Benue
A 37-year-old man, Philemon Kwaghkondo, was arraigned
before an Upper Area Court 2, Makurdi, for allegedly blocking the entrance and preventing customers from entering a bank. Kwaghkondo is charged with wrongful restraint.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Omaye Ujata, told the court that Alhaji Garba Adamu, Managing Director, Algreb Mirco-Finance Bank, Makurdi, reported the case at ‘B’ Division police station, Makurdi.
Ujata said that the accused used a mattress to block the entrance of the bank, thus making it inaccessible to members of staff and customers adding that the accused admitted to committing the offence.
The prosecution said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 254 of the Penal Code. After the charges were read to the accused, the accused pleaded not guilty.
The magistrate, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, granted the accused to bail in the sum of N10,000 with one surety in like sum.
Mohammed adjourned the case until June 3, for hearing.

FCT
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar,
has ordered Commissioners of Police to immediately carry out a nationwide security audit and threat analysis of boarding schools.
A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, said the measure was part of a proactive effort to bolster security network in the schools.
“The outcome of this exercise will greatly assist police authorities and other security agencies in the task of designing security strategies that will help in promoting safety and security in schools. “It is equally expected that the result of the consultations, threat analysis and the attendant security awareness campaigns will help in reducing the vulnerability of the schools and strengthen an otherwise soft terror target,’’ it said.
The I-G advised the commissioners to collaborate with other security agencies, the Ministry of Education in the various states, as well as the management and staff of the schools and urged commissioners to work with the Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs), the host communities and other stakeholders so as to obtain the most reliable intelligence.

Kano
The Kano State Police Command said it arrested two sus
pects over alleged  security breaches in the state.
The command spokesman, ASP Magaji Majia, said in Kano that “two persons were arrested at the New Road Motor Park this morning and brought to headquarters for further investigations’’.
“The commissioner of police has directed the CID department to investigate, thereafter he (the commissioner) will brief the press,” he said.
There was a bomb attack on Sunday night in which five persons died while an explosives laden car was demobilised in Kano on Monday.
Majia said the suspects were arrested, to avert further security breach, adding that “no information yet to link the suspects to the bombings until investigation is completed”.

Kaduna
Kaduna State Government said it would collaborate with
retired military officers to address the prevailing security challenges in the state.
Gov. Mukhtar Yero said this when Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers Association of Nigeria (RANAO) led by its President, Maj. Gen. Rabiu Aliyu (rtd) paid him a courtesy visit in Kaduna.
The governor, directed the coordinator of the state security outfit, Operation Yaki, to discuss further with the association on strategies to tackle the prevailing insecurity in the state.
Earlier, the President of the association, Maj. Gen. Rabiu Aliyu (rtd) said that members were ready to use their wealth of knowledge and experience to assist the government in tackling security challenges in the state.
Kwara
Workers at the three Kwara State owned Colleges of Edu
cation last Tuesday suspended their six-week industrial action called by Committee of Unions of Tertiary Institutions (CUTI).
CUTI Chairman, Malam Shehu Sanni, announced the suspension of the strike in Ilorin at the end of the congress of the union held at the College of Education, Ilorin.
He said the strike was suspended for three weeks to allow for negotiations between the union and the state government, and directed all members of the three unions under CUTI to return to work immediately.
Sanni said members of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) met to take the decision.
The CUTI chairman said the union decided to suspend the six-week strike due to the intervention of Senator Bukola Saraki and Global Peace Movement.

Ogun
An Abeokuta Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Tuesday, re
manded three union officials in prison custody at the Abeokuta Prisons, Ibara, for allegedly stealing money belonging to two organisations.
The organisations are: the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Ojere, Abeokuta.
The accused, Odeogbola James, 55; Egbewunmi Olalekan, 44, and Taiwo Oladipupo, 38, are being tried for stealing, conspiracy and concealing relevant documents relating to the disbursement of funds, property of FCMB and NASU.
Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Banji Sangotokun, had told the court that the accused persons, whose addresses were unknown, committed the offences between 2008 and 2011 at MAPOLY.
He said the accused persons were holding major positions in the union as the President, Treasurer, and Secretary of the  NASU at MAPOLY.

Osun
The Osun House of Assembly  has appealed to the Joint
Negotiation Council (JNC) of the non-academic staff union of state-owned tertiary institutions to call off its three- month-old strike.
The House made the appeal at a joint meeting of JNC, Head of Service and the Commissioner of Finance, Mr Akintunde Adegboye, in Osogbo.
Members of non-academic staff union of the institutions embarked on strike on March 11 over non-remittance of their contributory pension funds and poor condition of service, among others.
Addressing the meeting, the Speaker of the House, Mr Najeem Salaam, said the House would do everything within its power to address the union’s demands and assured that the House would consider the inclusion of the union in the new 65 year retirement age demanded by them.
Earlier, Mr Olusoji Fasipe, JNC chairman, said government had not been remitting their pension deduction into the appropriate quarters in the last nine months.
Oyo
The  National Environmental Standards and Regulations En
forcement Agency (NESREA) says it will collaborate with the town planning authorities to stop the location of industrial and residential property in the same area.
South West Zonal Director of the agency, Mr Olufunbi Sode, who said this in an interview in Ibadan last Tuesday stated that to ensure a clean and healthier environment, the problem of locating industries in residential areas and vice versa must be resolved.
“It is important to ensure that areas designated for industries are solely used for industrial development and not to have residential buildings mixed up with industries.”We must stop the problem of having residents living close to industries, thereby keeping people away from industrial pollution. This should stop,” he said.
“We must establish working relationship with government establishments at the federal, state and local levels and in this instance, town planning authorities are paramount. “We have had occasions of working together with them in the past and only last year, we were able to sensitise them on this particular issue,” he added.

Lagos

The National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) has recov
ered the body of the victim of the boat mishap that occurred at Bonny Camp in Victoria Island, Lagos on May 18.
Eight of the nine people on board the boat were rescued alive while one of the passengers, a woman could not be accounted for.
The Head of the Marine Department of NIWA, Mrs Sarat Suleiman, said the body of the woman was recovered at around mid day on Tuesday.
Recounting the mishap, Suleiman said that a heavy wind blew against the boat and the operator could not control the situation.
She commended the Association of Tourist Boat Operators, Water Transporters of Nigeria and fishermen for rising up to the challenge before the arrival of NIWA rescue team and urged boat operators and passengers to desist from night trips to save their lives.
Also speaking, Mr Olayinka Marinho, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority, said that the authority had warned passengers and operators against travelling at night.
Marinho decried the failure of passengers and operators to heed warning on their safety, adding that any person who disregarded the law did so at his or her own risk.

Plateau
A former  aviation minister, Chief  Felix Hyat,  has advised
northern governors to relate more with security agencies rather than hurling blames in the quest to tackle insurgency.
The former minister, who was also Secretary to the State Government (SSG)  during the Ahmed Makarfi administration in Kaduna State urged governors and other leaders to be proactive and should quickly resolve issues as they arose rather than taking them for granted.
The former minister said Nigerians must be educated to accept one another, adding that they  must realise that they cannot live in isolation.
“Even if we decide to be that foolish, we shall have denominational differences staring us in the face,” he said.
On the allegations that insurgency was politically motivated, Hyat described such claims as “myopic.”

L-Rt: U.S. Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Sarah Sewall, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye, during the visit of the U. S. Under Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, recently.