THE STATES

FCT

The police have arraigned a 20-year-old drycleaner,
Ezekiel Aerepera, in an Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, for forgery.
Aerepera of Gbagalape, Phase 1, Abuja, is facing a two-count charge of cheating and forgery.
The Prosecutor, Donaldtus Aba, told the court that the complainant, Patrick Adah of Angwan Dadi, Nyanya, Abuja, reported the matter at the Nyanya Police Station on July 13.
Aba said the defendant had in April forged the complainant’s signature of his Diamond Bank account at Nyanya branch, Abuja, and withdrew N11,000 from the said account.
He said the defendant was, however, arrested at the bank by the security men.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened sections 368 and 322 of the Penal Code, which the defendant pleaded not guilty.
The presiding officer, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum.
Jigawa

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Jigawa
State said it trained 179 youths, including 50 women in various income-generating trades within six months.
The NDE’s State Coordinator, Alhaji Muhammad Sambo, announced made this in an interview with our correspondent in Dutse.
Sambo said that the female beneficiaries were trained in tie and dye making under the Directorate’s Women Employment Promotion (WEP).
According to him, 40 young men drawn from Dutse were trained in auto-mobile mechanic, tailoring, carpentry and electrical installation under the agency’s Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (B-NOAS).
The coordinator said the B-NOAS beneficiaries were given N2,000 allowance for three months period.
He said another set of 50 from Auyo Local Government Area was also trained in interlock making, GSM repairs, motorcycle repairs, tailoring and electrical installation, under the NDE’s Basic Community Training Scheme (CBTS).

Kaduna

The Kaduna State Police Command, said that it had ar
rested 13 suspected kidnappers and 10 armed robbery suspects in various operations it conducted in July.
The command, in a statement by its spokesman, ASP. Aliyu Usman, also said nine street gang members, locally known as ‘Sara Suka’, two notorious criminals and three others were also arrested during the period.
He said that 12 of the suspected kidnappers were those who abducted the Sierra Leone Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Maj. Gen. Alfred Claud-Nelson on Abuja-Kaduna highway on July 1.
Our correspondent  reports that the envoy, who had since regained freedom, was abducted while on his way to attend a graduation ceremony at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji.

Kano

The Federal Government has earmarked over N300 mil
lion for the rehabilitation of the Kano-Gwarzo-Dayi Road.
The Zonal Coordinator, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr Sani Mohammed disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Kano.
He said that already, preparations were in top gear for the opening of the tenders for the contract in the first week of August, while work on the road is expected to commence in September.
“I want to use this opportunity to inform the various communities living along the road that work on the road will soon commence.’’
He assured that the Federal Government would ensure that the contract was awarded to a reputable contractor, in view of its contribution to socio-economic development of the people of Kano State and other neighbouring states.

Kogi

The immediate past President of Kabba Students’ Union,
Mr Adebayo Eseyin, has called on students to make adequate use of the newly-stocked community library to enhance their academic performance.
Eseyin told newsmen in Lokoja that the renovation and equipping of the library came at the right time.
He explained that Kabba students had waited too long to realise the completion of the library.
He commended the sons and daughters of Kabba, who had in one way or the other contributed to the success of the project. Eseyin, however, lamented that the needs of the students in the community were enormous and required immediate attention.
Kwara

The Director-General of Bureau of Lands in Kwara State,
Alhaji Ibrahim Salman, has denied reports that shops beside Government Secondary School (GSS), Ilorin, had been recommended for demolition.
Salman refuted the allegation while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin recently.
The director general said that he was not aware of any visit by the regulators where such recommendations were made, adding that bureau had a standing inspection team to ensure safety of projects. According to him, the only structure that was discovered to be defective had been demolished and no other shops collapsed during construction.
Lagos

A self-employed man, Afeez Raheem, 31, who allegedly
shoplifted some edibles, home utensils and clothing has appeared before an Ikorodu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State.
The accused, whose address was not disclosed in court, pleaded not guilty to the offence of stealing preferred against him.  The police prosecutor, Cpl. Mary Ajiteru, told the court that the accused committed the offence on May 10, at about 1.50p.m.
Ajiteru said Raheem with others still at large shoplifted at the Eleganza Shopping Complex, Ajah, Lagos State.  “Raheem and his gang invaded a particular shop within the complex and pretended to have bought one or two items.

Ondo

The police in Ondo State have arraigned a 52-year-old
woman, Grace Ikuomola at an Okitipupa Magistrate Court for standing surety for her accused son who allegedly jumped bail.
The prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi told the court that the accused, Adeola Ikuomola, 28, on Jan. 15 at 1:00pm at Ayeka in Okitipupa allegedly collected N250,000 from one Omoyele Akindoye under false pretence of processing visa to Dubai. Orogbemi said that since then, Ikuomola who stood surety for her accused son had failed to produce him in court as part of the bail conditions.
Osun

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) community,
has charged the new acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Anthony Elujoba to try as much as possible to normalise the situation on campus without further delay.
The members of the community made the appeal in separate interviews with our correspondent in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Mr Ademola Oketunde, expressed satisfaction with the appointment.
Oketunde said that Elujoba’s emergence as the acting Vice-Chancellor was people’s choice and therefore advised him to try as much as possible to correct all the previous administration’s errors.
He charged him to make welfare of the staff and students a priority, adding that transparency and accountability should be the watch words in his administration.

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Women Affairs,
Hajiya Kulu Abdullahi,said that about N2 billion loan had been accessed by the state from CBN for small and medium-scale enterprises.
Abdullahi disclosed this at a ministerial briefing in Sokoto.
She said that out of the loan, 60 per cent would specifically go to women to enhance activities of small- scale enterprises in the state.
She said that the ministry had set up an enlightenment committee to sensitise women on the need to participate in the programme.
“The sensitisation campaign is expected to educate women on the need to properly utilise the loan for the purpose it was made for towards boasting commercial activities in the state’’.
Yobe

The Yobe State Committee on Resettlement and Reha
bilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), has donated 75 wheel chairs to eight hospitals catering for displaced persons in the state.
Secretary of the committee, Alhaji Musa Jidawa, who presented the wheel chairs,  said that the gesture was in recognition of the efforts of the hospitals in meeting the healthcare needs of displaced persons.
“Yobe government enjoyed the excellent partnership and synergy among health care providers in treating victims of insurgency and other displaced persons in the state.
“The working cooperation between the hospitals and other government agencies saved a lot of lives in the wake of attacks on communities in the state. “The cooperation among medical institutions had saved many victims of bomb blasts and all forms of attacks by insurgents on the communities.
“Government appreciates this synergy and, we hope to develop this working cooperation, assist the health facilities to serve the people better” he said.