts to impact in them knowledge for the growth and development of the society.
The closure of the camp would affect 92 households where over 391 IDPs would return to their ancestral homes at Gambir, Malumti and Matirri villages.
Within the period of their stay at the camp, totalling 333 days, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Idi Jidawa revealed that 35 million Naira was spent for establishing the camp, feeding and general upkeep of the displaced persons.
Each of the returning household, according to him, would also be given a return package to include; bags of rice, vegetable oil, cooking pot among other household equipment with 20,000 Naira cash.
Speaking on behalf of the returning IDPs, one of the pupils, Kasim Shetima, appreciated the contribution of the Yobe State government, the Nigeria Army, donor agencies and many others who contributed in taking care of them.

FG Gives Breakdown Of 2016 Budget

Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udo Udoma.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udo Udoma on Thursday announced plans to commence the release of capital expenditure beginning from Friday, May 13 for the implementation of the 2016 budget.
Senator Udoma, who was speaking at the 2016 budget breakdown in Abuja, said the 2016 budget will run till the end of May next year.
He also said there were plans by the Federal Government to ensure that the 2017 budget is passed before December 31st.
Mr Udoma reeled out figures allocated to various sectors of the economy with a promise that government will waste no time in making releases for the implementation of capital expenditure.
He further noted that the federal government has also outlined special intervention programmes to improve the lives of Nigerians at all levels.
On her part, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed explained that there is a N500 billion appropriation for special interventions targeted at improving the lives of Nigerians at all levels.
The Federal Government is also planning a monthly budget performance report by all ministries, departments and agencies to ensure that the budget is implemented to the letter.
Channels Television’s Sarah Effin, reports that with special focus on six pillars namely economic reforms, infrastructure, social development, security, the environment and regional development, the budget will focus on building macro-economic stability for the real sector through partnerships with the private sector.
She added that housing projects across the country is to gulp a sum of 35.2 billion Naira and 250 billion Naira will be channelled towards the construction of roads across the country.

Nimbo Attack: Enugu Governor Inaugurates Judicial Commission Of Inquiry

Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has inaugurated a seven man Judicial Commission of Inquiry to unravel the remote and immediate circumstances surrounding the deadly attack on Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of the state.
The Governor urged the Chairman of the Commission, retired Justice Chukwuma Eneh, alongside other members to, among other things, ascertain the exact number of deaths in the incident, ascertain the role of the security agencies as well as recommend to the state government appropriate security measures to permanently avert clashes between communities and herdsmen.
The governor said that, among other things, the mandate of the Commission, includes finding out the remote and immediate circumstances that led to the attack, ascertaining the role of security agencies before and after the attack, ascertaining the actual number of deaths in the deadly attack as well as making recommendations on appropriate security measures that will prevent future occurrence.
The members of the commission are drawn from various backgrounds including legal, security, medical and the civil society.
The Chairman, a retired justice of the Supreme Court, promised the governor that they will not betray the confidence reposed in them.
Monday, April 25, 2016 at Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State was a day of pain and sorrow as suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded the town in the early hours of the morning.
The Inspector general of police, Mr. Solomon Arase visited and condemned the attack and assured of tracking the perpetrators down.

Leicester City Manager, Claudio Ranieri Honoured In Italy

Leicester City Manager, Claudio Ranieri, can add a personal award to the wonderful success he has engineered in inspiring the Foxes to their first ever league title this season.
Ranieri received the 2016 Enzo Bearzot Prize for Italian Coach of the Season, as well as the Golden Palm Award, a technical award for the best Italian manager.
The Bearzot Prize is awarded by the Association of Italian Christian Workers and by the Italian Soccer Federation and was created in honour of Enzo Bearzot, who led the national team to World Cup glory in 1982.
Earlier this week Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, said that he would propose awarding a top state honour to Ranieri.
Leicester City were officially decorated as Premier League champions for the first time in their history on Saturday after a 3-1 victory over Everton at the King Power Stadium.
Thousands of fans gathered at the King Power Stadium for their final home game to witness the historic event.
Leicester won the title in what has been described as one of the greatest sporting triumphs of all time, starting the season as 5000/1 outsiders.
Claudio Ranieri’s boys set a record to become the champions of England for the first time in 132 years.
The 64-year-old Italian spoke with pride after the feat. Speaking to the club website, he said, “I never expected this when I arrived. I’m a pragmatic man, I just wanted to win match after match and help my players to improve week after week.
“Never did I think too much about where it would take us.”

Everton Sack Coach Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez has been sacked by Everton with immediate effect. The club officially announced this on Thursday afternoon.
The statement by the club reads; “Everton Football Club regrets to announce that Roberto Martinez has left his position as First Team Manager with immediate effect.
“The Chairman and the Board of Directors would like to place on record their thanks for the dedication and commitment Roberto has shown during his three seasons with the Club.
“Roberto has been a great ambassador for the Club, conducting himself, at all times, with the utmost integrity and dignity.
“He secured the Club its highest ever Premier League points total, a place in the last 16 of the Europa League and appearances in both domestic cup semi-finals.
“He has also played a key role in the development of several young players, managing their progression to the Everton First Team and International honours.”
The Toffees have picked up only four Premier League points since March 5 and the 3-0 loss to Sunderland on Wednesday stretched their dismal run of form to just one win in 10 matches in all competitions.
Although Martinez has led Everton to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Capital One Cup this season, it appears the club’s poor league form has proved his downfall.
Everton are 12th on the log and, with only one match remaining, they are set to finish in the bottom half for a second straight year.

Federal Lawmakers React To Increase In Fuel Price

Senator Shehu Sani was one of the staunch supporters of the anti-subsidy removal protests in 2012.

Federal lawmakers on Thursday reacted to the deregulation of the downstream of the oil sector by the federal government on Thursday.
While some criticized the removal and the timing, other lawmakers described it is a welcome development.
Channels Television’s Linda Akhigbe reports that there have been reports that government would remove fuel subsidy and that has been the subject of debate for some time now.
She adds that the Federal Government had even maintained that it would not include fuel subsidy in the 2016 budget.
However, Wednesday’s announcement of an increase in fuel price is eliciting an instant response in the country and expectedly in the social media.
The last time the Federal Government went down this same path of removing fuel subsidy, the reactions were strong as protests broke out in some parts of the country.
Senator Shehu Sani was one of the staunch supporters of the anti-subsidy removal protests in 2012.
He said he has not changed his position on the removal of fuel subsidy.
Mr. Sani, who is the chairman Senate committee on Foreign and Domestic debt, said in a statement that the decision was “most unfortunate, punitive and insensitive”.
“At a time when poor Nigerians are facing enormous economic hardships and are being asked to be more patient all the NNPC can do is to add to their suffering,” he said, referring to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
“It’s utterly irrational and illogical to further impoverish the people in order to achieve liberal self-serving liberal economic aspirations.
“It’s all evident that capitalist forces are holding the FG hostage and are blackmailing it to implement its inimical version of economic reforms. It makes no sense if everyone must perish in order to revamp the economy.
“Economic reforms are necessary but it must be done with a human face and human heart if it’s made in the interest of human beings.
“Outrageous increase in pump price is a social provocation. It’s possible to reform the oil sector without necessarily incinerating the country. We must not take the patience, the sacrifice and the good will of Nigerians for granted.
“I stand opposed to the increase in pump price and I call on PMB to weigh in on the NNPC to rescind the decision,” Mr. Sani insisted.
For another federal lawmaker, Sen Mao Ohuabunwa, the announcement of subsidy removal is confusing.
But a federal lawmaker in the House of Representatives supports the removal of fuel subsidy.
Akhigbe maintains that in the coming days, a debate on government’s removal of fuel subsidy would take centre stage, as labour unions are already kicking against the move and have vowed to resist it.

Bernie Sanders Beats Clinton In West Virginia Primary

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US Presidential hopeful, Bernie Sanders, has recorded another victory against Hillary Clinton after winning the West Virginia primary in the democratic race for the White House.
The Vermont Senator still trails Mrs Clinton in the overall contest for delegates but this win keeps his slim hopes alive.
On the Republican side, Mr Trump was declared the winner in West Virginia and in Nebraska.
His last remaining rivals dropped out last week but remain on the ballot. However, Mr Trump faces a huge task in trying to get the Republican Party behind him, as doubts persist about his substance and style.

Brazil Senate Puts Rousseff On Trial, Ending 13 years Of Leftist Rule

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Brazil’s Senate voted on Thursday to put leftist President, Dilma Rousseff on trial in a historic decision brought on by a deep recession and a corruption scandal that will now confront Michel Temer, the Vice President who succeeds her.
With Rousseff suspended during the Senate trial for allegedly breaking budget rules, the centrist, Michel Temer will take the helm of a country that again finds itself mired in political and economic volatility after a recent decade of prosperity.
The 55-22 vote ends more than 13 years of rule by the left-wing Workers Party, which rose from Brazil’s labor movement and helped pull millions of people out of poverty before seeing many of its leaders face corruption investigations.
Fireworks rang out in some neighborhoods across Brazil after the vote at the end of a 20-hour session in the Senate. Police had briefly clashed with pro-Rousseff demonstrators in Brasilia on Wednesday, exchanging volleys of tear gas and rocks.
The impeachment process began in the lower house of Congress in December and Rousseff, a 68-year-old economist and former Marxist guerrilla who was Brazil’s first female president, is unlikely to be acquitted in a trial that could last as long as six months.
A two-thirds majority is needed in the Senate to convict her but the scale of her defeat in the vote on Thursday showed how little support she has.
“Today we are trying to overcome this situation by removing an irresponsible government. We have no alternative,” said Senator Blairo Maggi, one of Brazil’s biggest soy farmers, who is slated to become agriculture minister in Temer’s government.
Rousseff has denied any wrongdoing and called her impeachment a “coup”.
Temer, a 75-year-old centrist and constitutional scholar who spent decades in Brazil’s Congress, now faces the challenge of restoring economic growth and calm at a time when Brazilians, increasingly polarized, are questioning whether their institutions can deliver on his promise of stability.
In addition to a towering budget deficit, equal to more than 10 percent of its annual economic output, Brazil is suffering from rising unemployment, plummeting investment and a projected economic contraction of more than 3 percent this year.

Criticisms Trail New Petrol Price in Southwest Nigeria

Nigerians in the southwest have expressed displeasure with the new price band of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol.
 
Residents in Osogbo, Osun State’s capital woke up on Thursday morning to a protest by operators of commercial mini buses popularly known as ‘Korope’, in response to the 145 Naira per litre price band of petrol announced by the Federal Government.
‎The operators between the hours of 8:00AM and 12 noon, parked their buses along the roads in the town to protest the new pump price, leaving people going to their offices and businesses stranded.
They also used the medium to create awareness for the increase in transport fares from the range of 30 and 50 Naira to 50 and 80 Naira, depending on the distance.
Some of the commercial operators, Omoloye Oladapo and Tajudeen Olayemi, stressed that buying petrol at the rate of 145 Naira would definitely lead to increase in transportation fare.
A resident of Osogbo, Abdulkareem Olatunji, ‎described the decision of the commercial drivers to down tool for some hours as unfair to the people, saying that it has affected their daily activities.
Residents of Ibadan in Oyo State are also crying out to the Federal Government to critically examine its decision on the fuel price increase, to alleviate the suffering of the masses.
Going round the Ibadan metropolis, Channels Television crew found few petrol service stations selling at the new price band of 145 Naira per litre while majority were not selling.
Some of the motorists said that they had been on queue as early as 5:00AM in some filling stations without a hope of getting fuel.
Outrage and frustration were some of the emotions expressed by residents who spoke to Channels Television on the new price of petrol.

Biafra: IPOB disowns S-East govs, Ohanaeze over meeting with FG

Bianca Ojukwu,  Fasheun, Major Al-Mustapha, others storm Owerri for 3rd anniversary of Ojukwu’s demise

By Chidi Nkwopara & Chimaobi Nwaiwu

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, warned the South East governors andOhanaeze Ndigbo, to stop any meeting they were planning to hold with Federal Government in the name of representing and speaking for them as they did not represent IPOB

This came as the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike,  appealed to the Federal Government to unconditionally release the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

Unconditional release

One of IPOB’s spokesmen, Emma Powerful said “if the South East governors and theOhanaeze Ndigbo are serious, they should be talking about getting unconditional release of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who is still  incacerated for the past one month, that should be the starting point.
How can the South East governors, whom we elected but stabbed us at the back, calling us all sorts of unprintable names with the enemies of Biafra and South East in general, and the people who call themselves Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a group that is in shambles, that has not takenNdigbo forward after the leadership of Eze Ozobu and Nwabueze, be talking for us?

“The governors and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that is in disarray and some disgruntled traditional rulers, whom we know for working for any government in power, and soliciting for and receiving contracts from governments, joined the enemies of Ndigbo,who betrayed us during the Nigerian Biafran Civil War, to call us name.

“And now they claim they want to go and negotiate for us, to collect money and contracts as usual, to sell us out like they have always done, when they have not even called us to a meeting to find out our grievances.

“We are rejecting the South East governors and Ohanaeze Ndigbo and whatever proposals they are making with Nigerian Federal Government. They are not representing us, but themselves.

We, the IPOB members warn them to stop discussing IPOB because they are not representing us, they have roundly and consistently disappointed us, Ndigbo and Biafrans as a whole.

“We can only listen and support them if they are talking about unconditional release for Mr. Kanu and not to stop worldwide Biafra actualization agitation and peaceful protests, we will not stop until our leader is released unconditionally.”

Anniversary

Meanwhile, leader of  MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has appealed to the Federal Government to unconditionally release the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

Uwazuruike made the appeal, yesterday, while addressing loyalists and friends of MASSOB, who stormed Owerri for the third anniversary of the exit of Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.

Biafra

Some dignitaries that honoured the event included, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, who was the Special Guest of Honour. He was also accompanied to the event by more than 70 persons.

Others included Alhaji Yerima Shetima, President, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum; Prof. Alu Danladi, Ambassador John Fashanu, Alhaji Abdullahi Zaria, Alhaji Sale Hassan, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu, Alhaji Zallari Bello and Alhaji Aminu Gwaru.

Continuing, the MASSOB leader sai: “We are not operating from any foreign country.  The so called Radio Biafra, London, was opened by MASSOB in London and Nnamdi Kanu appointed as the Director, after MASSOB had operated Voice of Biafra International in Washington DC for three years. The purpose of Radio Biafra London was to showcase the marginalization of Ndigbo,” Uwazuruike said.

He said his group knew the desires of Ndigbo, and how to achieve them, noting that those who were threatening fire and brimstone today, were once members of MASSOB before they were expelled due to violent related behaviours.

Blackmail

He was not particularly happy at the way Ndigbo “castigate, vilify and blackmail their leaders to impress other tribes,” pointing out that “Ndigbo takes delight in killing their leaders to emerge as the new champions.

“Ndigbo are now second class citizens in Nigeria. They will soon be relegated to the third class. Ndigbo blames the Hausa and the Yoruba for their misadventure. Unfortunately, Ndigbodo not see any reason to blame themselves.

“Today, Ndigbo in their usual character, want to decimate MASSOB. They believe that since MASSOB has not achieved Biafra through non-violence for 16 years that they would achieve it through violence.”

Fire and brimstone

Uwazuruike said that the those claiming to be champions in their little knowledge, forget that “Igboland is landlocked and that the five states of the South East contribute less than eight per cent of the economy of Nigeria.

“In their little knowledge, they do not know that Ndigbo need deep sea ports to bring in their arms and ammunition to be used to fight an established government of Nigeria.

There is no Sambisa forest connecting Igboland to other neighbouring countries, through which small arms could be smuggled in.”

Suicide attack hits Nigeria Shia march

Image copyrightIbrahim Hassan

Image captionDeaths and injuries did not stop the procession - an annual event lasting seven days

A suicide bomber has killed at least 21 people in an attack on a Shia Muslim procession in Nigeria's Kano state, eyewitnesses and organisers say.

The bomber ran into the crowd and detonated his device before he could be spotted, an organiser told AFP.

The attack happened shortly after a man was arrested in possession of a bomb, a witness told the BBC.

The blast took place in the village of Dakasoye, about 20km (13 miles) south of the provincial capital, Kano.

"We lost 21 people and several others have been injured," Muhammad Turi from the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) said.

Police said they did not know who was behind the attack, but IMN organisers blamed the Sunni militant group Boko Haram.

Meeting Nigeria's Shia leader

The procession - an annual event lasting seven days - continued after the blast.

"We are not surprised that we've been attacked because this is the situation all over the country. This will not deter us from our religious observance," said Mr Turi.

The procession travels from Kano to Zaria in neighbouring Kaduna state, where the IMN, the country's biggest Shia organisation, has its headquarters.

Security forces had been ordered away from the procession after clashes between pilgrims and the army left several people dead last year, including three sons of its leader Sheikh el-Zakzaky.

Most of Nigeria's Muslims are Sunnis and correspondents say there are underlying tensions between them and Shia Muslims.

Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed thousands and made more than 2m people homeless. The group condemns Shias as heretics who should be killed.

The militants have increasingly attacked civilian targets since being pushed out of territory they controlled by a military offensive.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has given the military commanders until next month to end the conflict, but there are fears bomb attacks may continue.

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